COFFEE HISTORY

Coffee was discovered by an Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi. One day he noticed his goats frolicking around in an unusually spirited manner. He observed that they were also eating the berries of a nearby shrub.

Here is a time line of the history of coffee from the UTNE READER, Nov/Dec 1994, by Mark Schapiro:
Prior 1000 A.D.

Members of the Galla tribe in Ethiopia notice that they get an energy boost when they eat a certain berry, ground up and mixed with animal fat.

1000 A.D.
Arab traders bring coffee back to their homeland and cultivate the plant for the first time on plantations. They also began to boil the beans, creating a drink they call "qahwa".

1453
Coffee is introduced Constantinople by Ottoman Turks. The world's first coffee shop, Kiva Han, is opened there in 1475.

1600
Coffee introduced to the West by Italian trader, grabs attention in high places.

1607
Captain John Smith help to find the colony of Virginia at Jamestown. It's believed that he introduced coffee to North America.

1645
First coffeehouse opens in Italy.

1652
First coffeehouse opens in England.

1668
- Coffee replaces beer as New York's city's favorite breakfast drink.
- Edward Lloyd's coffeehouse opens in England and is frequented by merchants and maritime insurance agents.

1672
First coffeehouse opens in Paris.

1690
With a coffee plant smuggled out of the Arab port of Mocha, the Dutch become the first transport and cultivate coffee commercially, in Ceylon and in their East Indian colony-Java, source of the brew's nickname.

1721
First coffeehouse opens in Berlin.

1727
The Brazilian coffee industry gets its start.

1773
The Boston Tea Party makes drinking coffee a patriotic duty in America.

1886
Former wholesale grocer Joel Cheek names his popular coffee blend "Maxwell House".

Early 1900's
In Germany, afternoon coffee becomes a standard occasion.

1901
The first soluble "instant" coffee is invented by Japanese-American chemist, Satori Kato of Chicago.

1920
Prohibition goes into effect in United States. Coffee sales boom.

1938
Having asked by Brazil to help find a solution to their coffee surplus. Nestle company invents freeze-dried coffee. Nestle develops Nescafe and introduces it in Switzerland.

1940
The US imports 70 percent of the world coffee crop.

1971
Starbucks opens its first store in Seattle's Pike Place public market.

Organic coffee.

THE RISK OF COFFEE

Although there are signs that coffee may be beneficial, caffeine does affect some cardiovascular functions. It can cause increased blood pressure, a higher heart rate, and even an irregular heartbeat in some consumers. In some cases, it might even raise the risk of heart disease.

Drinking more than four cups of coffee a day, may increase the risk of heart problems. In fact, a new study suggests that even two six-ounce cups of coffee a day may increase blood test values that measure inflammation.

Two cups of coffee a day is considered an acceptable amount. Caffeine does not become a problem until you start consuming an excessive amount of it. As your body gets used to caffeine, it becomes addicted to it.

The maximum amount of caffeine you should consume a day should be no more than 100 milligrams. It is recommended that if you drink more than this, you try to cut back. If you are sincerely addicted to caffeine-related products-it is recommended to take vitamins to help regain the nutrients you lose.

Coffee History.

COFFEE HEALTH EFFECTS

Coffee contains several components which are known to affect human body chemistry. The coffee bean itself contains chemicals which are psychotropic for humans as a defense mechanism of the coffee plants.

One of the coffee component is caffeine, which is a mild stimulant, and in some people coffee drinking enhances alertness, concentration, and mental physical performance. Although it contains a wide variety of substances, it is generally accepted that caffeine is responsible for many of coffee's physiological effects. Because caffeine influences the central nervous system in a number of ways and because a small number of people may be particularly sensitive to these effects. Caffeine is not recognized as a drug abuse and there is no evidence for caffeine dependence. Some particularly sensitive people may suffer mild symptoms of withdrawal after sudden abstention from coffee drinking.

Coffee has a much higher total in-vitro antioxidant activity than other commonly consumed beverages. This is due in part to intrinsic compounds of coffee such as chlorogenic acid, in part to compounds formed during coffee bean roasting such as melanoidins and in part to as yet unidentified compounds. Antioxidant have associated with controlling cell damage. They are also thought to dampen inflammation in the body.

