Getting Started with Coffee
Coffee and all that its world encompasses today can be confusing. I toss the word coffee around rather cavalierly and use it to define quite a few things — a drink, a bean, a crop, an industry. It used to be far easier, and if you’re old enough, you probably remember the biggest decision was whether you wanted cream and sugar or black. The story is quite different today as the industry has exploded and, in that growth, it has become immensely confusing. I want to make it easier so you just might start to understand it better, gain a bit more confidence with it, and in the end, enjoy that coffee experience way more.
This chapter serves as your jumping-off point into the world of coffee. Whether you like it with cream and sugar, with just a little cream, with steamed milk, with some syrup and whipped cream, or just black, you can find the basics in this chap ter and then dive into the rest of this book for more details in your search of the perfect cup.
Understanding What Coffee Is (and Isn’t)
Coffee is right up near the top of the list of the most consumed beverages in the world. (It actually ranks third behind water and tea.) But before it gets to your cup, it’s a significant, globally grown agricultural crop that represents a livelihood to millions of people around the world.
Coffee is all the following:
» A seed (the bean), well protected in a layered fruit (the cherry).
» Put through one of a number of distinct processes in order to get to the seed at the center. Whichever process is used plays a big part in its eventual taste. (Refer to Chapter 2 for more about the different processes and how they can affect the taste of coffee.)
» An annual crop — and, like wine, a different crop every year, even if it’s from the same place. (The chapters in Part 3 look at the different places in the world where coffee is grown.)
» Significantly impacted by environmental conditions, such as temperature, rainfall, and where it grows. Refer to Chapter 2 for more info on coffee growing and the impact the environment has on it
Appreciating Coffee — from Its Past to Today
To better understand coffee today, it’s useful to look at where it came from. With a history spanning across centuries as well as the globe, coffee is more easily under stood when you know some of its historical background. That history has witnessed romance, revolution, discovery, and turbulent change, all of which have led to coffee being what it is today. The following sections give you a snapshot of impor tant historical developments that have led the coffee industry to its present state.
A world of farms and fickle crops
At its most basic, coffee is a precious miracle of nature. Although it’s scientifically classified in a rather confusing hierarchy of names, here I focus on two types of coffee crops:
Arabica: Represents about 70 percent of what is grown and consumed around the world and is the type seen most prominently in the gourmet or specialty coffee business. Arabica is difficult to grow because it needs elevation and is easily impacted by insects and disease. Even if everything goes perfectly in a crop year, the yield with Arabica is limited. Arabica is the type that has the best taste though, with complexities and flavors that are unrivaled.
» Robusta: This would be the ideal type of coffee because it has greater yield per tree than Arabica, isn’t as susceptible to insects or disease, and grows at any elevation. Unfortunately, it’s known for its harsh taste characteristics, and even though a significant quantity is grown, processed, and consumed, it isn’t considered specialty or gourmet.
The cherry is picked annually, and it yields seeds. About 95 to 97 percent of the time, each fruit has two seeds; 3 to 5 percent of the time, it has a peaberry. A pea berry is the seed of a cherry that has only grown one inside. Multiple decisions regarding growing, often driven by long-standing practices, availability of water, and technology, determine how the trees are raised, how their fruit is collected, and finally how the seed inside that fruit, the coffee bean, is handled. These fac tors all have a significant impact on the taste of the coffee when it gets to you, the consumer.
Going back to coffee’s roots
An almost inadvertent discovery by some goats and their herdsman might just have started it all. Whether this story is truth or fable, the centuries that followed that discovery certainly saw coffee rise as a brewed beverage that inspired pas sionate interest and dialog.
Religious leaders, politicians, and artists played a part in the development of the beverage’s refinement and a burgeoning café society. Cultures across time and the globe seem to have been imbued with coffee and its side effects. Furthermore, industrial and cultural revolutions, coupled with the growth of coffee consump tion across all demographics, put coffee at the forefront of change. An industry sprang up from those changes as entrepreneurs recognized a wide-open frontier and major opportunities. Chapter 3 examines the history of coffee — where people started drinking it and how the business of coffee started.
