Single Origin Espressos

Single-Origin Espressos 2008

By Kenneth Davids and Heather Perry June 2008
Those new to espresso connoisseurship may be surprised to learn that producing this dense, aromatic beverage from coffee of a single origin rather than from a blend of coffees from different origins is a mildly controversial practice. Traditionalists argue that the espresso system extracts flavor-bearing components from coffee so efficiently that a single coffee from a single origin is not balanced and complete enough to fulfill the promise of the system. Others disagree, and support single-origins as an exciting extension of coffee globetrotting into the blend-dominated world of espresso. Coffee Review first tested the single-origin espresso hypothesis in 2003
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Medium mocha macchiato

You’ve got the rap down pat: “Medium mocha macchiato! Decaf grande skim latte!” Now get fluent with the fundamentals.

Coffee Legends: Follow coffee’s progress from rare indulgence to everyday elixir.

Map: Growing regions girdle the globe.

Roasts: Green beans beget brown gold.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Article: Survey the state of coffee circa 1981.

Coffee Talk: How do you take yours?


source :http://www.nationalgeographic.com/coffee

Coffee's Journey

Coffee's Journey Around the World

Coffee was first discovered in Eastern Africa in an area we know today as Ethiopia. A popular legend refers to a goat herder by the name of Kaldi, who observed his goats acting unusually frisky after eating berries from a bush. Curious about this phenomenon, Kaldi tried eating the berries himself. He found that these berries gave him a renewed energy. The news of this energy laden fruit quickly spread throughout the region.

Hearing about this amazing fruit, Monks dried the berries so that they could be transported to distant monasteries. They reconstituted these berries in water, ate the fruit, and drank the liquid to provide stimulation for a more awakened time for prayer.


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Hot Beverage

Coffee

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For other uses, see Coffee (disambiguation).

Coffee
Type	Hot Beverage
Manufacturer	Varied
Country of origin	Ethiopia
Introduced	(around) 800 CE

Coffee is a widely-consumed stimulant beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. Coffee was first consumed in the 9th century, when it was discovered in the highlands of Ethiopia.^[1] From there, it spread to Egypt and Yemen, and by the 15th century had reached Armenia, Persia, Turkey, and northern Africa. From the Muslim world, coffee spread to Italy, then to the rest of Europe and the Americas.^[2] Today, coffee is one of the most popular beverages worldwide.

Coffee berries, which contain the coffee bean, are produced by several species of small evergreen bush of the genus Coffea. The two most commonly grown species are Coffea canephora Coffea robusta and Coffea arabica. These are cultivated in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Once ripe, coffee berries are picked, processed, and dried. The seeds are then roasted, undergoing several physical and chemical changes. They are roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor. They are then ground and brewed to create coffee. Coffee can be prepared and presented by a variety of methods.

Coffee has played an important role in many societies throughout modern history. Although it has a high caffine content, tea contains almost 50% more. In Africa and Yemen, it was used in religious ceremonies. As a result, the banned its consumption until the reign of Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia It was banned in Ottoman Turkey in the 17th century for political reasons, and was associated with rebellious political activities in Europe.

Coffee is an important export commodity. In 2004, coffee was the top agricultural export for 12 countries, and in 2005, it was the world's seventh largest legal agricultural export by value. Some controversy is associated with coffee cultivation and its impact on the environment. Many studies have examined the relationship between coffee consumption and certain medical conditions; whether the effects of coffee are positive or negative is still disputed.