The Characteristics of Coffee and the History of Coffee Making Essay

When coffee was first introduced to Western Europe, about 1615, some people said it was intoxicating. Others thought it was poisonous. But gradually coffee was accepted. Coffee house became centers of social, literary, and political life. Today the coffee break is a regular morning ritual in homes and in offices in many parts of the world.The Different Kinds Of Coffee TreesThe coffee tree belongs to the family of Rubiaceae. There are several species of coffee, which are Coffea arabica, Coffea liberica, and Coffea camphora, or robusta, are the more important. Coffea arabica is indigenous to Kaffa and later India, Indonesia, the West Indies, and Central and South America. Coffea arabica, of which twelve species are known, has resemblance to a shrub and under normal conditions grow to a height of twenty feet. In plantations, it is kept lower to about ten to twelve feet to permit easier picking. It has a small, fragrant flower that blooms once or twice a year, so that ripe fruit, flowers and buds may appear on one tree at the same time. The berries grow in clusters along the slums of the tree. When they have attained a deep red color, they are ripe for picking. Each berries contains two seeds surrounded by pulp. Usually they are oval, round on one side and flat on the other.Coffea liberica, of which there are nine varieties, is indigenous to West Africa. These trees grow higher and the larger than Coffea arabica, reaching up to thirty feet, and was formerly considered as more resistant to diseases. Caffea robusta was discovered to be indigenous to the Belgium Congo and has largely replaced Coffea arabica in countries where to latter suffered from affection by Hemoleia vactatrix. Seven varieties are known. A number of other species and varieties of the coffee tree are known but are of little or no commercial importance. One indigenous to Madagascar, producing seeds treat contain very little or no caffeine, might...