100... - Beverages: Coffee

What is Coffee?

Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted seeds called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. (link)

Coffee being one of the most precious commodities known to date is also known to kick start the day of many coffee worshippers. (link)

Advantages and Disadvantages

Coffee benefits and advantages

• Coffee has vitamin B3 nicotinic acid which helps your body digest foods and helps your body generate carbohydrates, fats and protein.
• Reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and Dementia: Studies show that moderate coffee drinkers (defined as 3-5 cups per day) have less chance of acquiring Alzheimer's disease than those light coffee drinkers who drinks 0-2 cups per day.
• Coffee has caffeine which increases the effectiveness of pain killers such as headache and migraine medications.
• Good for the liver as it prevents the risk of having cirrhosis.
• Reduces Asthmatic attacks
• As an antioxidant producer, it helps fight cancer especially colon cancer.
• It protects you from acquiring type 2 diabetes.
• It can be a good anti-depressant drink as it brings mental focus and relaxation.
• It is good for the heart as it contains Tannin which stimulates good healthy cardiovascular system.
• It acts as a stimulant as it contains caffeine. Thus, often consumed during morning when feeling tired and sleepy.

Coffee Disadvantages
Coffee has many useful effects. However, too much of it is bad enough. Here's the list of harmful effects of coffee if overly consumed.

• Coffee contains caffeine and when excessively consumed causes addiction.
• Too much intake of coffee can cause depression and nervousness.
• It can cause ulcer if you have not taken solid foods.
• It can probably cause heart damage as it causes panic in heart's regular activity. (link)

Coffee Helps Relieve Headaches
The everyday stresses in each individual's life has been conjuring many problems, specially in health. One of the most common among complaints are headaches. One good news is that a new study reveals that a cup of coffee may help alleviate the pain. When pain killers are taken, caffeine increases the medication's effect by improving their absorption. Vascular headaches are often caused by dilation of the blood vessels and one substance to constrict them, aiding to counter the pain in the head is caffeine. (link)

There is an abundance of solid research showing that drinking coffee in moderation can be beneficial to your health. Not only do you benefit from the protection it provides for some serious diseases, but the aroma and taste of a hot cup of coffee is a pleasurable experience, according to this coffee addict. (link)

Health Problems Related to Coffee and Caffeine

1. Adrenal Fatigue can result from over-consumption of coffee. This is when your adrenal glands become exhausted from over-stimulation. The caffeine in coffee is a nervous system stimulant, which causes your body to produce adrenaline. Adrenaline is the hormone that regulates heart rate, blood pressure and respiration. It is the adrenaline rush from caffeine that gives coffee drinkers the extra "go" to keep up with the heavy demands of their busy lifestyles. Becoming dependant on this adrenaline rush is part of what makes coffee and caffeine addictive. Failing to nurture your adrenals can have detrimental side effects. Our adrenals are necessary for producing hormones, which directly influences the operation of other body systems. If the adrenals become depleted and can no longer keep up with the energy demands you are placing on them, your health will suffer and you will be like a car without fuel or a car that has just gone head on into a rock wall.
2. An acidic pH environment is created in the body when there are too many negative influences from acidic food, thoughts, toxins and stressors. The pH balance of the body can range from alkaline, neutral to acidic. Coffee is very acidic with over 200 different acids including uric acid from the breakdown of caffeine. Many health problems such as arthritis arise in the body when it is acidic.
3. Mineral deficiency can arise from the over-consumption of coffee. Some nutrients are blocked from absorption and excessively secreted through urination with the consumption of coffee. Necessary minerals for the body such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron and other trace minerals are at risk of depletion for those who drink coffee.
4. Blood sugar swings such as hypoglycemia can be induced by coffee consumption. Caffeine taxes both the pancreas and the liver by forcing them to produce glycogen and insulin on a double duty rollercoaster. This excessive push of up and down can result in blood sugar swings. Your blood sugar balance is directly connected to hormone balance and fat metabolism. (link)

Potential Health Benefits of Drinking Coffee

1. In some studies caffeine has shown to improve focus and memory.
2. Coffee and caffeine has been documented to assist athletes in performance and overcoming fatigue.
3. Coffee consumption helps regulate bowel function.
4. Coffee contains antioxidants, which are highly beneficial to our body for fighting free radicals.
5. In some studies, coffee has shown promise in lowering the risk of Parkinson's disease.

