A brief history of coffee
The meaning of "coffee"
- The word coffee comes from the Arabic "Qahwa".
- The Turkish rendering of the Arabic term was "Kahweh".
- Today, the term has a similar pronunciation in all languages.
Place of origin
- Homeland: Abyssinia (Ethiopia today)
- Middle of the 15th Century: a method of refining coffee seeds (i.e. roasting) led to the plant's wider cultivation and renown
Current significance
- Coffee is second only to petroleum when it comes to the value of its global trade
A brief classification of the coffee plant:
The botanical family
- Two main botanical types and their global distribution:
Coffea Arabica (70% of overall cultivation) and Coffea Canephora or Robusta (30% of overall cultivation) - The arabica type can be subdivided into hundreds of varieties, including mocha, maragogipe, bourbon, typica, nana and many more. (These varieties emerged as a result of breeding, chance and natural selection.)
- Appearance:
The arabica bean is oval and has an uneven, nearly closed seam.
The robusta bean is virtually round and has a very even and open seam. - Taste:
Arabica: fine, slightly bitter, fruity, tart
Robusta: woody, earthy, astringent, strong, full-bodied - Origins:
All coffee types have their origin in Africa.
Wild arabica: southwest highlands of Ethiopia, Sudan
Wild robusta: various regions of West Africa characterised by tropical rainforest vegetation (Congo)
