Coffee and lifestyle seccion 2

Coffee ceremony

The coffee ceremony is one of the most recognizable parts of Eritrean and Ethiopian culture. Coffee is offered when visiting friends, during feativities, or as a daily staple of life. If coffee is politely declined then most likly tea will be served.

The coffee is brewed by first roasting the green coffee beans over hot coals in a brazier. Once the beans are roasted each participant is given en opportunity to sample the aromatic smoke by wafting it towards them. This is followed by the grinding of the beans, traditionally in a wooden mortar and pestle. The coffee grounds are then put into a special veaael and boiled. The boiling pot is usually made of pottery and has a spherical base, a neck and pouring spout and a handle where the neck connects with the base. when the coffee boils up through the neck it is poured in and out of another container to cool it, and then is put back into the boiling pot until it happens again. To pour the coffee from the boiling pot, a filter made from horsehair or other material is placed in the spout of the boiling pot to prevent the grounds from escaping.

The host pours the coffee for all participants by moving the titles boiling pot over a tray with small, handleless cups without stop unit each cup is full. Some of the coffee will inevitable miss the cup but this is done to prevent the coffee grounds from contaminating the brew. One extra cup is poured each time. The grounds are brewed three times: the first round of coffee is called awel in Tigrinya, the second kale'i and the third bereka ('to be blessed'). The coffee ceremony may also include burning of various traditional incense such as frankincense or gum arabic.

Coffee and lifestyle seccion 1

Coffee break

The coffee break is a short break from work during which coffee or other refreshments may be consumed.

The coffee break correspons with the Commonwealth terms "elevenses", "morning tea", Wtea break", or even just "tea". However people outside the United States increasingly use the term "coffee break". An afternoon coffee break, or afternoon tea, sometime occurs as well.

Coffee breaks usually last from 10 to 20 minutes and frequently occur at the end of the first third of the work shift. In some companies and some civil service, the coffee break may be observed formally at a set hour; in some places a "cart" with hot and cold beverages and cakes, breads and pastries arrives at the same time morning and afternoon, or an employwer may contract with an outside caterer for daily service.

Gatherings for coffee breaks often take place away from the actual work-area in a desinated cafeteria, tea room or outdoor area. As well as a chance for sustenance, the coffee break provides time for gossip and small talk, or a time to smoke a cigarette (thus the alternate term "Smoke break".

More generally, people can use the phrase "coffee break" to denote any break from work in any arena; popular culture often potrays housewives as taking a coffee break in their kitchens. Celebrity magazines use the term "coffee run" to describe people going for a short coffee break in the morning at a nearby cafe.

source: http://www.answer.com/topic/coffee-break

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/coffee_break

What is the difference between espresso and drip coffee?

­The main differences between espresso coffee and drip coffee are the fineness of the grind and the brewing time. The brewing time for espresso coffee is much shorter, made possible by espresso machines that generate up to 15 atmospheres (ATM) of pressure to force the water through the coffee.

A shot of espresso is made by forcing about 1.5 ounces of nearly boiling water through tightly packed, finely ground espresso coffee. If everything goes well, what comes out is a dark brown, slightly thick liquid with a small amount of crema (a foam, sort of like the head on a beer) on top.
There are many variables in the process of making a shot of espresso. The temperature of the water, the pressure of the water, the fineness of the ground coffee and how tightly the coffee is packed are just a few.

Espresso coffee is a blend of several different types of coffee beans from different countries. The beans are roasted until they are dark and oily-looking.

Coffee beans (left) and ground espresso coffee (right)

The beans are ground very finely -- much finer than for drip coffee. The consistency is almost like powdered sugar. The more finely the coffee is ground, the slower the espresso comes out. Generally, for the best shot of espresso, it should take about 25 seconds for the water to pass through the coffee. Sometimes, the consistency of the grind is adjusted to control the brewing time.