Ultimately, whether coffee is healthy or not comes down to your own personal body and how sensitive or not you are to its affects. (link)


If you are a coffee drinker, you might want to access your relationship to coffee. Are you addicted to it? Can you quit for a day or two without negative side effects? Does it cause you to experience negative symptoms? Are you using coffee as a crutch to get through the day instead of for occasional enjoyment? Can you drink large amounts of coffee with little reaction? This may be a sign that your adrenals are overloaded and no longer responding to stimulus.
If you've accessed your coffee consumption habits and coffee is affecting your health in negative ways, first consider giving up coffee or cutting back, and secondly consider supporting your body with some additional nutrients through improved diet and high quality supplements.
With some things in life, a little goes a long way and moderation is the best advice. (link)

 

15 things worth knowing about coffee.

I found a website with, well, 15 interesting facts about coffee (link), which are:

1. It all started with dancing goats - Ethiopian shepherds noticed the effects that the coffee berries had on their goats by them 'dancing' and becoming frisky after eating them.
2. Originally, coffee was eaten - energy balls.
3. The rise of Islam contributed greatly to the popularity of coffee - alcohol was prohibited but coffee was accepted.
4. All coffee in the world grows in the 'Bean Belt' - area between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
5. Coffee grows on trees - they can grow up to being 30ft tall, but are cultivated to be around 10ft for easy picking.
6. The beans are actually seeds from bright red berries.
7. Coffee is the second most traded commodity on earth - after oil.
8. George Washington invented instant coffee - a Belgian guy living in Guatemala in 1906.
9. Espresso: |e-spres-oh| - a way that coffee is prepared by shooting pressurised hot water through finely ground coffee.
10. Americano - comes from america's GIs during WWII after them ordering Espresso diluted with hot water to dilute the strong flavour.
11. etc....

The whole layout of that website makes it much more interesting to read, and even sell a poster with the same information. I must say I have bought one because I think it looks awesome, so once it arrives I will be sure to take a photo of it to add here. But for now here is the websites example:

Coffee Trees

Of the various bontanical species of coffee trees in the world, only two are extensively cultivated commercially; Arabica and Robusta. (link)

The coffee tree averages from 5-10m in height. As the tree gets older, it branches less and less and bears more leaves and fruit. The tree typically begins to bear fruit 3-5 years after being planted, and continues to produce for 10-20 years more, depending on the type of plant and the area. (link)

Coffee plants are grown in rows several feet apart. Some farmers plant fruit trees around them or plant the coffee on the sides of hills, because they need specific conditions to flourish. They require a warm climate (but not too hot, either) and at least 1.8m of rainfall a year. Heavy rain is needed in the beginning of the season when the fruit is developing, ad less later in the season as it ripens. The harvesting period can be anywhere from three weeks to three months, and in some places the harvesting period continues all year round. (link)

Arabica beans are normally rich in flavour, where as the robusta beans have more caffine, less flavor and are cheaper to make. (link)

A good coffee tree can produce up to 1kg of raw coffee per year. (link)

Coffee Beans

A coffee bean is the seed of the coffee plant (the pit inside the red of purple fruit). The fruits, coffee cherries or coffee berries, most commonly contain two stones with their flat sides together. Coffee beans consist mostly of endosperm that contains 0.8 - 2.5% caffine, which is one of the main reasons the plants are cultivated. (link)

link

The vast majority of coffee beans in the world come from two species of coffee: Arabica and Robusta. More than three-quarters of the coffee beans sold in the world are a variety of Arabica, while the bulk of the remainder is robusta, which is also known as coffee canephora. (link)

Coffee Descriptions

On this website (link), it lists the different types of coffee available. These are:

• Brazilian Bourbon
• 100% Colombian Supremo
• Pure Colombian Decaffeinated
• Costa Rica
• Founders Blend
• French Roast
• Gourmet Taste Treat
• Guatemala
• Java
• Kenya
• Kona
• Mexican
• Mocha
• Mocha Java
• Mountain Supremo Coffee
• Sumatra Mandheling
• Tanzania AA
• Flavoured Coffee - a list of examples of this can be found on another page on their website here.