Examining coffee and roasting today
Coffee in modern times really began with a vision and a dream in the late 1960s. A transition occurred that involved a small group of entrepreneurs taking a differ ent approach. Specifically they began focusing on origin (where the coffee is grown), quality, craft roasting, and taste as fundamental to their coffee work. Like many entrepreneurial adventures, that of coffee is wonderfully woven into a kind of art and science, and roasting coffee is central to and representative of that. I discuss how coffee roasting has evolved in Chapters 9 and 10
Traveling Worldwide — Where Coffee Is Grown
I realized early in my journey with coffee that I was challenged by global geogra phy. The equator and the continents were easy to recognize, but the names and locations of countries, borders, mountains, lakes, and streams quickly became overwhelming as I learned more about coffee. I also found that geography estab lished connections to the perceived quality and inherent characteristics linked to taste
Add to all that the crucial environmental elements, because growing coffee requires Mother Nature’s cooperation. The following are important aspects of climate:
» Temperature
» Rainfall
» Soil conditions
» Sun, shade, and wind
Visiting the Western Hemisphere
In the Americas, coffee has been grown successfully in several countries, both large and small. Chapter 6 provides more in-depth information about these places
Central America
Some of these smaller countries feature a few of the most noteworthy coffees and coffee success stories of the last century
» Costa Rica: Known as the Switzerland of Central America, Costa Rica offers a perfect environment for growing coffee. Peace and neutrality have allowed for the development and growth of an envied coffee infrastructure. Figure 1-1 shows a Costa Rican coffee farm.
» El Salvador: Societal development, the coffee industry, and cultural growth in El Salvador both benefited and suffered together over the past 25 years, and a solid but still not fully realized coffee opportunity exists there.
» Guatemala: This country is the source of some of the most exquisite and treasured coffees in the world.
» Honduras: This country has a burgeoning coffee industry and an increasing premium crop production.
» Mexico: One of the world’s top ten coffee producers, Mexico features diverse, mountainous terrain and an equally diverse range of potential flavor profiles.
» Nicaragua: Although coffee is a principal crop in Nicaragua, an opportunity remains for both increased output and better quality.
» Panama: The famed Boquete Valley, and an interest and investment in producing the Geisha varietal, have cemented Panama’s reputation for amazing coffees
South America
An almost perfect coffee-growing climate and vast land made South America a prime spot for cultivating a relatively new crop all the way back in the 1700s. Today it’s home to Brazil and Colombia, the top coffee producers in the world for annual production. Here are countries in South American known for coffee production:
» Bolivia: A forest called the Yungas in the Andes Mountains is home to some strikingly beautiful, high-elevation coffee farms. Despite Bolivia having a past reputation for lower-quality output, the industry is watching and waiting to see what the future holds
» Brazil: The largest coffee producer hasn’t always been the best, but Brazil has focused on fine-tuning its crops; some prodigious infrastructure efforts and a significant goal to be a top premium coffee source have spurred a resurgence.
» Colombia: Famous thanks to stellar marketing and some beautiful coffees, Colombia is thought by many to be “the most coffee” of coffees when it comes to flavor in the cup.
» Ecuador: Small farms in the Andes are producing limited quantities, but there’s currently hope for infrastructure investment, because coffee in Ecuador has considerable potential
» Peru: A diversity of growing regions in this country has resulted in a wide variety of intriguing flavor profiles
» Venezuela: At one time, Venezuela had a coffee output that was comparable to its high-production neighbors. However, Venezuela’s diminishing output has really taken away from the country’s coffee exports, and so most of the interesting and good-quality crop is consumed in country.