Drip coffee is made by dripping boiling water over ground coffee, which is ground more coarsely than espresso coffee. The water filters through the coffee and falls into a pot. This process is slower than the espresso process, and hot water is in contact with the ground coffee for much longer. Surprisingly, a cup of drip coffee has more caffeine than a shot of espresso.

source : http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/question645.htm

Major chemicals in coffee

Over 1,000 chemicals have been reported in roasted coffee; more than half of those tested (19/28) are rodent carcinogens. Coffee also contains healthful chemicals, including polyphenols (chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid), as well as diterpenes (kahweol and cafestol).


Caffeine

The world's primary source of caffeine is the coffee bean (the seed of the coffee plant), from which coffee is brewed. Caffeine content in coffee varies widely depending on the type of coffee bean and the method of preparation used; even beans within a given bush can show variations in concentration. In general, one serving of coffee ranges from 40 milligrams, for a single shot (30 milliliters) of arabica-variety espresso, to about 100 milligrams for a cup (120 milliliters) of drip coffee. Generally, dark-roast coffee has less caffeine than lighter roasts because the roasting process reduces the bean's caffeine content. Arabica coffee normally contains less caffeine than the robusta variety.Coffee also contains trace amounts of theophylline, but no theobromine.

Caffeine is a stimulant drug. It is a xanthine alkaloid compound that acts as a psychoactive stimulant and diuretic in humans. The word comes from the French term for coffee, café. Caffeine is also called guaranine when found in guarana, mateine when found in mate, and theine when found in tea; all of these names are synonyms for the same chemical compound.

Cafestol

Cafestol is a diterpene molecule present in coffee.A typical bean of Coffea arabica contains about 0.6% cafestol by weight. Cafestol is present in highest quantity in unfiltered coffee drinks such as French press coffee or Turkish coffee. In filtered coffee drinks such as drip brewed coffee, it is present in only negligible amounts.Studies have shown that regular consumption of boiled coffee increases serum cholesterol by 8% in men and 10% in women. For those drinking filter coffee, the effect was only significant for women.Cafestol has also shown anticarcinogenic properties in rats.According to a 2005 study by the Baylor College of Medicine, cafestol may act as an agonist ligand for the genes FXR and PXR, blocking cholesterol homeostasis.

Caffeic acid

Caffeic acid is a naturally occurring organic compound. This yellow solid consists of both phenolic and acrylic functional groups. It is found in all plants because it is a key intermediate in the biosynthesis of lignin, one of the principal sources of biomass.Caffeic acid is an antioxidant and it can also act as a carcinogenic inhibitor.

Caffeic acid is found in coffee beans. The levels of antioxidants found in caffeic acid are in line with those found in fruits, nuts, oils and other healthy foods. Moderate daily doses of coffee and caffeic acid typically can be a healthy choice.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee
http://www.search.com/reference/Caffeine
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-caffeic-acid.htm

Coffee and Health

Coffee contains several compounds which are known to affect human body chemistry. The coffee bean itself contains chemicals which are psychotropics for humans as a defense mechanism of the Coffea plant. These chemicals are toxic in large doses, or even in their normal amount when consumed by many creatures which may otherwise have threatened the beans in the wild.

Coffee contains caffeine, which acts as a stimulant. For this reason, it is often consumed in the morning and when feeling tired. Students preparing for examinations with late-night cram sessions frequently use coffee to stay awake. Many office workers take a coffee break when they have low energy.

Recent research has uncovered additional stimulating effects of coffee which are not related to its caffeine content. Coffee contains an as yet unknown chemical agent which stimulates the production of cortisone and adrenaline, two stimulating hormones.

For occasions when one wants to enjoy the flavor of coffee with almost no stimulation, decaffeinated coffee (also called decaf) is available. This is coffee from which most of the caffeine has been removed, by the Swiss water process (which involves the soaking of raw beans to remove the caffeine) or the use of a chemical solvent such as trichloroethylene ("tri"), or the more popular methylene chloride, in a similar process. Another solvent used is ethyl acetate; the resultant decaffeinated coffee is marketed as "natural decaf" because ethyl acetate is naturally present in fruit. Extraction with supercritical carbon dioxide has also been employed.Decaffeinated coffee usually loses some flavor over normal coffee. There are also coffee alternatives that resemble coffee in taste but contain no caffeine (see below). These are available both in ground form for brewing and in instant form. Caffeine dependency and withdrawal symptoms are well-documented.

