Buying coffee

Coffee, the world's favourite drink

Coffee drinkers know how nice it is to get up early in the morning and then walk straight to the coffee machine to turn it on. Even better if there is a timer on the machine that turns it on ten minutes before your alarm clock rings. Waking up while the fragrant aroma tickles your senses is the best start to the day. The cup of coffee is very common in everyday life and the hot beverage is drunk by most people to a greater or lesser extent on a regular basis. After just one cup, you feel more energetic and alert. More than five to 10 cups of coffee a day can affect your sleep rhythm. You drink coffee almost without thinking about it. But where does it come from and what kinds are there?

A little coffee history

Coffee was originally discovered in Ethiopia, from where it spread throughout the Middle East. There are stories of a mountain farmer somewhere in Ethiopia who saw his goats hopping in the meadow like energy bombs after snacking on coffee berries. Or the story of the monks who disappointedly threw the rather bitter-tasting coffee beans into the fire and were surprised by the wonderful aroma released. From those roasted beans, they just had to make an extract. And it turned out to be no such monk's work. But some time preceded the actual drinking of coffee. In any case, it is believed that the Arabs were the first to grow coffee plants. Traders saw bread in it and soon coffee conquered most Islamic countries, despite secrecy and an export ban. The Netherlands also played a role in the spread of coffee plants through Java in Indonesia, then a colony of the Netherlands. Eventually, around 1715, France became the major producer in Europe. Colonists and missionaries spread the uplifting drink to the rest of the world. Drinking coffee became more popular than consuming alcoholic beverages.

Arabica and Robusta coffee

There are two types of coffee beans suitable for consumption. These are the Arabica and the Robusta. The former is loved by coffee roasters and gourmets for its mild and aromatic flavour. The coffee plant produces caffeine to protect against parasites. The Arabica beans grow at high altitudes where fewer pathogens can affect the plant so less caffeine is produced. This is different again for the firm-tasting Robusta coffee that grows on lower ground where it faces parasitic attacks. Robusta coffee contains more caffeine than Arabica coffee and therefore lends itself better to getting the sleep out of your body in the morning. Of course, the two beans can be mixed just fine to obtain a great-tasting but strong cup of coffee in several varieties. Espresso is one such variant that is widely known. Hot water is forced through a small amount of finely ground coffee beans under high pressure. A good Espresso has a crema consisting of fats and sugars and is called *crema*. And one cup is comparable in volume to a double gin but then it is a drink to be enjoyed. Building on that, you come across the cappuccino which consists of espresso, milk and milk foam in equal parts. Making a good cappuccino lies in using the right technique when frothing milk. It is recommended to use whole milk if you want the tastiest cappuccino. In turn, the latte macchiato consists of whole, organic milk to which a shot of espresso is added. The variant where the even finer ground coffee beans are pressed firmly so that the water has more trouble seeping through the coffee is called ristretto. The end result is a cup of coffee that contains more caramelised sugars and oils. The drink is quite a concentrated espresso with a lot of flavour.

Coffee, healthy and tasty

The number of cups of coffee drunk per day varies from person to person. One cup is enough for Pietje, while Klaasje drinks 12 in a day. There are studies that have shown that a cup of coffee fits into a healthy diet and can prolong life. But don't drink litres of it because then the beneficial effect also disappears. It is nice to know that nature produces a plant that in its natural purity produces a bean that allows us coffee addicts to enjoy a delicious aromatic cup of comfort. What the future of the beverage will look like is coffee-gazing, but it will undoubtedly be positive.