Is Coffee The Drink That Will Conquer The World?

Coffee's venerable history is, of course, shrouded in the mists of time. According to a popular myth, there once was a shepherd who realized that, if he ate the berry of a certain plant, he could stay awake and protect his sheep better. Another legend says that coffee's discovery began with monks who learned that a certain berry would help them stay awake to pray.

And then there is the myth of an Arab, lost in the desert, who was able to survive by boiling berries from a plant. The town nearby was named Mocha.

The first coffee plants were only grown in Ethiopia, from where it was brought to the Arab lands, where it flourished. From Arabia, coffee was brought to Turkey, where the native Turks preferred to drink their coffee sweetened with cinnamon and cloves.

If was only a matter of time before traders brought coffee to Europe. Despite the claim of Christians that coffee was the beverage of the devil, even Pope Vincent III became a coffee advocate. By the 18th century, not only was coffee all the rage in Europe, with coffee houses springing up all over the place, but coffee was also transported to America. During the early days of the American Revolution, in protest of the heavy taxes imposed on tea by the British, coffee was proclaimed to be the official beverage of the American colonies.

From Maxwell House being "good to the last drop" to Chock Full of Nuts being the "Heavenly Coffee", Americans have long become accustomed to coffee as being a part of every day living. And then Starbucks started up in Seattle. Suddenly, the beatnik coffee houses of the '50s and '60s transmogrified into popular culture of the '90s and into the 21st century.

Today, Starbucks is even expanding into markets where tea, not coffee is not only the primary beverage, but where tea is practically synonymous with the culture itself. If you've ever heard the phrase "all the tea in China," you'll realize the enormous impact on the Chinese way of life if coffee were to become as popular in the world's most populous nation as it has in the western world.

Recently, when Starbucks opened up a coffee shop in Beijing's culturally-sensitive Forbidden City, the Chinese state television broadcaster referred to the move as "an insult to Chinese civilization."

China is not the only target for the expansion of the huge coffee chain. Starbucks reportedly is also hoping to open up coffee shops in India, Russia, Brazil and Egypt in 2007. Brazil, of course, is already a nation of coffee drinkers. But with India, Russia and Egypt now in the tea category, it will be very interesting to watch and see whether lattes and cappuccinos will catch on in Delhi, Moscow and Cairo.

Robert Scheer is a freelance writer and contributor to the Gourmet Coffee Trends blog

Getting the Perfect Roast for Cappucino Machines

There are a variety of machines now available to turn your kitchen into a coffee lover’s paradise. You can buy espresso machines, cappuccino makers and coffee bean roasters that will ensure you are drinking the freshest possible coffee, made to suit your personal tastes. Buying a coffee roaster can be a confusing business, there are a huge range of prices and functions, and a little guidance in what to look for can be really valuable before you make your purchase. As well as looking for a reliable and well established brand, with a long guarantee, you will want to consider what your personal needs are from your coffee blender.

The first question to ask yourself is how much you want to be involved in the roasting process and how much you want the machine to do the work for you? Some people really enjoy measuring out the amounts, stirring and supervising the process, and in this case a basic stove top model, is ideal as well as being one of the cheaper options.

These are similar to a simple saucepan, with a tightly fitting lid and a special handle. The handle allows you to stir the beans during the roasting process, keeping the hot air moving evenly around the beans and preventing the beans on the bottom of the pan from burning. These type of roasters should have an integral thermometer, as maintaining the correct temperature is a crucial part of the process.

If you would prefer a machine that does everything for you, there are models available with a built in thermostat that controls the amount of heat necessary. They have automatic stirring and air-flow systems to ensure even roasting of the beans, and a timer to shut down the process at the correct time. All you need to do is put in the right amount of beans, switch on the machine, and let it do the rest. Of course you will need to pay more for this type of roaster but this may be worthwhile to get a more even roast with minimal effort.

Another consideration when you are buying your coffee roaster is how effectively does it circulate heat and air? As mentioned previously, even heating and airflow is necessary for a good roast, but this is made more effective if the chaff from burst skins can be removed as the beans are roasting. An additional extra that can make the roasting process more successful is a drum roaster. This moves the beans around using the forces of gravity instead of a stirrer in the base of the roaster.

