Coffee

Coffee is a brewed drink made from roasted seeds of the evergreen Coffea plant, which grows in tropical highlands around the equator. Farmers plant the shrubs on shaded slopes, nurture white jasmine-like blossoms, and wait for bright red cherries to ripen. When roasted, the beans release rich aromas that fill breakfast kitchens, cafés, and street stalls across the globe.

Legends point to Kaldi, an Ethiopian goatherd, noticing lively goats after they chewed coffee cherries. Whether true or not, records show that by the 1400s, Sufi communities in Yemen roasted beans to stay awake through night prayers. Coffee houses called qahveh khaneh soon appeared in Cairo, Istanbul, and Damascus. European travelers carried the habit to Venice, then to london and paris, and colonial trade spread coffee trees to the Caribbean, brazil, and Southeast asia.

Growing coffee begins with seedlings raised in shaded nurseries before being transplanted to mountain terraces with volcanic soil. Farmers prune the shrubs, manage insect pests like the coffee berry borer, and harvest cherries by hand or selective strip picking. The fruit is processed either by washing away the pulp, drying cherries whole in the sun, or using honey methods that leave a thin layer of sticky mucilage. Dry beans called parchment coffee are milled, graded, and packed for export.

Roasters determine flavor by adjusting temperature and time. light roasts highlight fruity acids, medium roasts balance sweetness, and dark roasts bring smoky chocolate notes. Café baristas then grind beans seconds before brewing to limit oxidation. Methods such as espresso, pour-over, French press, and cold brew each control how hot water extracts oils, acids, and sugars. Milk, spices, and syrups can be added, yet many coffee drinkers savor the pure taste to explore terroir from Guatemala, ethiopia, or colombia.

Scientists study coffee from plant biology to human health. Agronomists test drought-tolerant varieties like Coffea arabica hybrids to cope with climate change. Economists track the global coffee belt, where millions of smallholder farmers rely on cooperative contracts and fair-trade certifications. nutrition researchers explore how caffeine and antioxidants affect alertness and metabolism, while sustainability teams promote shade trees, composting pulp, and reducing water use at washing stations. These efforts help keep every cup connected to the people and ecosystems that grow it.