Coffee Academy

From its origins in Ethiopia, where the main coffee production is still from wild coffee tree forests, coffee consumption has spread throughout the world. But because of its requirement for ample sunshine and rain, the plants from which beans are produced grow only in tropical or sub-tropical regions.

Though it is enjoyed around the world it is produced only in areas close to the equator.  This product is harvested on a grander scale than almost all other products.

Columbia is known for its great coffee.  Because of this you might think that they are the majority of all copy produced comes from Columbia.  But surprisingly that is not the case.  The majority of all coffee in the world comes from Brazil.  They produce 28% of all the coffee consumed.  Columbia is the second largest producing 16% of the coffee consumed in the world.  Next is Indonesia at 7% and then Mexico at 4%.

Part of the coffee trees prejudice is that it prefers areas of high altitude.  That being said the tree has been acclimated to produce fairly well in other areas as well.

In Brazil, the plantations cover huge areas and employ hundreds of workers to tend the plants. In Colombia the rugged mountains and poor economic conditions mean transportation to processing centers is still largely carried out by mule or Jeep.

Can anything grow on a volcano?  Coffee sure can.  The Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii proves to the perfect location for coffee trees to thrive.  The hot tropical sun and afternoon rains make for the perfect environment.

The islands of Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi in Indonesia produce a great deal of the world’s coffee and have for many, many years.  Like Columbia, their methods are primitive, but this does not hinder the growth of hundreds of acres of coffee trees or their production.

Plantations in Mexico, by contrast to Brazil, are primarily small farms but with over 100,000 of them the total still makes the country a serious factor on the world market. Most are located in the south, in Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas with the special Altura beans indicating their origin in the high altitudes.

Vietnam in recent years has rapidly been challenging Indonesia’s position as the Tonkin area recovers from decades of stagnation. First planted with arabica trees in the mid-19th century by French missionaries, the small plantations now produce robusta, one of the two main types of plant.

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Long ago it was realized that there was a way to enjoy a cup of coffee that you love without the caffein that you wish to avoid.  It has become a very common thing to decaffeinate coffee.   Does the decaffeinating process change the flavor of the coffee?  Can you tell the difference? 

If processed and prepared well, studies have proven that there is very little difference in the taste of regular coffee drinks and decaffeinated coffee.  What is the decaffeinating process? 

One necessary step for removing caffeine is exposing the coffee beans to hot water and then passing them through methylene chloride. 

When picked from the tree the coffee beans is removed from its fruit and rinsed thoroughly to remove the pulpy fruit from the bean.  

The beans are then washed thoroughly then soaked in methylene chloride.  Most people are unaware how much exposure to water their coffee has had before they receive it. 

Because of the processing that the coffee beans go through at times the taste may be altered a bit.  It may be more due to the process than the lack of caffeine that makes you notice a difference in the flavor. 

To decaffeinate the beans using chemicals they must first be steamed to open up the pores of the beans.  This allows the caffeine to be pulled from the bean when soaked in methylene chloride.    

Another method is to place the beans in hot water for a longer period of time.  After several hours the beans can be removed.   The time in the hot water pulls the flavor and the caffeine out of the bean and into the water.  Then the methylene chloride is added to the water to remove the caffeine from the water.  The beans are then returned to the water to so that the flavor that still remains in the water can be reabsorbed into the beans.  

In another decaffeinating process charcoal is used instead of methylene chloride.  The beans are placed in hot water for hours and then removed the same as with the process described above.  However, this time to remove the caffeine from the water the water is strained over charcoal.  The caffeine from the water binds to the charcoal so that the beans can be replaced in a caffeine free bath in full flavored water.

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As the first coffee maker, the Turkish Ibrik was fairly basic but it did a fantastic job of producing strong, aromatic coffee.  The Ibrik was a simple design, a copper container with a long handle and grooved tongue.  Coffee is still served this was in many parts of the Middle East today.

For those more interested in drinking a beverage than eating coffee grounds, a wide variety of automatic coffee makers are available from the plain to the esoteric. Here are a few things to look for…

The drip coffee machine is one of the most popular type of automatic coffee makers available today.  Water is poured into the top of the machine, it then filters over the coffee grounds after beiing heated by an electric coil.  The filtered coffee then collects in a glass pot that sits on a heating plate at the base of the machine.

But beyond these basics, there are a few features it’s useful to have.

Controls have proliferated to the level that many machines look like a modern stereo. LCD screens display the time, the time to brew, temperature, a timer and several options even more unmentionable.

The auto shut-off feature available with most modern automatic coffee makers is possibly one of the most useful features.  Knowing that you can remove the coffee pot from the hot plate at any time to pour a cup of coffee and not have drips all over the hot plate is very reassuring.

Controlling every aspect of how your coffee is prepared is now very easy to do with the automatic coffee makers available today.  Waking up to a freshly prepared pot of coffee, just how you like it is now a reality.  All you have to do is set up the machine the night before and wake up to perfect coffee every morning.

Everyone loves the smell of coffee, and it is very comforting to come down into your kitchen on a dark, cold morning and smell the fresh brewing coffee as well as seeing the little illuminated display telling you your coffee is ready.

Coffee ‘pods’ are a recent development within the coffee world and coffee makers.  They are small, pre-measured paper containers of coffee.  You put the pod in the machine and the water filters through the coffee just like traditional coffee makers.  One major benefit of the coffee pods is that the cleaning of your coffee machine is so much easier.  Once the pods has cooled, you just take it out of the machine and throw it in the bin.  That is it.  Coffee pods are essential for the busy coffee drinker who hates to clean up.

A water filter can prove to be a really useful addition to your coffee machine.  If the water where you live is not that great then the water filter will only improve the quality of your coffee.  Of course the water filter may increase the price of your coffee machine, but can you really put a price on the perfect cup of coffee?

Permanent coffee filter styles can be had, but with the pods they’re much less important. Debates rage over the environmental impact and the taste effect of the paper from the pods. Vote your conscience.

With so many brands to chose from and a bevy of coffee machines available it may seem like an impossible task to finally decide on your faultless coffee maker.  But you can take pleasure in that fact the once you have chosen you can enjoy your perfect cup of coffee whenever your want for a long time to come.

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