The history of coffee - from Ethiopia around the world

The taste and aroma of a coffee variety directly depends on the place in which it is grown. Climate features, the height of the plantation above sea level, the fertilizers that farmers use, the number of days when the sun shines - all this (and not only this!) is reflected in the drink that ultimately ends up in your cup. Let's take a coffee tour of the countries where the best Arabica varieties are grown.

An important note. It is impossible to say that this variety is definitely better than all the others. After all, love for coffee, like any feeling, cannot be standardized. Some people like a drink with high acidity, others with low acidity. Some coffee lovers are crazy about fruity notes, while others prefer chocolate flavors. And so on. However, the concept of quality has not been canceled.

Legends of the origin of coffee

Today there is no clear truth about the origin of coffee, we know that the origins of the homeland lie in Ethiopia, and there are several versions of its discovery, but there is one that I want to retell, about the shepherd Kaldi. It sends us back to the middle of the 9th century, where we first learned about the miracle of berries that give an unprecedented supply of vigor. At first, it was not people who recognized the remarkable effect, but goats, who turned out to be more inquisitive, and their shepherd, whose name was Kaldi, noticed the consequences. He noticed that after eating the berries, his goats became cheerful and began to jump wildly. Then he took the berries to the local monastery, where the monks tried them, and, having convinced themselves of the effect, began to use this decoction so as not to fall asleep during long night services.

There is also a well-known fact that during this period one of the African tribes used coffee berries with fat as an energy food, which adds credibility to this legend.

The origins of coffee culture

The history of coffee and its spread around the world began in the 12th century, when the Arabs, always striving to expand the boundaries of their influence, first came to Ethiopia and brought seedlings of coffee trees from there to the Arabian Peninsula. The plants have taken root well in the warm climate of the peninsula. It is believed that the first coffee plantations appeared here, near the city of Moha, located in Yemen. This is where coffee culture got its start, and from here it continued to spread throughout the countries of the Middle East, Europe, and in a later period even America.

Gradually, the technology for preparing the drink changed. If previously it was only infused with plant grains, then over time a new method was invented: the grains were first fried, then ground, and only then a drink was prepared from them. For the first time, people thought of roasting grains in Turkey.

The Arabs called this drink “qahwa,” which translated from their language means “dream-dispelling.”

In Turkish, this name has slightly changed its sound. The Turks began to call the drink the word “kahve”, from which the word coffee comes, which has taken root in many European languages.

How the coffee was made

• The first recipe was like this: dried grains were thrown into water, boiled for about half an hour and allowed to brew, sometimes left overnight. The resulting infusion, similar in color to green tea, was given to sentries, used as an invigorating agent or as a cure for many diseases.
• Then the grains began to be roasted over a fire. Most likely, this was first done in cases where raw rather than dried coffee beans were on hand. Then roasting became an analogue of drying for the purpose of longer storage. It quickly became clear that the drink made from roasted grains is both tastier and stronger.
• In those distant times, coffee beans were part of the diet of the poorest segments of the population. As today's sociologists would say, it was the lot of the marginalized. Nomads, slaves, beggar dervishes, pilgrims, tramps of all stripes - this was the target audience for coffee until the 14th century inclusive. But thanks to them, the drink spread throughout Arabia and northeast Africa: Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia boiled coffee beans over fires with might and main.
• But travelers and researchers intervened. In the 15th century, documentary evidence appeared of the existence of a certain drink that was used by dervishes during long marches. It turned out that coffee was very popular in the monasteries. There are records of its use by monks in Yemen for vigor during night services.
• With the help of educated travelers, coffee found new fans among the nobility, merchants and even the rulers of Arabia. Since the 15th century, coffee has been served to nobles of the highest rank, and its beans have become the object of trade, intrigue and even government conspiracies.
• One of the rulers of Yemen spared no effort and time to develop coffee plantations and establish logistics. Thus began the global expansion of coffee. For many years, the Yemeni port city of Moka became the largest supplier of coffee beans to other countries, so much so that coffee was called “Mocha” for a long time.
• The method of preparing coffee beans finally took shape in the second half of the 15th century. The fruits of the coffee tree were peeled, the beans were dried, fried, ground and brewed in special ladles, which very quickly gave way to a cezve. It has reached our time, practically unchanged, as has the cooking technology. The past four and a half centuries have not brought about any major changes, except that instruments and utensils have become more complex and varied.

