“It’s amazing how the world begins to change through the eyes of a cup of coffee”
“Coffee is the favourite drink of the civilized
world”, said Thomas Jefferson. Not many people
can resist the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, a hot drink made from roasted
and ground coffee beans. I am not surprised that among hot beverages, coffee
has the highest sales, world-wide.
Coffee is qahwah in
Arabic, which meant 'wine', due to its distinctly
dark colour.I have always wondered what people really like about this
darkly coloured, bitter, and slightly acidic drink? Surely, because of its stimulating effect,
due to the presence of caffeine.
Coffee drinking - its origins
While taking a cup of coffee
we seldom think where it came from.
Coffee’s history is interesting. As its botanical name Coffea arabicasuggests,
drinking coffee first started in the Arabian countries, to be precise, in modern-day Yemen, in the middle of the 15th century, in Sufi shrines (the Sufis perhaps needed to keep themselves awake in
order to conduct religious rituals). They procured the beans from the Ethiopian
Highlands via coastal Somalia. By the 16th century, it spread to the rest of the Middle East and North Africa, later spreading to Europe.
When did it come to India? The first coffee seeds were said to have been
smuggled out of the Middle East by Sufi Baba Budan from Yemen to India during the time. The first plants grown from
these smuggled seeds were planted in Mysore.
The Dutch East India Company, as well as the British East India Company, popularised coffee drinking in Europe,
Britain, as also in their colonies. Nevertheless, during the 18th century in
Britain, coffee was mostly replaced by the cheaper tea.
Coffee
reached North
America during
the colonial period, but was not initially popular. The demand for coffee
dramatically increasedduring theRevolution, especially after the Boston Tea
party. By 1920, around half of all coffee produced worldwide was consumed
in the US.
Meanwhile, coffee was introduced to Brazil in 1727, thereafter, massive tracts
of rainforest were cleared for coffee plantations. Brazil became the
largest producer in the world by 1852.
Coffee at home
Keralites are
generally tea drinkers. I suspect coffee drinking
was introduced by Tamil settlers in Kerala. In my mother’s home, both tea and coffee were
made and used to be kept on a table in two large vessels. They tasted, bland
and watery. Whoever passed by that way simply dipped a ladle, and poured tea or
coffee into their tumbler, as if drinking plain water. Anyway, boiled water was better than cold water from the well!
In my grandma’s place coffee was of
better quality. Interestingly, she kept coffee for each of us in different-
shaped brass lotta (tumbler). The very sight of coffee kept in shining
brass lottas early in the morning, in a row, brightened our day.
While we moved to Trivandrum, our
mother used to make tea and coffee in big vessels, like it used to be back at
her home, as our family size was large. For those who wanted strong coffee,
decoction was available.
We used to buy coffee from a store
named Shakti Coffee, which was next to our school. My mother used to ask me to
get it for her. The man at the counter of the shop powdered coffee beans in a
large machine and packed the powder deftly into packages. Due to the aroma
spread by the coffee all round, people used to stare at my school bag out of
curiosity, while I was walking back home, as if to track its origin!
Recently I passed that way; the
store Sakti Coffee was no longer there.
Interestingly, we had alonecoffee plant in our backyard,
almost the size of a small tree. It used to bloom at night. I still remember
the heady fragrance from the flowers that used to fill the night air.
Making Coffee
Ordinarily, coffee is made by
boiling coffee powder with the desired amount of water and milk, and pouring it
into cups, once the coffee powder settles down. If you need better coffee, a
special vessel is used. The vessel has two portions; the upper one is
perforated with small holes on the bottom side. A perforated stirrer is also
kept in the upper vessel. You put coffee powder in this part and pour boiling
water over it. Close the lid tightly. Slowly the coffee essence gets collected
in the lower portion, drip by drip. Today electric coffee makers are available.
Nevertheless, many may find that the traditional one is more convenient and
easier to handle.
