Posts Tagged ‘country’
Coffee is the most popular drink in the world after water. Yet despite the rise of global coffee chains, countries maintain distinct ideas about what makes a good coffee.
A Turkish proverb says that coffee should be ‘as black as hell, as strong as death and as sweet as love.’ While global coffee chains such as Starbucks have played a major role in introducing concepts such as the frappuccino, tall skinny latte and soyaccino into the lives of millions, many countries still maintain strong ideas about what makes a good coffee and how it should be consumed.
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Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee, yet it is not a country that comes to mind when the average consumer thinks of coffee. The South American countries are much more synonymous with coffee production but coffee did not come to these countries until the early 1700’s, nearly a thousand years after it was discovered. As legend has it, Ethiopian coffee was originally discovered around 600 A.D. by a young boy tending goats. It is not known when the name coffee was applied to the strange plants but an interesting legend places it around 900 A.D.
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If you love coffee, you are probably consistently searching for that perfect cup. Well, the perfect cup starts with the perfect bean. And the perfect bean is largely based upon the combination of soil quality and climate. So when you think of the perfect country for coffee bean growth what comes to mind? Probably, somewhere tropical. A place with regular rain and sun. If you are like most people you will undoubtedly say “Brazil”. It’s true, Brazil is the biggest dog on the block accounting for a whopping one-third of all coffee bean production. Its climate is ideal for coffee bean production. It’s no wonder they hold top spot. But, do they make the best bean?
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There are many varieties of coffee in the world, but only two are used for 97% of the worlds supply: Arabica and Robusta. The highest quality blends of coffee consist of 100% Arabica beans. Lower quality, less expensive blends may have some proportion of Robusta beans, or they may consist entirely of Robusta.
Arabica beans produce a superior taste in the cup, being more flavorful and complex than their Robusta counterparts. Robusta beans tend to produce a bitter brew, with a musty flavor and less body, and are sold to less discriminating consumers. They are also higher in caffeine than Arabica beans, fueling the addictions from which many of us already suffer.
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