Origins of cultural coffee consumption

What they didn’t do with coffee: they used it in medicine as a medicinal plant, soaked it in cold water for coffee decoctions, mixed it into food with fat, but they started frying and grinding only in the 13th century, at least the first mentions date back to this time . During that period, with the growing influence of Islam in the east, many began to follow Muhammad’s ban on wine and other alcohol, and coffee became an excellent alternative, which would later be called “Arabian wine.” By the way, the Arabian Peninsula gave Arabica coffee its legendary name.

Coffee in Arabia

Judging by the treatises of Arab and Persian scientists, people knew about the healing properties of coffee beans even before our era. But a medicinal infusion made from raw beans is one thing, a drink made from roasted coffee that brings pleasure is another.

The first mention of coffee made from roasted beans is contained in a 16th-century treatise written by Abd al-Qadir al-Jaziri. According to the scientist, in 1454, Sheikh Jamal al-Din al-Dhabhani, who was at that time the Mufti of Aden, tasted the drink.

Enterprising Yemeni merchants appreciated the prospects for coffee and set up the first plantation. Coffee grown in Arabia came to Cairo, Damascus, Baghdad, Mecca and Medina, and later to the Maghreb countries (Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Morocco). The export of unroasted grains was strictly prohibited. The main trade was carried out through the port of Al Mokha - this is how the name “Mocha” was born.

Even Islam couldn't overcome the Arabs' love of coffee.

However, Muslim theologians have taken up arms against the invigorating drink: the Koran strictly forbids adherents of this religion from consuming brain-stupefying substances. In 1511, a council of theologians in Mecca declared coffee to be the devil's potion and cursed it in the name of Allah. Egyptian coffee lovers of those times had their tongues torn out, and those who persisted in heresy were drowned in the sea, having previously been sewn into coffee bags.

The origins of coffee as a business

The Muslims quickly realized that coffee would become an important export commodity and took control of it, which remained with them for 300 years. They took maximum measures to remain a monopoly: they strictly protected coffee plantations and prohibited visiting them, did not allow the export of coffee trees, and when exporting green raw materials, they scalded it in boiling water or partially fried it. Arabia became the only place in the world where coffee could be bought, and Turkey by the 15th century became the world's main distributor, conquering the markets of Persia, Yemen, Syria, Egypt, Greece, and by the 16th century it was already supplying coffee to Italy. By the way, the appearance of coffee in Italy was controversial; Catholics believed that it was the drink of the devil and petitioned Pope Clement to ban it. The pope wanted to approve the petition, but first try what he was going to ban. Having taken a sip, he immediately christened it, saying that the drink was too good to be drunk only by the Turks. So coffee was approved in Christianity.

Varieties

There are 90 species of coffee trees from the madder family in the world. 20 of them bear fruits that are suitable for consumption. And people collect grains from only two species, which they supply to factories.

Arabica: an Arabian variety that grows in high mountain areas up to 2500 meters above sea level. It has a rich aroma. Despite difficulties in cultivation, coffee is the leader in exports - 60% of all types.

Robusta: Congolese variety, undemanding to living conditions. Contains twice as much caffeine as Arabica. Less aromatic, therefore less valuable. It makes up 20% of the total volume of coffee beans grown.

Other varieties: Arabusta, Liberica, Excelsa. Details in the article “Name and characteristics of coffee varieties.”

The first coffee shop in the world and its followers

The first coffee shop in the world opened in 1475 in Constantinople, now the capital of Turkey - Istanbul. The Turks have made a significant contribution to the development of world coffee culture, including consumption, because until now, Turkish coffee is one of the most popular ways of brewing at home.

