© 2012-2020, 2023 by Zack Smith. All rights reserved.
The arrival of Coffee in Europe and the New World
The exact circumstances of the discovery of the coffee bush (or shrub) are lost to time. Lacking precise details, people have always credited its discovery to a shepherd boy in 8th century Ethiopia who it is said noticed that his goats were especially energic after eating coffee berries.
Coffee became popular in Turkey before Christian Europe. It arrived early in Turkey because of the Ottoman Empire and trade with Egypt which was a major coffee market.
Coffee first arrived in Europe in the 1650's. In fact, coffee, tea, and cocoa all arrived in Western Europe at roughly the same time, give or take 10 years.
In London, coffee had been consumed since at least year 1652.
Many cafés in Paris sprung up to sell coffee drinks and food. Names included Café Laurant, English Café, Café de la Paix, Café Durand, Café Guerbois, Café Madrid, and le Chat Noir.
Coffee arrived soon after in the Thirteen Colonies that preceded the United States.
In the colonies, one of the first known licenses to sell coffee went to a woman named Dorothy Jones in Boston in the Massachusetts Colony in the year 1670.
The Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam located at present-day Manhattan probably received tea before they got coffee.
After the English took over Manhattan and renamed it New York City coffee was being drunk as early as the year 1668.
William Penn, whose settlement became Pennsylvania was recorded to have bought coffee in New York in the year 1683.
Early politics of coffee
Coffee's early history was plagued with prohibitions. Coffee drinkers gained the reputation for having political discussions when they met up at coffee houses. Coffee-fueled debates become fashionable wherever coffee arrived.
Before the spread of democracy, leaders were paranoid of such public debates, in the way that the rich are paranoid about the Internet today. Topics like freedom, oppression and the distribution of wealth have always made autocrats far more jittery than caffeine ever could.
In contrast to coffee, beer was encouraged by the powerful, because drunk people in theory and in practice endeavor to drink away their worries, rather than debate them or seek out political solutions.
The French Revolution unofficially began when an activist stood on a table at Café de Foy in Paris and gave a speech that, two days later, led to the storming of the Bastille.
Coffee bush varieties
There are two main species of coffee bush that are harvested:
- Coffea arabica:
- Good flavor but pricey. Common in Americas, Europe and Middle East.
- Coffea canephora
robusta
: - Poor flavor, more bitter, but cheaper. Predominant in Asia.
Robusta is used in both instant coffee and espresso.
Opinions vary as to what percentage of Robusta beans should go into espresso, but perhaps 10% is a good amount.
Robusta improves the crema
of espresso, which the
light brown carbon dioxide froth that forms on the top of the espresso.
Plant diseases
Coffea arabica is susceptible to two fungi that robusta is largely immune to:
- Hemileia vastatrix
- Colletotrichum coffeanum
However both arabica and robusta are affected by the coffee berry borer
beetle
Hypothenemus hampei.
Some coffee species, such as Coffea kapakata, are resistant to the berry borer.
Because of these vulnerabilities, coffee is a very pesticide-laden product unless prepared using organic farming methods.
Caffeine health effects
Different people react differenly to caffeine. Some react differently to coffee than to tea.
Acid Reflux
Caffeine is one of the chemicals (like alcohol) that loosens up the
valve between the stomach and esophagus, allowing
reflux
to occur, which is when the stomach contents
known as chyme
can flow up into the esophagus and throat, resulting in a burning sensation.
That stomach contents includes not only acid but also pepsin, which sticks to the surface of the esophagus and breaks down its proteins when activated by any acid e.g. your stomach contents as well as food (e.g. orange juice, coffee and carbonated drinks).
Acid reflux thus harms the esophagus but it is also generally thought to increase the risk of esophageal cancer.
Teeth
The acidity of coffee harms the stomach and esophagus but also the teeth.
Coffee can cause a yellowing of the teeth, which can in turn create a false impression that a coffee drinker is a smoker when they are actually not.
Chlorogenic acid
One beneficial compound in coffee is chlorogenic acid, which is a polyphenol that is thought to have several positive health effects.
There is more chlorogenic acid in organic coffee than in coffee grown with pesticides. The reason is that it is a compound released by the coffee tree to protect itself from attacks by pests.
You don't need caffeinated coffee to get it. Chlorogenic acid is found in organic decaf coffee.
Health benefits:
- It works against metabolic syndrome.
- It is an antioxidant.
- It is anti-inflammatory.
- It is anticarcinogenic.
- It is antidiabetic.
- It is antimicrobial.
- It is antihypertensive.
Source:
Cholesterol
Coffee is one of the foods that can cause a rise
in overall blood lipids, commonly referred to as cholesterol.
Source:
Ototoxicity
Caffeine is the main reason to drink coffee, other than flavor and antioxidants, but caffeine is an ototoxic chemical, meaning it harms the hearing system. The damage that it does will usually manifest itself as temporary ringing in the ears (tinnitus).
Other common drugs that are ototoxic include ibuprofen, tylenol and aspirin. Alcohol can cause tinnitus as well.
Bladder irritation
Caffeine, like alcohol, irritates the bladder and can therefore worsen a urinary tract infection.
Blood circulation in the brain
One aspect of morning caffeine withdrawal is that the user can experience an inability to think before they get their fix. FMRI scans of caffeine users' brains show that this is due to reduced blood flow within the brain before they get their fix. Consuming caffeine, or giving up caffeine entirely, increases blood flow.
The long-term effects of periodically reducing brain blood flow may be brain damage, although it seems that ceasing caffeine intake puts you on the road to recovery. This is according to Dr Daniel G. Amen of the University of California Irvine.
Dehydration
Everyone experiences fluid loss with caffeine. Caffeine disrupts ADH, or anti-diuertic hormone, and as a result it makes you need to urinate. Excessive caffeine use can cause dry mouth. Dehydration from caffeine can itself cause headaches.
Sleeplessness
Caffeine disrupts a neurotransmitter that normally makes you sleepy, thereby waking you up.
Lack of caffeine causes withrawal symptoms such as increased sleepiness, and a quick temper or emotional swings.
Some people, when they consume small amounts of caffeine, actually become more sleepy.
Tendonitis
Tendonitis may be worsened and prolonged by caffeine consumption.
Joint inflammation
Caffeine can cause a small inflammation of the body's joints, resulting in their not moving as well, including the jaw.
Blindness risk
Long-term consumption of 3 cups of coffee per day has been shown to be correlated with exfoliation glaucoma, which can cause blindness.
Reasons to avoid coffeehouses
- High prices for any espresso drink
- $4/day 5 workdays/week 52 weeks = $1040/year.
- Loud music meant to discourage people from staying too long
- Loud idiots yelling over the loud music
- Irritable caffeine-addicted staff
- Unreliable Internet due to neglectful and careless staff
- Slow Internet due to downloaders
- Bad coffee due to cheap coffeehouse owners buying low-quality beans
- Lots of pesticides in most coffee.