2. Coffee is a caffeine-containing black
drink that is made from roasted and
ground coffee beans. Coffee beans are
the fruits of the Rubiaceae family, the
Coffea genus, with two more varieties:
Coffea arabica and Coffea robusta.
3. The quality of the coffee is influenced by the place of
cultivation, storage and coffee bean process.
In the past coffee was considered food and not
drink. East African tribes were grinding raw coffee beans,
and by blending with animal fat they got a paste the
warriors used to consume more energy during battles.
(Coffee beans)
4. Consumed in moderate amounts, coffee can
have beneficial effects on health due to the
high content of antioxidants (phenol, volatile
substances) being one of the most consumed
products containing caffeine.
5. The traditional method of planting coffee is to
place 20 seeds in each hole at the beginning of the
rainy season. This method loses about 50% of the
seed's potential, about half of them fail to budge. A
more efficient coffee breeding method is used in Brazil,
respectively the growing of seedlings in nurseries,
which are then planted outside after six to twelve
months.
(Coffee beans unripe in Araku Valley, India) (A coffee farmer in rural environment, Brazil)
6. Coffee is one of the most consumed
beverages in the world. In 2014, statistics
showed that around 1.4 billion cups of coffee
were consumed per day in the world.
The most important consumers are: USA,
Germany, France, Japan and Italy.
7. Roasted coffee beans by industrial means are made in
special roasters where the duration and degree of
roasting are automatically adjusted. The optimum
roasting temperature is reached at 200-250°C when
the grains are dark brown, like mahogany wood. When
the desired frying point is reached, the coffee beans
are passed to a special site where they are quickly
cooled to a temperature of 40-60°C.
(Industrial coffee makers)