The Islands
With striking mountainous regions and situated perfectly in the tropical climate of the equatorial belt, these islands have history and heritage in coffee. Three are in the Caribbean Sea and one is in the Pacific Ocean, but all continue to have tre mendous potential and some considerable pedigree as coffee growing origins:
» Cuba: Although Cuba has been growing coffee since the mid-18th century, the political situation has all but eliminated any output from what is a coffee growing environment with true potential
» Dominican Republic: This is another country with a long-established history of coffee farming and recognized potential for investment and renewed effort.
» Hawaii: These islands host some of the most beautiful coffee farms and celebrate production of some of the most favored and pricey coffees in the world
» Jamaica: The famed Blue Mountains, which are located in the eastern third of the island, are home to coffee farms with a heritage that dates back to 1723 and French King Louis XV. King Louis sent three plants as a gift to Martinique, and five years later the governor of Martinique gave one of those as a gift to Jamaica’s governor
Heading to Africa
Home to the birthplace of coffee, and centuries later some of the most powerful stories of human perseverance and resilience, Africa today is an important fron tier for innovation and growth in the coffee industry. Here are the countries in Africa that are known for coffee (Chapter 7 takes a closer look at coffee in Africa).
Northeast Africa
The Great Rift Valley, Mt. Kenya, and the Ethiopian Plateau combine to establish a splendid geography for coffee production in these two countries:
» Ethiopia: The birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia is home to a long-standing, established culture that is centered on coffee and its place in community. Ethiopian coffees are some of the most exotic in the world
» Kenya: Although not the largest in terms of output among the African coffee countries, Kenya is certainly recognized and celebrated for its unusual and often high-quality, noteworthy coffees with unique flavor characteristics all their own
Southern Africa
This region is home to countries that are often seen as having the greatest poten tial in the industry, as development and innovation are alive there. Following are the main coffee producers in southern Africa:
» Burundi: An on-again, off-again approach has impacted Burundi’s coffee consistency; despite that, this small country is often the source of some unique offerings
» Congo: Some refreshingly bright and flavorful coffees have come out of Congo in recent years
» Malawi: Despite the fact that this country has experienced turbulence linked to political instability, Malawi still has been able to export some tasty coffees that have found their way to consumers in Europe and the United States.
» Rwanda: Highly respected for their response to the tragedy of genocide in the 1990s and the ensuing focus on coffee as a key to a brighter, more prosper ous future, Rwandan coffee growers have established a reputation for producing some terrific coffees.
» Tanzania: Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru are home to some highly regarded coffee farms, and coffee plays an important role in Tanzania’s economy.
» Zambia: A small country with a growing interest in expanding its coffee industry, Zambia is another country with potential — one to be watched.
Heading to the Eastern Hemisphere
Perhaps the most remote and exotic environments for coffee growing exist in the region known as the Asia Pacific. Head to Chapter 8 for more information about coffee in Asia
Consider coffee in the following countries:
» China: Although coffee production in China didn’t really begin in earnest until the late 1980s, what has been developed, primarily in the Yunnan Region, has been impressive, and green coffee buyers now recognize coffee from China as having huge potential
» India: An incredibly long history of both coffee and tea production has made India a long-standing and important source of both beverages.
» Indonesia: The thousands of islands that make up Indonesia include a few that have established an enduring and respected place in the world of coffee.
» Papua New Guinea: Coffee represents an important export for Papua New Guinea, and the industry began here with the importation of coffee seeds from the Jamaican Blue Mountains in the early 1920s.
» Vietnam: The number-two coffee producer in the world, Vietnam has made progress in establishing itself as a source for quality and not just quantity over the past few decades, and so high-quality coffee exports from this country are being noted more than ever
» Yemen: Coffee dates way back to the 6th century in Yemen. The Arabian Port of Mokha, a Yemen coffee variety called Mocha, and a drink named Mocha all contribute to the confusion, but there is no denying that Yemen has been the source of some of the greatest coffees
No comments:
Post a Comment