The World’s Favorite Drink!
One of the most popular beverages in the world is coffee.It was first discovered in the highlands of Ethiopia sometime around the year 800. It then spread to other countries in the Middle East, Europe and the Americas.In terms of dollars traded, coffee ranks second in the world, with oil ranking first. All the coffee in the world is grown on tropical climates, located in places between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
Today there are a few places in the world that have turned coffee cultivation into an art form.While Brazil grows the highest volume of coffee in the world, Southeast Asia produces the most expensive coffee.It is called Kopi Lewak, and the ripest coffee beans are eaten by a Common Palm Civet and then passed through the digestive system.The outer shell of the beans is digested, but the inner bean is not. The beans are then picked up off the ground and processed. It is the opinion of coffee aficionados that Kopi Lewak is the best coffee in the world, and worth the cost. It costs about 600 dollars a pound, or roughly 50 dollars a cup.
Lots of different blends and roasts of coffee are available.Decaffeinated and dark roasts are some of the most favored.But a new trend is toward low acid coffees. Coffee beans contain tannic acid along with other acids. While these acids have benefits to the body, some people find them hard to digest, particularly those with acid reflux disease. Also dentists recommend limiting the intake of teas and coffees because the acids can damage tooth enamel. Tyler’s Coffee is one of the finest low acid coffees on the market.Roasted in Arizona using Arabica beans, Tyler’s Coffee uses state of the art technology to roast it’s coffees. A 13 year old boy named Tyler started Tyler’s Coffee in Arizona.The company has since grown and today is producing one of the best low acid coffees available.
Between being grown and being brewed in your coffee pot, coffee goes through an intense process. When coffee is grown the coffee pods are actually red in color, resembling cherries, and the plant is at least 3 years old.Farmers are not after the coffee cherries, but the two coffee beans that grow inside like peanuts in a shell.To prevent over fermenting the beans must be processed quickly after being picked.Wet processing beans is the most common way to get the beans out of the shells, and they will go through the process several times.
They are then sorted, bagged and sent to the roaster.The roasting process is the most important part of making coffee.It determines the flavor of the end product and it takes a very experienced roaster to turn out a fine coffee. Raw coffee beans are a light green color and taste somewhat bitter, but by roasting the flavor is developed, from mild roasts to rich dark roasts, to some that are so dark they taste almost burnt.
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