Facts about the History of Coffee
Prepared from the roasted seeds or ‘beans’ of two main coffee plant species – Arabica and Robusta, consumption of the hot coffee drink as we know today has been consumed since as early as the ninth century upon its appearance in the Ethiopian highlands.
From its roots in Ethiopia, the history of coffee then spread to Egypt and Yemen and had reached Persia, Turkey and northern Africa by the 15th century. Following these early Muslim foundations, coffee then spread to Italy – now highly regarded for its coffee know-how – and onwards across the rest of Europe and America to become one of the most highly consumed beverages in the world.
The rise of Islam, a religion that forbade the consumption of alcohol but promoted coffee as an accepted alternative – even calling it ‘qahwa’ (the Arab word for wine), gave a considerable boost to the emergence of coffee in its widespread consumption – to the point where it was ubiquitously consumed in all coffee houses across the Islamic word.
Breaking out of Arabian monopolistic consumption, thanks to a Muslim pilgrim from India named Baba Budan who smuggled seven coffee seeds strapped to his person into India around 1650, the long-standing tradition of drinking coffee for its various pleasure as well as increasingly documented health benefits has since expanded exponentially.
Arabica coffee is the most widely preferred coffee type amongst present day consumers due to its smooth taste and pleasant aroma, with the coffee derived from the Robusta plant considered to possess a more acquired, slightly bitter taste.
How to set your coffee grinder – Barista Tips
Achieving the perfect cup of coffee is not without its technical considerations, with mastering the art of setting and handling a coffee grinder seeming to be a mammoth mission on initial impression.
Nevertheless, with specific direction and instruction, the skill can be passed on and honed over time. Firstly, it is important to understand that a grinder is comprised of two burrs. The bottom burr cannot be moved, so it is the top burr that needs to be adjusted to ensure the desired granularity of the grind.
The closeness of the burrs defines the fineness of the ground coffee; the closer they are together the finer the grind and the further they are apart the coarser the result. The top burr is fixed to the top of the grinder and be moved in either direction depending on the required output. The grinder should be marked to show which way to turn it to make the grind fine or coarse.
If the resulting coffee grounds are too coarse and extraction happens in under 20 seconds, the hot water runs through them too quickly, however if they are too fine and extraction takes over 30 seconds, over-extracted coffee does not deliver the same feel during consumption.
Some grinders have numbers on their burrs, or indeed other indicators that facilitate adjustments of the machine. These should be made gradually and by one click a time. Temperature can also affect the fineness of the coffee grounds and so-called ‘espresso checks’ should be conducted regularly – by the same person throughout a shift – to ensure that all settings are in order and that the grinder is producing optimum results.
Original Ideas for Coffee Filter Usage
An environmental journalist, Lori Bongiorno, has drawn up a list of twelve alternative uses for coffee filters from ground coffee. Having never really considered that they might hold any potential outside their traditional usage, the writer has come across some rather unique ideas for these filters.
Given their practicality and relatively low cost compared with other products, Bongiorno’s catalogue of alternative modes of employment gives a good reason to have a box of coffee filters in the house.
Firstly, given coffee filters’ lint-free credentials, they make the ideal window cleaner, as they don’t leave behind any residue. Secondly and along similar lines, they also make light work of smudges on glasses, mirrors, monitors and camera lenses, as well as doubling up as a diffuser for cameras if placed over the flash to soften its brightness.
Other possible uses include a wine filter substitute for situations where the cork might be broken, convenient tea bags for loose tea leaves when secured with string¸ a great way of tying up herbs to create a bouquet garni for cooking and – in the same vein – an ideal way of making any type of sachet, be it lavender bags or otherwise.
Continuing through Bongiorno’s list, other food for thought revolves around the use of coffee filters as flower pot liners, for placing between crockery to protect individual pieces from any potential damage associated by direct contact, keeping microwaves free from splatters by placing a coffee filter over the top of a plate or bowl, backing for embroidery or sewing projects and lastly, for storage purposes – wrapping around infrequently used items to protect them.