In Kerala we make ChukkuKaappi-
coffee boiled with dried ginger, which is taken when you have cold and fever.
Another type of coffee is Karipetti coffee made by boiling coffee with
palm Jaggery (produced chiefly in adjoining Kanya Kumari district of Tamil
Nadu). No milk is added to the coffee. My own preference is for Chicorycoffee.
Chicory (Chicoriumintybu or coffee weed)is a weed, the roasted seeds of
which when powdered and added to coffee gives it a special flavour and bitter
taste.
People who are particular about the
taste of their coffee buy coffee seeds and powder them at home. I too did for
some time, but gave up that habit as I didn’t
want to spend time on it.
ServingCoffee During our younger days’, coffee used to be served in
a set of vessels-- a steel tumbler placed in a kind of bowl (called Dawra),
with flat bottom. The hot coffee could be poured into the bowl for cooling and
poured back into the tumbler for drinking. Except in very few homes, the
practice is not kept on. Some traditional hotels still serve coffee that way.
Now coffee mugs have become ubiquitous. Mugs are attractive and easier to
handle. They don’t burn your hands.
Instant Coffee I remember instant
coffee made its appearance in India in early 70’s. It indeed revolutionized
coffee-drinking in India. While the Nescafé brand was popular in North India,
South Indians preferred another brand called Bru. Slowly the habit of making
traditional brewed coffee disappeared, and is now confined to very few homes.
Now filter-coffee is popular in India, and is available everywhere-the
airports, railway stations and cafes.
Instant coffee is produced when coffee is dried into soluble
powder or freeze-dried into granules that can
be quickly dissolved in hot water. Coffee seeds are de-caffeinated while the
seeds are still green by steaming them, then using a solvent to dissolve
caffeine-containing oils. The extracted caffeine is usually sold to the
pharmaceutical industry.
Coffee Abroad Before I
visited countries abroad, I was under the impression that there was only one
type of coffee. It was during my visit to Rome that I discovered that coffee
can be of different types like Capuchino (strong coffee), Café latte
(with more milk) and Café Expresso (with foam).
Although
Europeans are not coffee producers, they perhaps drink the best coffee in the
world. All cities and towns are dotted with cafes and restaurants that serve
good coffee. One can walk along the streets enjoying the wonderful aroma of
coffee. In Frankfurt airport I could track the coffeeshop by following the
aroma of coffee made there!
While I was staying in a Pensione
in Rome, dark concentrated coffee used to be served in tiny cups, after dinner,
which I never took. I used to wonder how people could take strong coffee at
night and yet get good sleep.
It was while I was aboard a Middle
Eastern flight that I tasted something akin to coffee, served in tiny cups.
Once I reached my destination, I asked my hostess about it. While I was
leaving, she presented me a big bag containing some powder. Back home, I
discovered that it was nothing but cardamom powder!
Asian coffee known as Kopi luwak is unique. Coffee berries are
fed to Asian Palm Civet. The berries pass through
its digestive tract and are harvested from its faeces. Coffee brewed this
way is very expensive. The bean prices reach up to $160 per pound or $30
per brewed cup.
In Thailand, black ivory coffee beans
are fed to elephants. The beans collected from the dung cost up to $1,100 a
kilogram ($500 per lb). It is the world's most expensive coffee, three
times costlier than Palm Civet coffee beans!
Coffee Houses in Europe were indeed famous. The first European coffee house opened in
Venice in 1647 and the first coffee house in Constantinople in 1775. They
were haunted by writers, thinkers, poets and the likes. The legendary Cafe Stray Dog in St.
Petersburg was once the haunt of Silver Age writers such as Vladimir
Mayakovski and Anna Akhmatova.
Coffee houses slowly became hotbeds of politics. King Charles II of
England afraid of rebellion, briefly
outlawed coffeehouses .