Most machines enable you to watch the roasting process through a glass panel to ensure you can stop the process at the perfect time for you, even though they have preset times for certain levels of roast. You may have a particular idea about the level of roasting to make the perfect brew that is different from the settings on your roaster.

Once you have decided what the criteria are for your perfect coffee roaster, you can look forward to the fresh coffee that will be constantly available to you, your family and those dinner guests.

Clinton Maxwell's detailed reports can be encountered on lots of websites associated with coffee and cappuccino. You can come across his writings on cappuccino makers at http://www.coffee-espresso-maker-tips.com and many different sources for cappuccino makers tips.

Coffee Makers

Coffee makers date back to the Turks in 575 A.D. It wasn’t until 1818 that the first coffee percolator was made. This coffee pot is also called the cowboy pot because many cowboys began using it. From 1835 to 1850, coffee makers saturated the market. Pressure steamers, glass balloons, grinders, and roasters all became available.

In 1890, the Manning-Bowman Percolator began being distributed in the United States. These percolators were linen with a cloth that had to be washed after each use. A paper filter was introduced in 1912. This made making and cleaning up of coffee much easier, and it increased in popularity. It wasn’t until 1960 that coffee pots with disposable filters began being used commercially.

The coffee maker industry hit it big in 1972, with the Mr. Coffee automatic drip process and disposable filter. Mr. Coffee is still the biggest selling coffee maker in the world. This is because Mr. Coffee has continually updated their product with the needs of the consumer. For example, in 1977 the price of coffee tripled. Mr. Coffee came out with a maker than used less coffee grounds, yet had the same great taste. The design stayed the same until 1979 when a timer was added. Now people could conveniently set their coffee to start brewing at a certain time each day.

Mr. Coffee added additional products to the popular coffee maker. 1989 was the introduction of the maker that only makes 4 cups in a pot. This was at the demand of people who consumed small amounts of coffee, but still wanted it to be fresh. The same year, Mr. Coffee introduced the first ice tea maker. Mrs. Tea followed suite in 1995, similar to Mr. Coffee, only for hot tea.

Coffee continues to be one of the most demanded products in the world. Regardless of how you like your coffee or where you purchase it from, coffee comes in a variety of flavors and with a variety of addings for individual flavor.

Coffee Machines

Drinking coffee is a pastime of millions of people all over the world. Coffee machines make it possible to meet the demand of all these people. Without coffee machines, it would not be possible.

The first coffee machine was invented in 1818 by Mr. Laurens. The machine was continually modified. New versions of the coffee machine continued to emerge until 1960. This is when the first paper filters for coffee machines were put into place. This simple change created an unbelievable increase in coffee machine sales. People had always wanted the product, but didn’t like the time it took to clean up and prepare with the cloth filters.

Coffee machines have changed in design as well. The early ones were just created to do the job; no one really cared what they looked like. Today’s coffee makers come in all colors and sizes to accessorize nicely in any kitchen. There are also many different brands of coffee machines, as each has their own unique looks to attract consumers.

Mr. Coffee has been the leading coffee machine in the United States for centuries. This is because the company continually changes or adds new products to meet the needs of the consumer. Bunn coffee makers lead the industry in commercial coffee maker sales.

Coffee Grinders

The earliest method of grinding coffee involved placing it in a bowl and using the blunt end of a stick to crush it along the sides and bottom of the bowl. This process was time consuming and messy. It was also a lot of hard work! Others without much patience simply smashed the coffee with a hammer.

These methods were replaced by a mechanical grinder. This became popular because most people already used a mechanical grinder for their spices. The coffee was placed between two disks. One stationary, the other a moving disc. The moving of the disks resulted in grinding. This process is also known as milling. The milling style coffee grinder is available in many colors with many features. The price varies on the brand and the features you choose. Generally they are between $50 and $200.

Coffee grinders began being used commercially in the 1800’s. This was helpful for events with large groups of people who wanted coffee such as Church gatherings or fairs. Coffee grinders were also used commercially in the coffee houses that seemed to be sprouting up on every corner in town. These grinders were adjustable to make the size of the coffee whatever you wanted. The grinding blades could be brought closer together or further apart by tightening or loosening a screw. The innovation of the wall mount happened around this time to. While is seems like a small thing, the grinder no longer had to be held in your hand while you ground it.

