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"Even a bad cup of coffee is better than no
coffee at all."
-- David Lynch
Coffee -- ahh, the nectar of gods -- is a
beverage, served hot or with ice, prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee
plant. These seeds are called coffee beans. Coffee is the second most commonly
traded commodity in the world (measured by monetary volume), trailing only
petroleum. With over 400 billion cups consumed every year, coffee is also the
world's most popular beverage. In total, 6.7 million tons of coffee were
produced annually in 1998-2000. The forecast predicts that amount to rise to
over 7 million tons annually by
2010. That is a lot of coffee!
Coffee is one of humanity's chief sources of caffeine, a
stimulant. For this reason, it is often drunk in the morning and during working
hours. Office workers take a "coffee break" when their energy is diminished. Students preparing for examinations with late-night "cram sessions" use
coffee to maintain their concentration. Coffee's potential benefits and hazards have been, and continue to be,
widely studied and discussed.
social aspects of coffee
The United States is the largest market for coffee, followed by Germany. The
Nordic countries consume the most coffee per capita, with Finland, Norway and
Denmark trading the top spot, depending on the year. However, consumption has
also vastly increased in the United Kingdom in recent years.
Coffee is so popular in the Americas, the Middle East, and Europe that many
restaurants now specialize in coffee; these are called "coffeehouses" or
"cafés". Most cafés also serve tea, sandwiches, pastries, and other light
refreshments (some of which may be dunked into the drink). Some shops are
miniature cafés that specialize in coffee-to-go for hurried travelers, who may
visit these on their way to work as a substitute for eating breakfast. Some
provide other services, such as wireless internet access (thus the name,
"internet café") for their customers. The Brazilian Portuguese expression for
breakfast is literally translated as "morning coffee".
 Learn more about
Coffee Facts and Legends
coffee beans
There are two main species of the coffee plant. Coffea arabica is the
older of them. Thought to be indigenous to Ethiopia, it was first cultivated on
the Arabian Peninsula. While more susceptible to disease, it is considered by
most to taste better than Coffea canephora (robusta). Robusta, which
contains almost twice as much caffeine, can be cultivated in environments where
arabica will not thrive. This has led to its use as an inexpensive substitute
for arabica in many commercial coffee blends. Compared to arabica, robusta tends
to be bitter and has little flavor, with a telltale "burnt rubber" or "wet
cardboard" aroma and flavor. Good quality robustas are used as ingredients in
some espresso blends to provide a better "crema" (foamy head), and to lower the
ingredient cost. In Italy many espresso blends are based on dark-roasted
robusta.
Learn more about
Coffee Beans
coffee brews
Coffees are often blended for balance and complexity, and many popular
blendings exist. One of the oldest traditional blends is Mocha-Java, combining
beans of the same name (from the regions by the same names). The chocolate
flavor peculiar to Mocha gave rise to the popular chocolate-flavored beverage,
the Café Mocha, which may have been invented in
circumstances where no Mocha beans were available. Nowadays, the Mocha-Java
blend is often blended with some other varieties to provide variety. In addition
to those blends sold commercially, many coffee houses have their own signature
"house blends".
Some bean varieties are so well-known and so in-demand that they are far more
expensive than others. Jamaican Blue Mountain and Hawaiian Kona coffees are
perhaps the most prominent examples. Often these beans are blended with other,
less expensive varieties and the suffix "blend" added to the labeling, such as
"Blue Mountain blend" or "Kona blend" even though they only contain a small
amount of the coffee mentioned.
Learn more about
Coffee Brews
coffee makers
A coffeemaker is a small kitchen appliance used to make drip brew-style
coffee without having to boil water. Typically, coffee grounds are placed in a
paper or metal filter inside a funnel, which is set over a glass or ceramic
coffee pot. Cold water is poured into a separate chamber, which is then heated
up to the boiling point, and directed into the funnel. This is called automatic
drip-brew.
In 1972, the first automatic drip-brew coffeemaker, Mr. Coffee, was
introduced. It combined aspects of both the drip-brew process and the
percolating process with the added feature of heating up the water using an
electric element in a separate chamber. Since that time, the number, style, and
size of these appliances have increased dramatically. Coffeemakers are currently
the most popular way of making coffee at home because of their convenience.
Learn more about
Coffee Makers
take time, have a second cup
Discover the history of coffee, learn how to tell an arabica bean from a
robusta, find out the difference in coffee grinders, determine if home coffee roasting is for you,
enjoy some favorite coffee quotes ... basically sit back,
relax and enjoy all the good things we offer at Rich-Fragrant-Coffee. We have
included articles, tip and tricks, information from our readers, and our own
recommendations on beans, brews, grinders, roasters, makers, and other
coffee-related items.
Visit our Coffee Store on eBay to find just what you need
And if you should desire, drop us a line to let us know how we're
doing. We love to hear from our readers, and want to pass on your good thoughts
and tips.
You'll find us at
CoffeeLover@Rich-Fragrant-Coffee.com.
So sit, relax, enjoy. Here's to that first, second ... and last cup of coffee each day. Bon appétit!
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