At the beginning of the 16th century, the door to Europe opened for coffee, and by 1670 coffee houses had appeared in almost every major city, and European countries adapted this phenomenon into culture in different ways:

• In England, coffee shops became a place where pressing issues of the day were discussed, a kind of public forum; they were also called “penny universities,” since anyone with one penny could buy a cup of coffee and join the discussion. Women were not allowed into these coffee shops, which was the beginning of protests, since men spent a lot of time in them. The protests were unsuccessful, and by the end of the 16th century there were about 300 coffee houses in London.
• In France, on the contrary, coffee culture took a different path, these were places where men and women met, there was a rich interior around them, and musicians played. It was here that coffee with milk, which the French called café au lait, first became popular.
• In Italy, the first coffee shop appeared in 1647, in Venice. It was the Italians who in the 20th century invented the espresso coffee machine, which would become a revolution in preparation and form the basis for everyone’s favorite coffee recipes: cappuccino and latte. By the way, many people believe that coffee itself grows in Italy. This is a misconception, they make good equipment for its preparation, and we will tell you where coffee grows and its current geography in the following articles.

  

• In America, the first coffee shop opened in Boston in 1670, but Americans drank more tea than coffee. Everything changed in 1773, when the Boston Tea Party occurred, it was a protest against an increase in the tax on tea by England. This was the turning point when Americans abandoned tea in favor of coffee, after which it became the national drink here too.

Modern history

The modern history of coffee is no less interesting than the ancient one, telling about its appearance, recipes and properties. This is the history of the emergence and development of different roasting techniques, the creation of unusual types of coffee drinks, brewing methods, special machines for preparation and related products. World leaders have also emerged, offering a wide range of products that have won love in many countries around the world.

Dozens of delicious drinks are prepared using roasted coffee beans.

Italians are considered coffee connoisseurs and the best specialists in the coffee business. The most famous brands, such as Lavazza and ILLi, come from Italy. There is even a roasting option for coffee beans called Italian, which means the strongest or blackest. Today they produce ground, instant, freeze-dried, bagged, and pod coffee intended for coffee machines. There are also many options for coffee-based drinks. The most famous of them are:

• espresso;
• Americano;
• cappuccino;
• mochaccino;
• look;
• latte and others.

In recent years, natural green coffee has been gaining popularity, which is not roasted in order to preserve more beneficial components, especially chlorogenic acid, which has revolutionized the ranks of everyone who wants to lose weight quickly. Another paradox in the market is a product called Luwak coffee. It is obtained from the excrement of a small animal that lives in Indonesia and loves to feast on fresh fruits of the coffee tree. The drink, prepared from grains that have passed through the animal’s digestive tract, according to experts, has the most wonderful taste. This is why Luwak has become the most expensive product of its kind.

If the origin of coffee as a fact is clarified, then the future history of this popular grain will surprise more than one generation of coffee lovers. Warm, cold, hot coffee drinks are products that will always attract a person with their smell and the expectation of a new portion of vigor and optimism.

Loss of monopoly on coffee production

The Arabs and Turks had a monopoly on coffee production for a long time, but everything did not last forever, especially since there was one European country that perfectly mastered shipbuilding and traded with the whole world. Once, she already managed to bypass the Turks in the lucrative spice trade by finding sea routes that passed through territories not subject to Turkey. These were the Dutch, and they were also interested in the coffee trade.

At the end of the 17th century, an event occurred that changed coffee history: a ship from Amsterdam arrived at the port of Mocha, from which tons of green coffee had been shipped for 300 years. There were sailors on the ship who were able to buy a live coffee tree from the farmer. Having carried it secretly onto the ship, they did not yet fully realize what they had done, because this was the starting point in the loss of the monopoly on coffee production.

The expansion of this stolen coffee tree began, first spreading to the Dutch colonies in Indonesia, then the French in the Caribbean, and then overtook Brazil, which would later become the largest coffee producer in the world.

Asia

Indonesia

Coffee is grown in many Asian countries, but the undisputed leader in the production of exquisite varieties is Indonesia. This country supplies expensive, high-quality Arabica coffee with a bright aroma, in which sharp spice notes can be heard. The best varieties of Indonesian coffee come from Sumatra.

