Morning begins with a cup of this hot black flavored drink. We use it several times a day. During gala dinners, social events and romantic dates, he is always served. It helps to maintain activity and not to sleep when it is urgently necessary to complete the quarterly report. He is the king of all drinks. He is an unsurpassed and magnificent, wonderful and delicious black coffee. And today we will talk about the history of its discovery, about where coffee is grown, about its varieties and much more.
What goats chewed
In the countries of Europe, “kava” appeared some three centuries ago. Well, in fact, the drink is already a thousand years old. So, everything happened around the year 902. A herd of goats grazed in the highlands of Ethiopia Kaffa. And their shepherd was a young guy named Kaldi. It was he who noticed how the animals entrusted to him carefully eat reddish berries from the bushes growing here. After their use, cattle began to frolic with triple activity. Kaldi also decided to explore the mysterious fruits, and with them the leaves. He did not like the taste of such a meal, but after a while the shepherd noticed that somewhere his fatigue hid, and his mood became much better. The guy told about the miraculous plant to all his friends, and the fame of the bush scattered throughout the village and beyond.
Learn about the wonderful properties of red berries and had a chance to missionary monks. They became very interested in finding goats. Thanks to several mistakes and dozens of experiments, they were able to make a recipe for an unsurpassed broth based on these fruits. The resulting drink helped maintain vigor for several hours, fight insomnia when it was time to pray for several hours in a row, and drive away the spleen. It was the missionary monks who became the first people to invent a coffee drink. To do this, they simply soaked in the water the fruits collected from Ethiopian bushes. A little later, they began to dry the berries in the sun, which allowed them not to spoil for a long time. In this way, people could transport delicacies over long distances. Today, there are many different recipes for preparing a refreshment drink; people know where coffee is grown and which varieties are the best.
Own coffee
Coffee loves warmth and a lot of sun. Therefore, it grows only in hot countries. Which ones, we will talk later. And now we will tell you how to grow coffee at home, because not everyone can go to Brazil or Ethiopia to do farming there. So, for growing grains at home, it is better to take the Arabica variety. Some specially bred dwarf varieties of shrubs are also suitable. The product can be propagated by seeds or cuttings. In our article, we will talk about the first method, since it is not so time-consuming.
For two weeks, it is necessary to defend the soil. It should be loose, and its reaction should be slightly acidic. The best soil composition for introducing seeds into it is two parts of sod land, one part of sand and one part of peat. Experts advise first to calcinate the earth in the oven or steam. Naturally, where coffee grows, all this is not done. Well, for growing it in an apartment, this procedure is inevitable.
Coffee seeds germinate at a temperature of 19-24 degrees, so this must be taken care of. Now prepare the fully ripened fruits. Remove the outer shell from them, rinse with water and hold in a pink potassium permanganate solution for 30 minutes. Each seed should have its own pot. With a convex side up, spread the seeds one centimeter deep into the ground. Then pour and cover the planting with a glass container. Cotyledon leaves will appear in one and a half months. After they are released from their shell, begin to gradually remove the jar. First, this is done for a couple of minutes, then the time increases until the vessel is no longer put on at all.
Gradually, a tree will begin to form and grow. His crown will only appear in the second year after planting. Therefore, if at first you will notice only the trunk of the plant and nothing else - do not be alarmed: everything is as it should be.
Ahead the world in search of coffee
So it’s the turn to talk about where coffee is grown. And they do it in many countries of the world. Therefore, we will try to briefly tell about each of them.
Everyone knows that incredibly delicious coffee is brought from Brazil, where, in fact, it grows. When there are no frosts in this country, it produces 30-35% of all coffee existing on the world market. The most common type of grain in this country is Arabica Santos. The drink is tart, has a light bitterness and a medium-aged aroma.
Ethiopia is a country that has given the world magical grains, and the place where coffee is grown to this day. In the modern world, coffee from Ethiopia is considered one of the best. Harrar variety is the most elite.
Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula
These are also quite famous places where coffee grows. In the mountains of Yemen, Mocha, a well-known coffee variety, has been cultivated for several centuries in a row. Coffee entered this part of the world through the ancient port of Mokka. Therefore, it would be much more correct to call this species “Arabian” or at least “Yemeni”. Arabian Mocha has a famous chocolate finish. Because of this, they began to call it a mixture of coffee and hot chocolate. Today, the term Mocha refers to both Yemeni coffee and a drink based on hot chocolate and coffee.
Some more countries where coffee is grown
Also, the culture grows in the vastness of Mexico, in the states of Veracruz and Miapas. It does not produce the best coffee in the world, but its taste is pleasant. Coffee from Nicaragua can not be evaluated or described. One resembles plants from Mexico, the other - from El Salvador. Second place in the production of all world coffee is Colombia.
Well, how without Italy
Not to mention Italy - it means not to say a word at all about coffee. Italy considers it to be its integral part. Plant grains got here only in the 16th century. In 1750, the first drink was brewed, and this happened in Venice. Then it was sold only in pharmacies and was incredibly expensive. And after 13 years, Venice could boast of 218 coffee bars. It was Italy that gave the world cappuccino and espresso. And the brand "Lavazza", producing a delicious product, won the love of more than one gourmet.