Brief History of Coffee

A Brief History Of Coffee

Myth has it that coffee was first discovered in or around the 9th century in Abyssinia (Ethiopia) by a young goatherd. He noticed that his goats liked to graze upon berries which seemed to have interesting side effects! The goats jumped around seemingly full of energy and realizing that the berries must have some magical property the young goatherd took some back to the village elders.

The Ethiopians traded with the Arabs and coffee spread eastwards. The Arabs jealously guarded the coffee plant and although they traded widely across the Islamic world all beans for export were boiled to prevent any chance of transplantation. However the Dutch managed to transplant some to Java (Indonesia) in late 1600's, and this was the catalyst for the worldwide growth of coffee cultivation. In the late 17th Century coffee came to the masses of Europe and the first coffee houses opened in Italy, Austria and England. Lloyds of London and the London Stock Exchange are just two of the key institutions whose roots can be traced back to a 17th Century coffee house.

By the 18th Century the French had introduced coffee cultivation to Martinique, and by the end of the century there were between 18 and 19 million coffee bushes firmly establishing Central America and South America as important coffee producers.

Today coffee is grown on five continents, is consumed worldwide, and is one of the most important commodities traded on the world markets.

Types Of Coffee

There are two main species of bean, arabica and robusta. Both thrive in equatorial regions.

Robusta is grown at lower altitudes, 0 to 700 metres, and has a high yield per plant and high caffeine content (1.7 to 4.0%). It accounts for about 30% of world production. Robusta has a stronger flavour than arabica with a full body and a woody aftertaste which is useful in creating blends and especially useful in instant coffee.

Robusta is mainly grown in the following regions:

• Western and Central Africa (Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Uganda, Angola, etc.)
• Malaysia (Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Java, etc.)
• Brazil
• India

Arabica grows at higher altitudes, 1000 to 2000 metres, and while it has a lower yield and less caffeine content (0.8 to 1.4%) it is widely recognised to be superior to robusta. Arabica accounts for about 70% of world production, although only about 10% of this yields "grand cru" beans. Arabica has a delicate acidic flavour, a refined aroma and a caramel aftertaste.

Arabica is mainly grown in the following regions:

• Central America (Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama)
• South America (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina)
• India
• Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique)
• Papua New Guinea

Many of the cheaper blends have a higher proportion of robusta compared to arabica. Some high quality blends use a small quantity of the very best robusta beans to give body and character to the blends, particularly in espresso blends.

The Different Coffee Bean Roasts

Coffee beans in their raw state (green) are subjected to heat for varying degrees of time to achieve the different types of roasts. This is known as the roasting process.

Dark Roasts (14 minutes)

The darkest roasts such as Italian Roast are also known as "Heavy Roast", with beans roasted nearly to jet black giving a smoky well roasted taste which masks the natural flavours of the coffee bean.

Medium Dark Roasts (12 to 13 minutes)

Some examples of medium dark roasts are:

• French Roast - which is also known as "Dark Roast". French Roast beans are often used to make espresso.
   
• Continental Roast - which is slightly lighter than French Roast but with spicy body.
   
• Viennese Roast - which is roasted a little longer than regular American roast and has rich chocolaty body.
   
• Full City Roast - which is even darker than City roast.

Medium Roasts (9 to 11 minutes)

Medium roasts balance body with flavour.

Some examples of medium roasts are:

• Breakfast Roast - which is a bit sweeter than a light roast.
   
• American Roast - which is not as dark as any of the European roasts but has a good aroma.
   
• City Roast - which is darker than the standard American roast.

 

Light Roasts (7 minutes)

A light roast gives a very subtle light bodied flavour.

Some examples of light roasts are:

• New England Roast.
   
• Half City Roast.
   
• Cinnamon Roast - where the surface of the bean is dry with no oils present and flavour is light-bodied.

Vocabulary Of Tasting Terms

The following are suggested terms, used worldwide by coffee tasting experts, for describing the flavour of a coffee.

Aromas

       Animal-like - This odour descriptor is somewhat reminiscent of the smell of animals. It is not a fragrant aroma like musk but has the characteristic odour of wet fur, sweat, leather, hides or urine. It is not necessarily considered as a negative attribute but is generally used to describe strong notes.
 

       Ashy - This odour descriptor is similar to that of an ashtray, the odour of smokers' fingers or the smell one gets when cleaning out a fireplace. It is not used as a negative attribute. Generally speaking this descriptor is used by the tasters to indicate the degree of roast………………………………..
 

       Burnt/Smokey - This odour and flavour descriptor is similar to that found in burnt food. The odour is associated with smoke produced when burning wood. This descriptor is frequently used to indicate the degree of roast commonly found by tasters in dark-roasted or oven-roasted coffees.

Storing Your Coffee

Green Beans

The length of time that green (unroasted) beans can be stored depends on a variety of factors, the most important of which are humidity, air circulation and temperature.

The ideal humidity is around 50 to 55 percent and the ideal temperature around 22 degrees centigrade (72 degrees fahrenheit). It is important not to put green beans into an airtight container because they need to breathe.

Roasted Beans

Roasted coffee beans gradually deteriorate after they have been roasted and are best used within 6 months, but they must be properly stored.

To prolong their freshness they can be stored in air tight packaging in a freezer for up to 12 months and used in small quantities as and when required.

Ground Coffee

Ground coffee deteriorates very quickly. Ideally you should grind the coffee immediately before use but if you choose to buy it ready-ground then it is best to buy it in very small quantities and use it as quickly as possible.

Modern production processes for ground coffee purge the oxygen from the packaging to prolong the shelf life, but once the packaging is opened the coffee will be exposed to oxygen and will deteriorate quickly. Observe the "best before" date on unopened valve bags or pressurised tins of ground coffee.

A Few Coffee Recipes

Most of the traditional coffee recipes are based on a single or double espresso shot so it is important to master making a simple espresso first. Then you can expand your repertoire with some of the recipes we have described below.

Espresso

Traditionally this is a single 1oz shot of coffee made with 7g of finely ground coffee extracted at between 18 and 25 seconds. The espresso shot forms the basic ingredient for many of our well known coffee recipes and a few less well known! Here is a small selection for you to try:

• Americano (american) - An espresso shot diluted to taste with hot water.
• Romano (roman) - Espresso shot served with a twist of lemon.
• Corretto (correct, proper) - Espresso shot with grappa.
• Doppio (double) - A double shot of espresso.
• Lungo (long) – An espresso which is made by extracting about 1.5oz of water through 7g of coffee. The texture is thinner but it contains a greater amount of caffeine.
• Ristretto (restricted) - A more concentrated espresso, normally of only about 0.75oz, made by restricting the extraction time. This maximises the flavour of the coffee and minimises the caffeine.
• Macchiato (marked, spotted) - A shot or two of espresso with just a spot of frothed milk on top.
• Iced Espresso - A double shot of espresso over crushed ice.