Famous varieties: Sumatra Gayo Haichland, Blue Sumatran, Mandeling, Lintong.

Of course, excellent coffee is grown in other countries. But it would hardly be possible to cover the immensity in one article, so we chose the most reputable manufacturers. All of them are presented in our online store of freshly roasted coffee. We purchase grain directly from farmers and planters, and you can try and search for your coffee country!

Coffee realities today

Undoubtedly, the history of coffee continues, and a lot has changed since it was opened to the world: a hobby has grown into a serious business, engineers have invented cool equipment for roasting and preparation, scientists have created instant coffee and decaffeinated coffee, industry professionals find new ways every year. brewing, and restaurateurs are opening new formats of coffee shops. Today it is difficult to imagine a world without coffee, and for many people their normal day would be without a cup of the invigorating drink.

In Russia, coffee consumption is growing every year, local roasters are opening, which allows many to drink fresh product, and in principle, the market is shifting towards freshly roasted coffee, as an alternative to instant or imported coffee. Affordable methods of brewing coffee at home are appearing, people are beginning to understand that for a tasty cup you don’t need an expensive coffee machine, but rather a simple French press or simply brew it in a cup. Of course, in terms of coffee consumption per capita, we are inferior to many Western countries, led by Finland, where each resident drinks about 13 kilograms annually. But we know that nothing lasts forever, because once upon a time only goats could afford to enjoy coffee.

Regions where coffee trees grow

Most of Africa, with the exception of the very north and south, is suitable for trees. Ethiopia, Cote d'Ivoire, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania are famous for their product.

South and Southeast Asia grow grains primarily for domestic consumption, with the exception of a few countries. The region is famous for its high quality robusta.

The economies of Central America and large parts of South America are developing largely due to the demand for goods. The main export leaders are concentrated here.

Special varieties have been bred for growing heat-loving trees in Australia, but it is too early to talk about mass production of the Australian product.

Where is the birthplace of the coffee tree?

Nowadays, coffee is so common in all parts of the world that many people do not know where the coffee tree originally grew. Moreover, large exporting countries are often mistaken for his homeland, although they have nothing to do with it. So, today it is Brazil that produces most of the grains supplied to other countries, although the plant began to be cultivated only in the 18th century.

Like the cradle of our entire civilization, the cradle of the coffee tree is hot Africa. It was on this continent, in Ethiopia, that coffee trees first began to grow. It is Africa, and not Asia, not Brazil or Turkey, that is actually the birthplace of the coffee tree.

Bach and Voltaire were coffee lovers

Voltaire lived to the age of 84, despite the fact that the doctor promised the philosopher an early death due to his passion for coffee.
History says that many famous personalities preferred coffee to other drinks. One of them is the French philosopher Voltaire, who believed that it was to aromatic nectar that he owed outstanding achievements. Voltaire drank up to 50 cups of the drink per day; most of the money he earned was spent on such a hobby, so the heirs were left with only minor savings.

Johann Sebastian Bach was also considered a real coffee gourmet, fond of drinking the invigorating liquid. The composer was slightly inferior in the amount of coffee consumed to the philosopher Voltaire - 15-20 cups of strong drink were enough for the great musician per day. In the 1700s, Bach created the famous Coffee Cantata, dedicated to bitter nectar. The work has humorous notes - it glorifies the necessity for the human body and some dependence on coffee.

Brazilian coffee recipe

Residents brew a delicious sweet drink that everyone will enjoy. To prepare it you will need the following ingredients:

• A teaspoon of ground coffee beans;
• Fifty grams of dark chocolate;
• Two cups of hot milk;
• Whipped cream;
• Sugar.

First, brew the coffee and strain it, add the chocolate pieces. Pour this mixture into a large container, pour in hot milk and beat well with a mixer. Now add sugar to taste, pour into cups and garnish with whipped cream.

17. National ancient currency - coffee berries

In countries where coffee is grown and produced for hundreds of years, coffee beans are considered almost an analogue of national currency.
Many ancient states used coffee fruits as money. To distinguish the different denominations of the berries, they were painted in bright colors, each of which had its own value. The paints used were natural, durable - once painted grain retained its color for many years.

