Recently, while in the mountain town of Boquete, Panama, I had the opportunity to take a tour of a small coffee farm, and thoroughly enjoyed being able to see firsthand how my favourite morning beverage makes it all the way from the seed to my cup. It blew my mind how much work actually goes into producing a cup of coffee, so I thought I’d share with you the “story of coffee”.
Enjoy!
~Mandrew
Enjoy!
~Mandrew
Origin of Coffee
light, medium, and a happy dark roast With a coffee shop or four on every street corner these days, it’s easy to take it for granted that most days begin only after I’ve had my first cup of java. After having witnessed the tremendous amount of work that goes into producing coffee, however, I’m forced to wonder – who the heck thought to go through all this trouble? Well, it seems there are a few different stories about how coffee was discovered, and although this one seems the least credible, I find it the most entertaining:
Sometime in the ninth century A.D., an Ethiopian goat-herder named Kaldi noticed that, after eating a certain plant, his goats behaved quite strangely, running and jumping around all nimbly-bimbly. Thinking that he’d be able to get the same kind of energy boost (or maybe just wanting to get high), Kaldi decided to try it for himself. First, he tried munching on some of the berries, but found that they were too bitter. He then tried chewing on some of the leaves, but quickly found them to be too tough and waxy to continue. Next, he got the bright idea of brewing a tea from the leaves, but alas that, too, tasted like crap. In a fit of hopeless rage, Kaldi tore up the plants and cast them into his fire. A few minutes later, however, he noticed that the burnt plants smelled damn good, and after some investigating found that it was the roasted berries that were releasing the fantastic aroma. He ground up some of these roasted berries and steeped them in hot water, and instantly became the happiest man in Ethiopia.
Sometime in the ninth century A.D., an Ethiopian goat-herder named Kaldi noticed that, after eating a certain plant, his goats behaved quite strangely, running and jumping around all nimbly-bimbly. Thinking that he’d be able to get the same kind of energy boost (or maybe just wanting to get high), Kaldi decided to try it for himself. First, he tried munching on some of the berries, but found that they were too bitter. He then tried chewing on some of the leaves, but quickly found them to be too tough and waxy to continue. Next, he got the bright idea of brewing a tea from the leaves, but alas that, too, tasted like crap. In a fit of hopeless rage, Kaldi tore up the plants and cast them into his fire. A few minutes later, however, he noticed that the burnt plants smelled damn good, and after some investigating found that it was the roasted berries that were releasing the fantastic aroma. He ground up some of these roasted berries and steeped them in hot water, and instantly became the happiest man in Ethiopia.
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