Benefets of Coffee

Reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and Dementia

Several studies comparing moderate coffee drinkers (defined as 3-5 cups per day) with light coffee drinkers (defined as 0-2 cups per day) found that those who drank more coffee were significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease later in life. A longitudinal study in 2009 found that moderate coffee drinkers had reduced risk of developing dementia in addition to Alzheimer's disease.

Reduced risk of gallstone disease
Drinking caffeinated coffee has been correlated with a lower incidence of gallstones and gallbladder disease in both men and women in two studies performed by the Harvard School of Public Health. A lessened risk was not seen in those who drank decaffeinated coffee.

Reduced risk of Parkinson's disease
A study comparing heavy coffee drinkers (3.5 cups a day) with non-drinkers found that the coffee drinkers were significantly less likely to contract Parkinson's disease later in life. Likewise, a second study found an inverse relationship between the amount of coffee regularly drunk and the likelihood of developing Parkinson's disease.

Cognitive performance
Many people drink coffee for its ability to increase short term recall and increase IQ. Likewise, in tests of simple reaction time, choice reaction time, incidental verbal memory, and visuospatial reasoning, participants who regularly drank coffee were found to perform better on all tests, with a positive relationship between test scores and the amount of coffee regularly drunk. Elderly participants were found to have the largest effect associated with regular coffee drinking. Another study found that women over the age of 80 performed significantly better on cognitive tests if they had regularly drunk coffee over their lifetimes.

Analgesic enhancement
Coffee contains caffeine, which increases the effectiveness of pain killers, especially migraine and headache medications. For this reason, many over-the-counter headache drugs include caffeine in their formula.

Antidiabetic
Coffee intake may reduce one's risk of diabetes mellitus type 2 by up to half. While this was originally noticed in patients who consumed high amounts (7 cups a day), the relationship was later shown to be linear.

Liver protection
Coffee can also reduce the incidence of cirrhosis of the liver and has been linked to a reduced risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, a primary liver cancer that usually arises in patients with preexisting cirrhosis. The exact mechanism and the amount of coffee needed to achieve a beneficial effect are as yet unclear.

Cancer
Coffee consumption is also correlated to a reduced risk of oral, esophageal, and pharyngeal cancer.In ovarian cancer, no benefit was found.In the Nurses Health Study, a modest reduction in breast cancer was observed in postmenopausal women only, which was not confirmed in decaffeinated coffee.According to one research, coffee protects from liver cancer. Another preliminary study found a correlation between coffee consumption and a lower risk of aggressive prostate cancer.

Cardioprotective
According to the longitudial study led by Esther Lopez-Garcia of Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, coffee reduces the incidence of dying from heart disease .

Laxative/diuretic
Coffee is also a powerful stimulant for peristalsis and is sometimes considered to prevent constipation. However, coffee can also cause excessively loose bowel movements. The stimulative effect of coffee consumption on the colon is found in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee.
Practitioners in alternative medicine often recommend coffee enemas for "cleansing of the colon" due to its stimulus of peristalsis, although medicine has not proved any benefits of the practice.
Contrary to popular belief, caffeine does not act as a diuretic when consumed in moderation, and does not lead to dehydration or to a water-electrolyte imbalance; current evidence suggests that caffeinated beverages contribute to the body's daily fluid requirements no differently from pure water.

Antioxidant
Coffee contains the anticancer compound methylpyridinium. This compound is not present in significant amounts in other food materials. Methylpyridinium is not present in raw coffee beans but is formed during the roasting process from trigonelline, which is common in raw coffee beans. It is present in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, and even in instant coffee.

Prevention of dental caries
The tannins in coffee may reduce the cariogenic potential of foods. In vitro experiments have shown that these polyphenolic compounds may interfere with glucosyltransferase activity of mutans streptococci, which may reduce plaque formation.