Prosperity was demonstrated in an interesting way - the most expensive berries were used to make necklaces with which the richest people adorned themselves. Thieves often took advantage of this; there were even entire gangs that specialized in stealing coffee jewelry.

Raw material supply countries

If you look at the map of coffee producers, you will immediately notice that all these countries are located no further than 10 degrees from the tropical pole. This is due to the ideal climatic conditions for growing coffee raw materials. Some countries use grains exclusively for domestic consumption, while others produce their own brands for global sale or export raw materials for processing.

The full list of coffee producers looks like this:

• Central America has 13 countries that are involved in this manufacturing industry. Among them: Cuba, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Haiti, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Belize, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama. The largest supplier is Mexico. American coffee is highly valued in the world for its variety of flavor compositions.
• South America accounts for 50% of the global coffee industry. South American Arabica is especially valued due to its good taste characteristics and low price. 11 countries are involved in grain production here: Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, Bolivia, Guiana, Venezuela, Suriname, Paraguay, Guyana. The vast majority of raw materials are cultivated in Brazil and Ecuador.
• Africa is the leader in the diversity of cultivated varieties. In addition to Arabica and Robusta, exotic types of grains are produced here. African coffee is distinguished by its astringency, rich taste and aroma. 15 countries are involved in exports, the largest producers among them: Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya, Congo, Angola.
• Asia - cultivates Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica, on the basis of which elite coffee blends are created. Grains are grown in: Vietnam, China, Yemen, Indonesia, New Guinea, India, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, East Timor, Myanmar.

Coffee bean growth map

Coffee-producing countries specialize mainly in growing specific types of beans. Therefore, connoisseurs of coffee drinks can determine by the taste of what raw materials it was prepared from. Indian - characterized by a slight sourness and spicy aftertaste, Brazilian Arabica is bitter and has nutty notes in taste, Kenyan beans are distinguished by the aroma of currants.

On the plantations, each worker collects up to 700 kg of grains per day

Coffee beans are collected only by hand.
It is often mistakenly believed that coffee berries grow on bushes. Valuable plant materials used to prepare an invigorating liquid are collected from trees. Plants can grow up to ten meters and develop a gorgeous, huge crown. It is difficult to collect berries from large trees; special equipment is required, so already 3-4 years after planting the seedlings, pruning begins. The optimal plant height is 3-4 meters.

Collection is carried out only by hand. The beans are sent into large wicker baskets that can hold about 100 kg of raw materials. One worker can collect up to 7 such baskets per day. The payment for the work is quite high - 8-10 dollars for one braid.

You can harvest up to 1.5 thousand berries per year from one mature coffee tree.

The age of coffee trees is up to 70 years. The largest number of fruits are harvested in the first ten years after the start of fruiting. Every year the plants produce fewer and fewer grains, so it is not advisable to keep the trees for a long time - 20-25 years after planting they are uprooted, the soil is fertilized and young seedlings are planted.

Coffee is a powerful weapon against excess weight

Coffee helps break down fatty tissues and tighten the skin, which is important for those losing weight.
Few people know, but caffeine is a substance that reduces appetite. Regular consumption of coffee will help those losing weight - your favorite nectar will eliminate cravings for sweets and unhealthy foods, and will help you to snack without fear while walking past the refrigerator. Another quality of the bitter liquid is the breakdown of fatty tissues and tightening of the skin. The results of regular consumption of a cup of drink are a slim figure.

Nutritionists suggest increasing the effectiveness of coffee - adjusting the diet, engaging in simple sports. A combination of proper nutrition, coffee nectar, and exercise will allow you to lose 3-4 kg of excess weight in a week.

Coffee – amulet and talisman

Enchanted bitter seeds are reliable protection for a newborn child, they believe in Uganda.
Uganda is the country that founded one interesting belief. Residents of the country believe that coffee berries can protect against the evil eye, damage, and ill-wishers. The main thing in the amulet is to combine the components correctly. In addition to coffee, spices and sweet herbs are used. Bitter grains are mixed with other ingredients, sewn into small linen bags, and dried for several weeks in direct sunlight. Fragrant amulets hung around the house are reliable protection that applies to all residents.