Coffee Quality
The quality of a cup of coffee does not depend on the blend only but also on the ratio of the amount of water and coffee used for brewing. (link)

As soon as coffee is roasted it starts to release CO2, in a process called outgassing. This can actually help to protect the bean from going stale. (link)

The quality of coffee can depend on many factors, such as:

• The time since the coffee beans were ground.
• The time since the beans were roasted.
• How clean the brewing equipment is.
• The quality of the coffee bean being used.
• The quality of water being used. (link)

Organic and Fair Trade
Organic and fair trade coffees have been rising in popularity. These high quality coffees from around the globe embody the spirit of a naturally grown, high quality coffee bean that has made its way to your cup directly from the farmer who was paid a "fair price" or usually a higher price than most standard coffees. Organic and fair trade coffee certification require that the producers adhere to international standards that ensure child labor laws are met, promote health working conditions and provide economic incentives for co-ops and their farmers. These standards benefit agricultural communities around the globe and promote a higher standard of living for the coffee farmers. (link) 

Coffee Flavours

There are a great variety in the flavors and taste of coffee. This is due, not only to the type of coffee plant from which the beans come, but also the height at which the plant is cultivated. Even more variety and effect on the flavour is due to the country and area in which the beans are cultivated, harvested and processed. The soil, water (and the mineral content of both), the climate and more of cultivation, will all have a profound effect on the flavour and aroma of the finished beverage. (link)


Processing
When the fruit is ripe, it is almost always handpicked, using either selective picking or strip-picking. Because the tree can have both ripe and unripe berries at the same time, one area of crop has to be picked several times, making harvesting the most labor intensive process of coffee bean production. (link)

There are two methods of processing the coffee berries. The first method is wet processing, which is usually carried out in Central America and areas of Africa. The flesh of the berries os separated from the seeds and then the beans are fermented - soaked in water for about 2 days. This dissolves any pulp or sticky residue that may still be attached to the beans. The beans are then washed and dried in the sun, or, in the case of commercial manufacturers, in drying machines.

The dry processing method is cheaper and simpler, used for lower quality beans in Brazil and much of Africa. Twigs and other foreign objects are separated from the berries and the fruit is then spread out in the sun on cement or brick for 2-3 weeks, turned regularly for even drying. The dried pulp is removed from the beans afterwards.

After processing has taken place, the husks are removed and the beans are roasted, which gives them their varying brown colour, and they can then be sorted for bagging. (link)

Roasting coffee transforms the chemical and physical properties of the green coffee beans into roasted coffee products. The roasting process is what produces the characteristic flavour of coffee by causing the green coffee beans to expand and to change colour, taste, smell and density. Unroasted beans contain similar acids, protein and caffeine as those that have been roasted, but lack the taste. It takes head to speed up the Maillard and other chemical reactions that develop and enhance the flavour. (link)

The coffee roasting process consists essentially of sorting, roasting, cooling and packagging operations but can also include grinding in larger scale roasting houses. In larger operations, bags of green coffee beans are hand or machine-opened, dumped into a hopper, and screened to remove debris. The green beans are then weighed and transferred by belt or pneumatic conveyor to storage hoppers. From the storage hoppers, green beans are conveyed to the roaster. Roasters typically operate at temperatures between 370 and 540' F (188 and 282' C) and the beans are roasted for a periods of time ranging from 3 to 30 minutes. Roasters are typically horizontal rotating drums that are heated frombelow and tumble the green coffee beans in a current of hot gases. The heat source can be supplied by natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, electricity or even wood.

Indirect-fired roasters are roasters in which the burner flame does not contact the coffee beans, although the combustion gases from the burner do contact the beans. Direct-fired roasters contact the beans with the burner flame and the combustion gases. At the end of the roasting cycle, the roasted beans are cooled using a vacuum system. Roasted coffee beans are also cooled using fine water mist, which is known as 'quenching' and is considered inferior to air cooling as the water soaks the fresh beans with moisture and oxygen particles making it stale almost instantly. Following roasting, the beans are cooled and stabilized. This stabilization process is called degassing. Following degassing, the roasted beans are packaged, usually in light resistant foil bags fitted with small one-way aromalock valves to allow gasses to escape while protecting the beans from moisture and oxygen. Roasted whole beans can be considered fresh for up to one month. Once coffee is ground it is best used immediately. (link)

Darkness - As the beans absorb heat, the colour shifts to yellow and then to varying shades of brown. During the later stages of roasting, oils appear on the surface of the bean, making it shiny. The roast will continue to darken until it is removed from the heat source. At lighter roasts, the bean will exhibit more of its 'origin flavour' - the flavours creates in the bean y the soil and weather conditions in the location where it was grown. As the beans darken to a deep brown, the origin flavours of the bean are eclipsed by the flavors created by the roasting process itself. At darker roasts, the 'roast flavour' is so dominant that it can be difficult to distinguish the origin of the beans used in the roast.––

link

Coffee Barista
A 'Barista' is someone who is specially trained to prepare coffee to a certain standard, and is a term used by coffee shops to describe of their employees. I typed 'Define: Barista' into google to see what sort of descriptions come up there. (link)

• A person who serves behind the counter in a coffee shop.
• Someone who makes coffee drinks as a profession.
• Your highly skilled bartender who makes espresso using an espresso machine.
• Italian term for a professional espresso operator.
• A coffee-making professional.

