Fully Caffeinated
By Sylvie Edwards | I love coffee… I am particular about my coffee. Some people may think it’s too much. Well, I say, you have to live your life fully caffeinated these days.
By Sylvie Edwards for Sankarsingh-Gonsalves Productions
This article will seem like an ode to coffee, and it may be, but it is meant to share my love of coffee with the rest of our readers. It is not often that I get to gush about something but today I’ve decided that I will do just so about my favourite drink. Don’t get me wrong, I do love a good glass of wine, but coffee is just that special drink that starts my day just right.
You might say that I am what you would call a coffee purist. I do not drink iced coffee or caramel “machiasomething”… I love a good cup of black coffee most of all. The subtle aromas that comes with a good blend is truly something that I enjoy. Give me a Jamaican blue mountain coffee or slighty roasted Sumatra bean. The extent of my experimentation outside of this is a cappuccino (which I find a lot of people have a difficult time making well) or my go to – a flat white. Simple milk, expresso beans and oh so smooth.
It reminds me of my travels to Europe where I first tasted this creation. Before I go on gushing about this passion of mine, I thought I would do what I usually do in these articles and give you useful (or not) trivia about all things COFFEE.
Who knows you might find in these a reason to look into coffee for yourself if you are not already a devotee. Let’s start from the beginning – legend has it that coffee, well coffee berries, was first discovered by Ethiopian shepherds around 800 A.D. while noticing that their goats reacted and became really active after eating the red fruits. At first it was actually the berries which were eaten before coffee was ever dried, roasted and brewed.
The word "coffee" comes from the Arabic word for "wine." Qahwah later became kahveh in Turkish, and then koffie in Dutch, which is where we get the English word coffee.
Here are some other useful facts:
• Most coffee varieties grow in an area between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn (time to take out your globe if you’ve forgotten your geography lessons). Funny enough, the only place it grew in the US until recently (California started not too long ago) is on the side of mountains in Hawaii. I love a good Kona blend!
• Coffee also was supported by Islam as alcohol being prohibited, people opted for the boost of coffee which as acceptable.
• In 1675, the then King of England banned the proliferation of coffee houses as they were places that supported insurrection and conspiracy. In fact, over the years several countries have tried to ban coffee in it’s many forms stating several reasons including that fact it was believed to be satanic. Sweden went as far as banning not only coffee in the 18th century but cups and saucers as well in an attempt to stop its consumption.
• In 1906, a man living in Guatemala by the name of George Washington – yep really. Invented what we now know as instant coffee.
• Taste for coffee remains overall unchanged over the years with 70% of people opting for the mild and aromatic Arabica coffee while 30% prefer a more robust flavour and darker blend which tends to have 50% more concentrated caffeine. For a coffee to be classed as decaf, it needs to have less than 0.3% caffeine.
• Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world, it can cost $600 or more per pound. Native to Indonesia, the coffee is roasted after being eaten, digested and expelled by the Palm Civet. Don’t know if I would try that one?
• Most people believe that coffee grows on shrub-like bushes when in fact it grows on trees. These trees can reach up to 30 feet, but most are groomed to remain at 10 feet to make it easier to harvest the fruits.
• Coffee is the second most traded product or commodity on earth. Oil being the first one. Fun fact, Brazil grows the most while Finland consumes the most.
• As part of the process, the berries are picked, dried and tumbled around until all that remains is the bean. The beans are shipped the world over and then roasted to about 500°F which will make the beans expand to more than half their size. It requires a second roasting which makes the bean pop once more and be ready for grinding and consumption.
• Over its history, coffee has gone through several changes and has been consumed in a number of ways including espresso (meaning pressed out in Italian), mocha, cappuccino, latte, americano (which by the way came from WWII soldiers finding European coffee too strong and blending in water to dilute its strong flavour) and many more. We can also attribute the expression “cup of Joe” to those same soldiers who were apparently huge coffee drinkers.
• The American Revolution and it’s tea party contributed to people switching their consumption from tea to coffee and boosted it’s sales in America.
• There are always new studies on the impact of caffeine on the system. Needles to say it carries with it an undefinable burst and is known to bump up your dopamine levels. Dopamine is produced in your brain and acts as a chemical messenger, communicating messages between nerve cells in your brain and your brain and the rest of your body. Dopamine plays a role in how we feel pleasure. It's a big part of our unique human ability to think and plan. It helps us strive, focus, and find things interesting.
• You can overdose on coffee. It would take more than 30 cups to do the trick over a short period of time.
• The jury seems to remain out (based on each new study that comes out regularly) around the fact that coffee is either a good or a bad thing for your health. The consensus seems to be that you are safe with moderate consumption which is around 2 – 3 cups a day. Let’s wait for the next study to change that opinion!
I could go on for pages on trivia around coffee. Who does not have a fun fact about coffee. It has been a topic of conversation for a very long time. I find that you either love coffee or you don’t. I have several friends who are tea drinkers who do not enjoy coffee while I cannot do without my cup of delightful brown, steamy brew as I wake up and get ready for work in the morning.
Regardless of your preference for or against it, it is undeniably a part of millions of people’s ritual every day around the world. Another element that attracts me to coffee is that it is usually a part of how we gather, how we get together to share and discuss our lives. Coffee has become at the center of way more than just drinking but it is part of our relationships with others. Who has not had a coffee chat? When was the last time you did not see a person grab a coffee to come to a meeting or even go for a walk? I say if you can’t beat it join in. Make a ritual of your coffee experience and it will provide more than a drink but an event that you may remember for some time.
About the author: Sylvie Edwards has been involved in Project Management in several industries for more than 25 years, overseeing projects in the IT, Banking, Health, Government and Securities sectors. She is a post secondary #educator assisting hundreds of potential PMP® achieve their certification, and a blogger on all things related to #projectmanagement. Sylvie is a two term past President and current member on the board of directors for the PMI-DHC (Project Management Institute- Durham Highlands Chapter). She had the honour of being named Fellow of the Project Management Association of Canada (FPMAC).
It was only when I came to Canada that I really started drinking coffee. Growing up in Trinidad, with it's colonial British influence, tea was my preferred drink. Mind you I was no tea snob, but I would prefer a hot cup of tea on a sweltering day.
Canada introduced me to coffee and much like you not that flavoured caramel, vanilla whatever thing...only plain coffee and I was hooked. I still like tea, and who can resist a good London Fog? However, my morning coffee is the thin black line between me being nice to you in the morning or...that other me that would bite your head off.
My son got this love for coffee from me and took it to the next level. He has a $600 grinder - because nothing else will do - a special kettle to bring the water to a specific temperature based on the coffee manufacturer's recommendation - yeah, you're thinking snob and so am I but I didn't say that out loud. But I'd be lying if I said I did not look forward to his morning brew.
We've talked about ordering Kopi Luwak (Civet poop) and even Black Ivory (elephant poop) refined coffee but are still on the proverbial fence.
Loved the article and the energy - I could tell you had your cup of coffee before writing!!!
What a fun article! I prefer an Ethiopian myself, brewed in a Karlsberger Kanne. We are definitely a coffee household, involved in training wholesale clients and baristas. I have actually tasted the "poop coffee" you mention and for me, it was overrated!