Coffee berries are also used to make amulets for newborns. In Uganda, it is believed that a born baby does not have a patron, so parents have to take on the role of his protector from ill-wishers. Enchanted bitter seeds are a reliable shield for a child, protecting him from the evil eye.

The structure of the coffee berry includes four layers

Usually there are two grains in a coffee berry, but sometimes during pollination only one develops.
A coffee berry, regardless of the type of tree, consists of four layers in structure. The upper part is a silvery thin skin covering the grain. During frying, the film turns into a fragile husk, which easily lags behind the walls of the main part.

The parchment shell is the next layer of the berry, quite hard and dense. The purpose of the patch is to protect the interior from damage and temperature changes. Peeling of the parchment shell is usually carried out before transporting the grains to protect the goods from loss or damage.

Another layer of the berry is gluten, which has a high percentage of sugar content. The adhesive shell is often confused with the core. Gluten is not removed when grains are cleaned - the sweetness or bitterness of the drink depends on the quantity. The core of the berry is the pulp. It is this part that is used in making traditional coffee.

Coffee is a real cornucopia of nutrients. The berries contain:

• vitamins (B1, B6, PP);
• caffeine;
• tannins;
• carbohydrates;
• minerals (potassium, iron, zinc, calcium);
• proteins.

It is believed that the higher the coffee tree grows, the more aromatic the drink is obtained from its beans. The
beans also contain a high percentage of acids, which, when heat treated, provide the drink with a persistent strong aroma.

How does a coffee tree grow?

The coffee tree is an evergreen plant that consists of shrubs or small trees of the Rubiaceae family (Ru-biaceae).
Depending on the species, it reaches a height of 3 to 8 meters. The leaves of the coffee tree are oblong in shape and glossy in color, reaching up to 14 centimeters in length. At one time they were also used to make a drink, making a decoction or drying and brewing like teas. Flowers appear on this plant for only two to three days and then fall off. They have a pleasant jasmine scent and are sometimes brewed as well. The berries of the coffee tree are round and two-seeded, have a yellow tint, and turn red as they ripen. The fruits consist of a parchment-like skin, sweet and sour pulp and two seeds.

An interesting fact about the coffee tree is that the cycles in which it bears fruit are closely related to the climatic characteristics of the region where it grows. Namely, alternating wet and dry seasons. During the dry season, the tree does not grow, but accumulates useful substances, “freezing” during this period. And then, during the rainy season, it begins to actively grow, bloom and bear fruit.

The first coffee was prepared at about 10 o'clock

Ancient peoples infused coffee for 5-8 hours.
In ancient times, coffee was prepared according to a simple recipe, which was used only for medicinal purposes. Whole unrefined grains, previously dried under the hot rays of the sun, were poured with water, sent to an open fire, boiled or simmered for half an hour. Be sure to insist for 5-8 hours.

Spices were added to the coffee (cardamom, ginger, cinnamon powder). The prepared infusion resembled ordinary green tea in tone and did not have much strength.

Drying and roasting of coffee beans began only in the 7th century

A few decades later, they came up with the idea of ​​cleaning the grains, frying them over an open fire and pre-grinding them. The principle of creating the drink did not change - the coffee mass was poured with water, boiled and infused. The only difference is that the liquid was more aromatic and strong, and acquired a dark tint.

They drank coffee hot or cold and added sweet ingredients (sugar, honey). The poor segments of the population did without sweets, drinking only bitter liquid, often from poorly refined grains.

Which country is the birthplace of coffee?

Africa was the first to give the world coffee beans. It is Ethiopia that is still famous for its unsurpassed Arabica coffee. The country produces about two hundred thousand tons of products per year.

Suitable climatic conditions favor the growth of coffee bushes, so Ethiopia grows selected quality beans. It is known that the name of the drink comes from the region where Kaffa grows. But in this province coffee was called “buno”.

In the homeland of coffee, Ethiopia, only Arabica is produced, which is famous for varieties such as Jimma and Harar. They are also added to blends with Colombian beans to provide superior flavor and aroma.

