The story of coffee

CEBU, Philippines — Doubtless, coffee holds a special place in the hearts of many. Often attributed to be the world’s second most consumed drink next to water, the beverage has a number of “origin stories”, but the one that tells of its discovery by a 9th-century Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi stands out as the most well-known.

As the “Kaldi-Coffee Legend” goes, it is said that the goat herder noticed that his flock got quite energized after eating the ripe red berries of a certain bush one day.

Noticing a quick burst of energy after sampling the berry himself, Kaldi promptly reported this discovery to the abbot of a local monastery, who, after hearing about its energizing effects, made a type of beverage using the berry. Noticing that the drink had energizing properties that kept those who consumed it alert, the abbot realized how beneficial the drink was and shared it to the other members of the monastery.

It is said that the drink was such a hit that word of its discovery went beyond the monastery’s walls – eventually spreading eastward to the Arabian Peninsula, where, as historians say, coffee as we know it today was already being brewed by around 1000 CE.

But as well-known as the “Kaldi-Coffee Legend” is, there are historians who are not that convinced of its authenticity.

But as unconvinced as these historians are about the factual details of the legend, one thing’s for sure: coffee is one of the world’s most well-loved beverages that has inspired its own share of special blends over the centuries – blends like the “Irish Coffee” and “Civet Coffee”.

Irish Coffee

As a type of coffee blend, “Irish Coffee” is essentially a mix between hot coffee, Irish whiskey and sugar, topped with cream.

A chef from Foynes, County Limerick, Ireland named Joe Sheridan is often credited to be the “inventor” of the Irish Coffee – who is said to have served the beverage in the 1940s to group of American passengers who just arrived from a Pan Am flying boat one cold winter evening, setting the stage for its popularity as a unique coffee blend.

Though historians note that coffee and alcohol cocktails have been around before the “formal invention” of the Irish coffee, Sheridan’s version of the beverage has somewhat become the contemporary times’ standard for coffee-whisky cocktails.

Civet Coffee

Civet Coffee, or Kopi luwak in Indonesia, is the type of coffee whose beans are derived from the excrement of the Asian palm civet who are known for having a penchant for consuming coffee berries.

It is said that its discovery came to be when the Dutch, who established coffee plantations in islands of Java and Sumatra in the early 18th century, prohibited local farmers from using the coffee fruits for their own consumption.

Noticing that the droppings of the Asian palm civet contained undigested coffee seeds, the locals gathered the undigested seeds, cleaned them and roasted them to make their own coffee brews – setting the stage for the “discovery” of the exotic Civet Coffee.

Coffee Facts and Mythconceptions

Just as coffee is attributed to be the most consumed beverage in the world, the ever-popular perk-me-up drink holds a range of factoids and “mythconceptions”, and here are takes on some of them:

It’s not from a bean

Coffee isn’t exactly derived from “coffee beans” as the drink is actually from a type of seed technically known as the endosperm of a type of berry. Also known as a pit, its “bean”, as it grows, is wrapped in a thin layer of fruit which is peeled as part of the coffee-making/roasting process.

“Darker” does not necessarily mean “more caffeine”

While it is true that “darker” coffee roasts/blends tend to have stronger and bolder flavors, this doesn’t mean that such blends contain more caffeine. In fact, light-roasted coffee blends tend to have higher caffeine content since they contain more intact caffeine compounds compared to those which had been roasted longer.

The word “coffee” stems from the Arabic word for “wine”

The English word “coffee” comes from the Dutch “koffie” which was used to refer to the drink. The term “koffie” stemmed from the Turkish “kahve”, which was taken from the Arabic “qahhwat al-bun” which was then-often shortened as “qahwa”. “Qahhwat al-bum” translates to “wine of the bean”, and for a time in the past, the drink was referred to as “the wine of Arabia” in certain parts of Europe.

Coffee cups matter

A number of studies have shown that coffee cups do play a role in the way people taste and savor coffee. Studies have shown that drinking coffee from a clear cup impresses the perception that the coffee one is drinking is sweeter and/or lighter, while drinking dark coffee using a white-colored cup impresses the perception that the coffee one is drinking is stronger.

It is the second most traded commodity in the world

Preceded by oil, coffee is widely listed as the second most traded commodity in the world, with various industry organizations estimating that over 2.25 billion cups of coffee is consumed every day all over the world.