|
|
|
Are Coffee Colonics The Real Thing?
Coffee colonics detoxify the liver, as well as cleans the colon. Some people claim that they provide immediate relief to toxicity symptoms, such as congestion, indigestion, pain and headaches. There are even some small studies that suggest that...
Beef up your Coffee Collection with Braun 4 Cup Espresso Carafes
If you love your coffee you are in the right site. If you are keen on having the best coffee accessories then this is the place to find out all about the Braun 4 Cup Espresso Carafe. If your coffee is as important to you as my coffee is to me then...
Caribbean Coffee Offers a Taste of the Tropics
Colombian coffee's popularity is no secret, but many countries
in and around the Caribbean also produce this popular bean. Most
coffee-growing islands in the Caribbean, however, do not produce
quantities large enough to export on a wide scale,...
Coffee in America
American coffee? Technically there is no such thing, at least none that is grown in North America. There is such a thing as the American coffee consumer which might as well be an institution all their own for it’s their money that drives a...
New England Coffee
In 1607 The London Company sent 105 adventurous employees to the New World and the founding American colony of Jamestown was created. In New England coffee would not appear until around 1660. The coffee craze of the 1700’s was well underway in...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
History of Arabica Coffee
As you may have guessed, Arabica coffee gets its name from Arabia, the land of kings. When it comes to coffee, Arabica is definitely king. As legend has it, a goat herd named Kaldi discovered coffee on the Arabian peninsula around 500-600 A.D. He observed his goats excited behavior after eating the red cherry-like berries of a coffee plant.
Hence the name Arabica, however, scientific evidence indicates that coffee first grew in Kaffa, what is now Ethiopia, in Northeastern Africa and was transported shortly afterwards across the mouth of the Red Sea to Yemen.
One could assume that the name coffee comes from the word Kaffa which would support the evidence that coffee first appeared in this region. Semantics aside, it is accepted that Arabia was the origin of commercial coffee trade so Arabica coffee is appropriately named.
Of the more than forty species of plants in the Coffea genus only two are suitable for making coffee, Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora the latter of which is more commonly known as Coffea robusta. Of the two, Arabica is definitely the premium bean.
Many factors determine the quality of the end product. Such as, where the coffee is grown, soil, climate and elevation, not to mention harvesting, processing and roasting of the mature beans. However, one fact is undisputed, the finest coffees in the world come from Arabica coffee plants.
Arabica coffee accounts for about 80% of all coffee produced in the world. It prefers higher elevations and drier climates than its cousin C. robusta.
The
tropics of South America provide ideal conditions for growing Arabica coffee which grows best between 3,000 and 6,500 feet but has been grown as high as 9,000 feet. Generally, the higher the plant is grown the slower it matures. This gives it time to develop the internal elements and oils that give coffee its aromatic flavor.
Within the C. arabica species there are three main varietals; Typica, Bourbon and Caturra. Each has subtle differences that add character nuances to body, acidity, balance etc… that are detectable to the discerning palate.
More importantly, the sub-species of Arabica coffee have been bred to adapt to a specific growing region to be resistant to certain afflictions such as fungus, parasites, insects etc… that differ from region to region.
Interestingly, C. arabica, is self-pollinating as opposed to C. robusta, which is not. This might explain why Arabica coffee is more abundant throughout the world. Also why it does well at higher elevations where bees might be less active due to cooler temperatures and why Robusta prefers lower, hotter, climates where bees are more plentiful. Just a theory but food for thought.
© Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved.
About the Author
Randy has more articles on coffee such as Colombian Coffee, Coffee and Alzheimers and Coffee Breaks.
|
|
|
|
|
| Starbucks Homepage |
| Starbucks Coffee Company is the leading retailer, roaster and brand of specialty coffee in the world. The Company's other brands enhance the Starbucks ... |
| www.starbucks.com |
|
| Coffee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. ... Coffee aficionados may even distinguish auctioned coffees by lot number. ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| Peet's Coffee & Tea |
| Coffee, tea and brewing equipment, information and store locator. |
| www.peets.com |
|
| Coffee Review :: The World's Leading Coffee Buying Guide |
| Coffee and coffee-related reviews done by Kenneth Davids and others. |
| www.coffeereview.com |
|
| Coffee @ nationalgeographic.com |
| The history of coffee, descriptions of different varieties, map of coffee-producing countries and a discussion forum. |
| www.nationalgeographic.com |
|
| Trojan Room Coffee Machine |
| The official site. Includes the final image of the machine being switched off, a non-technical biography, and an audio copy of a 1994 radio report. |
| www.cl.cam.ac.uk |
|
| Espresso and Coffee Information from Coffee Universe |
| Linking the entire specialty coffee and espresso industry from coffee beans, coffee roasting to espresso machines. |
| coffeeuniverse.com |
|
| CoffeeGeek - News, Reviews, Opinion and Community for Coffee and ... |
| Offers reviews of coffee appliances, news, and articles. |
| www.coffeegeek.com |
|
| Coffee Break Arcade - Free Games |
| Play the best FREE games on the web. Select online games from 6 categories including Sports, Shooting, Racing, Classic, Casino and Cool. |
| www.coffeebreakarcade.com |
|
| Too Much Coffee Man - Home |
| Online strips, merchandise, and multimedia. [Graphics intensive] |
| www.tmcm.com |
|
| International Coffee Organization - News From The Executive Director |
| London-based intergovernmental body of coffee exporting and importing countries. Offers current industry news and legislative alerts; ... |
| www.ico.org |
|
| Caribou Coffee — Gourmet Coffee Shops and Online Specialty Coffee ... |
| Caribou Coffee shops and online store feature gourmet coffee and gifts. |
| www.cariboucoffee.com |
|
| Fair Trade Coffee |
| Fair Trade for coffee farmers means community development, health, education, ... Updated Action Pack for Fair Trade Coffee and Chocolate Campaigns ... |
| www.globalexchange.org |
|
| Gevalia.com - Gourmet Coffee & Tea Collections |
| Selections of fine coffees, flavorful teas, gifts and inspirations offered via direct automatic delivery or catalog order. |
| www.gevalia.com |
|
| Dunkin' Donuts Coffee | Buy Coffee Beans Online |
| Coffee sold by the pound, regular delivery programs, gifts and accessories. |
| www.dunkindonuts.com |
|
| Over The Coffee |
| Top Ten Coffee Producing Nations Brazil Colombia Indonesia Vietnam Mexico Ethiopia India Guatemala Cote d'Ivoire Uganda. |
| www.cappuccino.com |
|
| INeedCoffee - Monthly Caffeination Information |
| This coffee brewer guide is meant to assist buyer to choose the ideal single cup ... I found coffee paradise. The best coffee city is Auckland, New Zealand. ... |
| www.ineedcoffee.com |
|
| Coffee Forums Coffee Discussion about Espresso, Coffee Beans and ... |
| Offers discussion boards for enthusiasts to talk about topics such as beans, espresso, machines, and cafes. |
| www.coffeeforums.com |
|
| Green Mountain Coffee Roasters: Organic, Fair Trade and Signature ... |
| Gourmet coffees and specialty coffee accessories and gifts. Shop online for Fair Trade and Organic coffee, single-cup coffee, decaf and flavored coffee, ... |
| www.greenmountaincoffee.com |
|
| Equal Exchange: Fairly Traded Coffee, Tea & Chocolate |
| Dedicated to fair trade with small-scale coffee farmers in the developing world. |
| www.equalexchange.com |
|
|