Type 2 diabetes is lower among coffee consumers. Coffee also can reduce risk of gallstones or liver damage, discourage colon cancer, and improve endurance and cognitive function.

The risk of coffee.

ARE YOU ADDICTED TO COFFEE ?

Recent research suggests that drinking even a small amount of coffee each day can result in addiction.

Coffee stimulates the central nervous system, it increases what is known as the "stress hormones" into one's blood steams which results in the consumer feeling unnaturally alert. The alertness caused by coffee is called 'induced' alertness which tends to subdue your body's natural functioning and manipulates its instincts to prevent it from relaxing. This causes the individual to get stressed out and it leads to various kinds of disorders.

When you have a coffee addiction, the effects of withdrawal can be quite noticeable. Here are just some of the symptoms people feel when suddenly deprived of their caffeine fix:
- headache
- fatigue or drowsiness
- depression or irritability
- difficulty in concentrating
- flu like symptoms including nausea, muscle pain and stiffness

Coffee health effects.

HOW MANY CALORIES IN COFFEE ?

There are very few calories if someone drink black coffee. Coffee is a mild stimulant, is packed with antioxidants and can stand head to head with most other "health" beverages in your local health food store.

The problem with the calories in your coffee is not about the coffee at all. It's about what you add to your coffee. Sugar, milk, cream, soy and syrups can all add a lot of extra calories.

A rough breakdown of the calories you can expect to consume, according to how you like to take your coffee. The figures listed below are for 12-ounce servings.
- Regular cup of coffee, no cream or sugar --> 10 calories
- Regular cup of coffee, plus cream & sugar --> 110 calories
- Cappuccino --> 120 calories
- Latte --> 200 calories
- Mocha with whipped cream --> 310 calories
- Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino --> 370 calories

Are you addicted to coffee ?

COFFEE BENEFITS

It is good to know that coffee has some benefits to health. However, these results should not be interpreted as an incentive to increase your daily coffee intake . Too much coffee may actually increase the risk of the heart disease for some people. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition June 2005, researchers from the University of Athens found that coffee drinkers had more stiffness of the major blood vessel in the body then non-coffee drinkers. Suggested for people with high blood pressure or other risk factors for heart disease who drink more than 3 cups of coffee a day to cut down.

Coffee is the No. 1 source of antioxidants in the American diet, researchers from the University of Scranton released on August 29, 2005. Black tea is the second. Substances or nutrients in foods that can prevent or slow oxidize damage to the our body is called antioxidants. When our cells utilize oxygen, they naturally produce free radicals (by-products) which can cause damage to other cells. Antioxidants act as "free radical scavengers" and hence prevent and repair damage inflicted by these free radicals. Fruits and vegetables are hailed as the richest sources of antioxidants. Both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee appears to provide similar amounts of antioxidants.

Coffee also can help in the prevention and treatment of diseases and illness as varied as Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, liver disease, skin cancer, Parkinson's disease and more.

How many calories in coffee ?

FLAVORED COFFEE BEANS TYPES

Coffee is the most popular beverage worldwide with over 400 billion cups consumed each year. Coffee flavors have taken a giant leap into the 21st century. Flavoring can be added to gourmet coffees to create fascinating bright tastes. The process involved in flavoring coffee means that flavorings are added to coffee beans while they are still warm and absorbent immediately after roasting.

Flavored whole beans are usually separated into four categories: vanilla-based flavors, which including cremes (such as French vanilla or Irish creme) and the nut-based flavors (such as macadamia nut or hazelnut), chocolate-based flavors such as chocolate mint, fruit-based flavors such as raspberry, or coconut spice-based flavors such as cinnamon.

You can also use coffee syrups. They are similar to chocolate syrup, but with a coffee flavor. The best known brands are Coffee Time, Autocrat and Eclipse.

Coffee syrup is the main ingredient in coffee milk. If you are concerned about your diet, you can choose sugar free coffee syrup.

Coffee benefits.