Gout
Coffee consumption decreased risk of gout in men over age 40. In a large study of over 45,000 men over a 12-year period, the risk for developing gout in men over 40 was inversely proportional with the amount of coffee consumed.


source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_and_health

Coffee Arabica

Coffea arabica is a species of coffee originally indigenous to the mountains of Yemen in the Arabian Peninusla, hence its name, and also from the southwestern highlands ofEthiopia and southeastern Sudan. It is also known as the "coffee shrub of Arabia", "mountain coffee" or "arabica coffee". Coffea arabica is believed to be the first species of coffee to be cultivated, being grown in southwest Arabia for well over 1,000 years. It is considered to produce better coffee than the other major commercially grown coffee species, Coffea robusta. Arabica contains less caffeine than any other commercially cultivated species of coffee. Wild plants grow to between 9 and 12 m tall, and have an open branching system; the leaves are opposite, simple elliptic-ovate to oblong, 6–12 cm long and 4–8 cm broad, glossy dark green. The flowers are white, 10–15 mm in diameter and grow in axillary clusters. The fruit is a drupe (though commonly called a "berry") 10–15 mm in diameter, maturing bright red to purple and typically contain two seeds (the coffee 'bean').

Arabica is definitely the premium bean.Many factors determine the quality of the end product. Such as, where the coffee is grown, soil, climate and elevation, not to mention harvesting, processing and roasting of the mature beans. However, one fact is undisputed, the finest coffees in the world come from Arabica Coffee plants. Arabian Coffees accounts for about 80% of all coffee produced in the world. It prefers higher elevations and drier climates than its cousin C. robusta.

source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffea_arabica

http://www.ultimate-coffees-info.com/arabica-coffee.html

Robusta bean

Robusta Coffee is a species of coffee which has its origins in central and western subsaharan Africa. It is grown mostly in Africa and Brazil, where it is often called Conillon. It is also grown in Southeast Asia where French colonists introduced it in the late 19th century. In recent years Vietnam, which only produces robusta, has surpassed Brazil, India, andIndonesia to become the world's single largest exporter. Approximately one third of the coffee produced in the world is robusta.

Robusta Coffee is easier to care for than the other major species of coffee, Coffea arabica, and, because of this, is cheaper to produce. Since arabica beans are often considered superior, robusta is usually limited to lower grade coffee blends as a filler. It is however often included in instant coffee, and in espresso blends to promote the formation of "crema". Robusta has about twice as much caffeine asarabica.

Coffea Robusta grew indigenously in Western and Central Africa. It was not recognized as a species of Coffea until the 18th century, about a hundred years after Coffea arabica. The plant has a shallow root system and grows as a robust tree or shrub to about 10 metres. It flowers irregularly, taking about 10 – 11 months for cherries to ripen, producing oval shaped beans. The robusta plant has a greater crop yield than that of Coffea arabica. As it is less susceptible to pests and disease, Robusta needs much less herbicides or pesticides than Arabica. That is possibly due to the higher caffeine content.

Once roasted, Coffea Robusta tends to deliver a distinctive earthy flavour, usually with more bitterness than Coffea arabica. This powerful flavour can be desirable in a blend to give it perceived "strength" and "finish", noticeably in the Italian coffee culture. In France, blends with around 70% Robusta and 30% Arabica are marketed as "traditional" coffee. Usually, coffee brewed from these blends or from straight Robusta are mixed in even parts with hot milk in a cup or bowl before drinking.

source : http://www.answers.com/topic/coffea-canephora-robusta

History of coffee

According to a coffee history legend, an Arabian shepherd named Kaldi found his goats dancing joyously around a dark green leafed shrub with bright red cherries in the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Kaldi soon determined that it was the bright red cherries on the shrub that were causing the peculiar euphoria and after trying the cherries himself, he learned of their powerful effect. The stimulating effect was then exploited by monks at a local monastery to stay awake during extended hours of prayer and distributed to other monasteries around the world. Coffee was born.

Despite the appeal of such a legend, recent botanical evidence suggests a different coffee bean origin. This evidence indicates that the history of the coffee bean beagan on the plateaus of central Ethiopia and somehow must have been brought to Yemen where it was cultivated since the 6th century. Upon introduction of the first coffee houses in Cairo and Mecca coffee became a passion rather than just a stimulant.

source: http://www.coffeeresearch.org/coffee/history.htm