Arabica is produced using the dry method. The fruits are dried for two weeks in the sun, then the grain is removed from the shell.

From Africa, the invigorating drink came to Yemen, and then began to spread throughout the world.

Some argue that the birthplace of coffee is Brazil. But this is not so, grains were brought there by pilgrims in the eighteenth century. And then the Brazilians began to grow coffee bushes on their own. Therefore, the country is considered the second homeland of the invigorating drink.

Where does coffee grow?

"Coffee Belt" of our planet

It grows in many parts of the world. It is mainly grown in countries located in tropical and subtropical regions, where climatic conditions allow coffee trees to fully develop, and the fruits to fully ripen and acquire the appropriate taste and aroma.

These states form the so-called “coffee belt”, which includes more than 80 states on various continents.

Do you like “invigorating drinks”? Did you know that you can grow a coffee tree at home?

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Asia

Asia is the largest part of the world, both in area and in number of inhabitants. There are many countries here that produce different types of coffee.

Most Asian countries drink very strong coffee. Interestingly, there it is considered a traditional men's drink, the consumption of which is often combined with hookah smoking.

The largest number of its plantations are located in the southern part of India, in the mountainous regions of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the Indonesian islands, in the Dak Lak province in Vietnam.

Australia

Australia is a state that occupies the entire territory of the continent of the same name. There are coffee plantations here, but growing them on this continent is quite problematic. No more than one million tons of product are produced here annually. Most of it goes to the needs of the country's domestic market.

The country's climatic conditions do not meet the requirements for the growth of the coffee tree. Plains and very dry air prevent large yields of quality product. It is mainly grown around Queensland and the Northern Rivers region.

Africa

Coffee harvesting on a plantation in Africa

Africa is a very large continent, the second largest continent after Eurasia. It is considered the birthplace of coffee and there are ideal conditions for its cultivation. African varieties are considered exotic and are extremely popular. They have a bright, rich taste and a deep, pronounced aroma. Their high cost is due to the fact that when growing raw materials, hand picking and natural drying are often used.

The main plantations lie in the southern part of Ethiopia and Kenya, on the slopes of Kilimanjaro, in the northern part of the Muchinga mountain range, on the border of Zimbabwe and Mozambique, in the province of Kivu (Congo), in northern Angola.

Central America

Central America is a region located between North and South America. The coffee produced here has high taste and aromatic qualities. It accounts for a tenth of the total global product output. It is successfully exported to many countries around the world.

Large plantations in Central America can be found in the mountains of Cobano and Antigua (Guatemala), in the Western Valley of Costa Rica, in the north and center of Nicaragua, in the Kona region (Hawaii Islands).

South America

South America is the rainiest continent and the fourth largest continent by area. It is the largest producer of this product, supplying most of it grown throughout the world. It has quite acceptable taste and aroma at a fairly low cost. That is why the popularity of Arabica beans exported from South America is so high.

The landscape features (mountain ranges and two oceans) and the climatic conditions of the mainland (high temperatures and humidity) make it possible to obtain huge harvests every year without any problems. The most significant plantations are located on the slopes of the Andes, in the western part of the Cordillera, in southern Brazil and Peru.

Coffee in Turkey

Real success awaited coffee in Turkey, where it arrived in the 16th century. The Turks were already familiar with the taste of the drink, but it was not particularly popular among the nobility. Everything changed when, in the middle of the 16th century, the governor of Yemen, Ozdemir Pasha, brought coffee beans as a gift to Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

The ruler and his beautiful wife Hurrem (who went down in history under the name Roksolana) liked the drink so much that drinking coffee soon became fashionable at the Turkish court. As usual, fashion moved from palaces to squares, and in 1564 the first coffee shop was opened in Istanbul. Visitors engaged in philosophical debates and discussed the latest news.

The Turks turned the process of brewing coffee into a high art and brought it to perfection. The drink for the Sultan was prepared and served by 40 servants. Soon the ability to brew coffee began to be considered one of the virtues required for any self-respecting bride.

Coffee house from the Ottoman Empire