How To Make Instant Coffee
According to this website (link), this is the best way to make an instant coffee to ensure you get the best cuppa you can. It has a total of 6 steps:

1. Put water in a kettle and turn it on.
2. Put one slightly rounded teaspoon full of instant coffee into the mug.
3. Pour a teaspoon on very hot water (not boiling) into the mug - enough to dampen the instant coffee and using a spoon crush the slurry against the side of the mug. Add sugar at this time also if required.
4. Stir in the rest of the water.
5. Add milk to the mug if required.
6. Flavourings can be added at this time - ensure the coffee is stirred thoroughly if modified to make sure the extra ingredients are dissolved.

Coffee Machines
Since their invention in 1901,^[1] multiple machine designs have been created to produce espresso. Several machines share some common elements.
Varying the fineness of the grind, the amount of pressure used to tamp the grinds, or the pressure itself can be used to vary the taste of the espresso. Some baristas pull espresso shots directly into a pre-heated demitasse cup or shot glass, to maintain a higher temperature of the espresso.
An espresso machine may also have a steam wand which is used to steam and froth liquids, to include milk, for beverages such as the cappuccino and latte. (link)
 

'Proper' Coffee
Whilst most of the population drink instant coffee when they are at home, they do sometimes have their own Espresso machine allowing them to make 'proper' coffee. As well as coffee shops and what not doing the same. At a Costa coffee shop, there is a total of 12 different coffees you can purchase: these include:

Coffee Television Adverts
I found these examples of advertisements for Coffee by searching on YouTube.

I'm not entirely sure why, but I think this advert made for Costa is a bit awesome.










Flat Whites/Latte Art
Using YouTube I searched for videos that people have uploaded showing them pouring different Latte Arts. I think it's fascinating to see how by just pouring milk into a cup you ca make certain images.





Here is a few more links to some good videos showing how to make interesting latte art.
(link)
(link)
(link)
(link)

Here is one that I did whilst I was at work one day. It's not actually as easy as the videos make it look. It took months of practice to get to this standard.

Other Uses for Coffee

As well as being able to drink coffee, there is also some interesting other uses that it has to use around the house and what not.

1. To get rid of ants put used coffee grounds on to the ant hills, this will have to be done for each hill as the pesky things will move to another home.
2. Kitchen drains tend to get smelly, simply get a cup of coffee grounds and tip down the plughole making sure you tip a kettle of boiling water down slowly and leave to work on the odours.
3. For a quick fix on fabrics soak garments in strong black unsugared coffee, this is an inexpensive way to dye clothes brown in an emergency but remember it will not be colour fast.
4. Coffee grounds can be used to clean any stain resistant surface, it has a milk and gentle abrasive element and smells fresh too, particularly good for smelly ashtrays and greasy surfaces.
5. To help plants to flourish add coffee to your soil, this is best done in small amounts of soil so you can add 1 cup of lime to balance acidity if needed, other way is to empty it straight on to your compost pile with other kitchen waste.
6. Fishermen, when transporting maggots and worms put them in a container with moist coffee grounds and they will be easier to pick up when you need them and they also like coffee much more as we do so it will make them live longer too.
7. Coffee can be used as an odour neutraliser if there is a powercut and the food in teh freezer defrosts and goes off, simply fill a bowl or two with new or used coffee and leave in the freezer over night.
8. When it comes to cleaning/sweeping out open fires sprinkle some used coffee grounds over the hearth or where ever you have to clean and it will sweep up easier ad stop the coal dust from rising up in your room so better for environment.
9. Gardeners if you grown carrots add some coffee to your seeds before sowing, not only does this make the seeds easier to sow, the smell also repels root maggots and other pests allowing for thicker juicy carrots.
10. Many people take exception to neighbours cats using their garden as a toilet, a mixture of used coffee grounds and orange peel put round plants and in beds you want left alone will provide a pungent smell that cats do not like and so will find someone elses garden to use. (link)

Coffee Images

Using Google Images, I searched for a variety of images that best represent coffee.

Existing Projects

As well as this research, I used the Behance network to look at some existing projects that contemporary designs have produced related to coffee. I have documented this on my Design Context blog. (link)