Have A Cuppa

Are you a coffee drinker? Most people are, at least to a certain degree. Coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world, with around 2 billion cups drunk every single day. My dad had coffee running through his veins, and would consume numerous pots everyday. I love coffee, but I cannot drink too much, especially the “heavy stuff”. I drink a “cuppa” every morning, but it is more of a latte, with a milk base. Larry doesn’t like coffee at all and won’t touch anything coffee flavored or related.

Coffee has been around since around 800 A.D. It is believed that coffee and it’s energizing benefits were first noted in Ethiopia, by a young goat herder, named Kaldi. He noticed how his goats were energized after eating the berries and leaves from “a strange plant”. He took some of these berries to a local monastery and they concocted a drink from these strange berries that helped keep them stay awake when they were tired.

The popularity of coffee and its energizing effects spread around the world, to every culture. Every culture had their own unique ways of making it. The Turks created the roasting process of the coffee beans before grinding them into a fine powder in the 16th century.

By the 17th century, coffee had become a popular beverage in both Europe and North America. It became the drink of choice for “Americans” with the hated “tea tax”, which led to the Boston Tea Party, and eventually the revolution that created America. Not only was a new nation created, but it was a coffee loving nation, and not really a nation of tea drinkers.

Coffee is grown in the areas known as the “coffee belt”, which is a geographic region between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, including countries in South and Central America, Asia and Africa. All of these coffee producing countries have consistently warm, humid temperatures ranging from 59-75* F and high altitudes, from 1968-6561 feet above sea levels in common. Today, Vietnam is the largest coffee producer in the world, especially for the Robusta blend, which is also the most popular coffee variety.

All coffee beans are green before they are roasted. It is in the roasting process where the distinct flavors and qualities come to life for the different coffees. There are four main categories of roasted coffee blends – 1) light; 2) medium; 3) medium-dark and 4) dark.

Light roasted coffees are coffees where the beans are not roasted for a long period of time. They are removed from the heat after reaching an internal temperature of about 375-385*F. They are light brown in color and contain very little, if any, of the oils and acids of darker coffees.

Medium roasts are darker and are roasted longer. Their temperatures are allowed to reach about 395-410*F. Their flavor is a little richer than the light roasts and are a little more balanced. They too are low in oils and acidic flavors.

Medium-dark roasts are roasted even longer, and thus are darker and richer in flavor and color yet again. Their temperatures are allowed to reach between 412-424*F. These are the rich, bold flavored coffees used a lot in espressos and French press coffees.

And lastly, there are the dark roasts, which are bold, smoky, full bodied coffees, with a slightly sweeter and caramelized flavor. They are roasted until they reach between 428-446*F.

Today, there are many different coffee blends and varieties, with flavors and styles enough to please all coffee drinkers around the world. The more popular varieties come from four basic types – 1) Arabica, which are smooth, slightly sweet and slightly floral in taste and character; 2) Robusta, which are strong, bold, earthy and nutty; 3) Liberica, known for their strong, woody and and smoky nuances. These varieties are also the least caffeinated varieties in the coffee world too; and 4) Excelsa, a derivative of the Liberica blends, only bolder, with more depth and more flavor intensity.

Arabica and Robusta are the most popular types of coffee beans produced.

So if you are a coffee drinker, go grab, or better yet make, yourself a “cuppa” of your favorite morning blend. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well, and HAPPY NEW YEAR! ‘Til next time.