King Frederick the Great banned it
in Prussia, due to concern
about the price of coffee and its production in colonies. Sweden too
prohibited coffee in the 18th century.
Today, wherever
one goes, one finds the cities abroad dotted with cafés and restaurants, with
the aroma of coffee wafting around, as one walks along the streets. Now,
instead of coffee houses, we have famous coffee chains like Starbucks, Barista,
Café Mocha and the like, all over the world.
The Indian Coffee HouseIn India too we had the
famous Indian Coffee Houses in the not- so- distant past, in most major cities.
During my first visit to Patna in 1976, I, to my surprise, discovered a branch
of the Indian Coffee House, which was hugely popular. Students from nearby
Patna University and local youth patronised it. For families with children, it
was an ideal place for outings. People of Patna are not coffee drinkers. I
suspect that coffee was not the main attraction for them; instead, it was
Masala dosa and delicacies that the Coffee House offered. Unfortunately, due to
high overhead charges, the Coffee house closed later.
In Trivandrum,
we still do have an Indian Coffee House, although the one we had opposite our
former home closed long ago. Situated in the heart of the city it is one of the
popular places haunted by the young and old alike. It is one of the very few
Indian coffee houses surviving today. It is somehow struggling and surviving
due to financial support from the state government.
Today we find
that Coffee chains like Coffee Day have replaced the good- old Indian Coffee
Houses in India. The coffee served in their outlets can rival Barista or
Starbuck coffee, both in aroma and taste.
Growing coffee
So far I only knew about two most commonly
grown coffee--- C. arabica and C. robusta(also known as C.
canephora). There are also other less popular varieties --- C. liberica, C. stenophylla, C.
mauritiana, and C. racemosa.
Coffee plants are cultivated
in over 70 countries, especially in the Americas, Southeast Asia, India, and Africa. Brazil is the leading
grower, producing about 35% of coffee in the world.
Over one hundred million people in developing
countries are dependent on coffee for their livelihoods. Although the
sales of coffee reach billions of dollars worldwide, the farmers producing
coffee beans survive in poverty.
Concerns Traditionally coffee plants are "shade-grown".
The quality of coffee
produced this way is considered superior. However, from 1970’s many farmers switched over to ‘Sun
cultivation’ in which coffee is grown directly under full sun. Berries ripen
more rapidly and produce higher yields. However, this method requires the clearing
of trees and increased use of irrigation, fertilizer and pesticides, which
damage the environment and cause health problems.
Coffee production uses a large volume of water. On average it takes about 140 litres
(37 US gal) of water to grow the coffee beans needed to produce one cup of coffee.
What is the way out? Of course, cutting down coffee production and
less coffee consumption could be a solution in the long run. However, any
sudden cut back on coffee production may affect small growers and farm labour
adversely; so also, the supply chains. In future, synthetic biology, using
genetic engineering, may be able to synthesize coffee, without going through
its cultivation and processing. Even then, alternate engagement for those who
are left with no means for livelihoods will be a huge issue.
Safety Drinking 3-4 cups of coffee per day is
considered generally safe. Caffeine in coffee is known for
its stimulant effects. According to
the USDA
National Nutrient Database, a 240-millilitre (8 US fl oz) cup of
"coffee brewed from grounds" contains 95 mg caffeine, whereas an
espresso (25 mL) contains 53 mg. Coffee drinkers are generally advised to
take only moderate amounts of coffee.
Looking Back Coffee-drinking is an
acquired habit. Like everything else acquired, one can do away with coffee too. I too may overcome this habit very
soon.
In my youth, I used to consume several cups of coffee a day.
But now I take only two cups, one in the morning and the other in the
afternoon. Coffee helps me keep awake, keeps me alert and helps me concentrate on
my work.
I
feel that coffee has been an important factor in my life. It has triggered my thought processes and
stimulated my creativity. Looking back, like T. S. Eliot, I could say that
"I have measured out my life with coffee spoons".
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