Information was discovered about coffee during this milling process. The more friction that took place while grinding, the hotter the coffee bean would get. This changed the flavor of the coffee. If the ground coffee was uniform in size, brewing was easier. The finder the grind, the more flavor the coffee had. To make all this happen, grinding coffee by hand was replaced by a machine doing the work with the machine controlled by a person. This allowed the distributor to process the coffee it sold the same way every time.

This machine process led to big coffee plants producing large amounts of coffee. It was the beginning of tin cans of coffee being marketed. Ironically, the machines that were invented to make the coffee all taste the same began to change. This is because now the demand began for coffee that tasted different! People wanted a variety to choose from.

Some people still like to grind their own coffee. They know just how to make it to their liking. Most of us prefer to purchase our coffee already ground. There are many grocery stores that offer the choice of purchasing coffee beans, then grinding them in an electric machine right there in the store. No matter which way you enjoy your coffee, it all seems to start with the grinding process.

Coffee Gifts

Coffee is consumed by millions of people everyday. It is easy to understand why it makes such a practical gift. You can create quite a unique collection of coffee as a gift. You can combine it with other items as well.

There are several different flavors of coffee on the market today. It is easy to gather an assortment as a gift. It is fun to try new flavors of coffee, but not a luxury most of us afford ourselves. By giving them as a gift, you are going to make someone look forward to that first cup of coffee in the morning even more. A fun alternative is to give them a new coffee every month rather than all at once. The coffee of the month club membership will allow them to have a new coffee delivered to their home each month for a full year.

Creating a gift basket is a great coffee gift. You can fill the basket with their favorite coffee, add a couple of coffee cups, some fancy sugar, a few types of creamer, and you have a great basket of assessable coffee and condiments. You can go online to designyourownbasket.com. There you can select the items you would like to have in your coffee gift basket, and have it shipped as well.

There are gourmet coffee shops that specialize in shipping coffee gifts with special blends for you. Simply let them know what you are looking for and the amount of money you wish to spend. They will create a customized package to meet your specifications.

Some other simple coffee gift ideas include customized coffee cups. I got my mother in law one a few years back with the names of all her grandchildren on it. She uses it all the time. For those who enjoy getting their coffee on the run, a gift card to Starbucks is the perfect coffee gift.

As you can see, coffee comes in so many different varieties and with many accessories. Coffee gifts can be as simple or as unique as you would like them to be. They are a practical gift for that hard to buy for person or a boss you don’t know well, but always see with a full cup of coffee!

Coffee

The history of coffee, while hard to verify to accuracy, legend a sheepherder who realized the effects of coffee while tending his sheep. His sheep became very active when they ate a certain type of berry off a plant. He tried them himself, and felt the same effect. Rumor has it that a monk told him to be careful of the devil’s fruit. However, it is also rumored that the monks used the fruit to stay awake and pray.

Another wide spread legend claims an Arabian was banished to the desert. He boiled and ate an unknown plant. He was able to survive in the desert on the plant. The residents of a town close by felt the survival was a religious sign. The plant was then named Mocha, after that town.

Few people realize the coffee plant originally grew only in Ethiopia. They wrapped it in animal fat to eat while on raids. It was transported to Arabia, it grew, and they controlled the market of it. The Turks then were the first to drink it. They added cinnamon and clove for a sweeter taste.

Coffee founds its way to Europe via the Venetian trade merchants. Rumors of the taste of coffee began to surface all over. The Arab’s keep an even tighter grip on the coffee plants. Christian’s began claiming coffee was the devil’s drink, similar to the monk story above. Pope Vincent III decided to try it. He enjoyed it very much. After that, talk of banishing the drink went away.

Soon after, coffee houses were built all over Europe. They became a popular place to hang out and drink coffee. It was in the 1700’s that coffee traveled to Americas. A French infantry captain took a small plant with him. That plant was cultivated, resulting in over 19 million coffee trees within 50 years. Coffee was declared the national drink of the United States in a protest of the excessive taxes on tea from Britain.

Today, millions of people enjoy their coffee throughout the day. Coffee comes in many brands and many flavors. You can buy ground coffee or coffee beans at most any grocery store. There are also gourmet coffees to choose from Businesses such as Starbuck’s Coffee are million dollar industries, offering you the convenience of coffee any way you want it.