Coffee is a popular stimulant drink. It’s complex flavors taste good too. Most of us use coffee to wake up or stay awake, but brewed correctly, it has both exciting and calming effects. The caffeine in coffee actually works by blocking the neurotransmitter that makes you feel tired, so it works like Viagra for the mind. 😅
Coffee both perks you up and helps you focus. In fact, people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) use coffee to increase their focus, even in children.
The two most common types of coffee today are Arabica and Robusta. Arabica is considered to have a less bitter flavor.
National Coffee Day and International Coffee Day
National Coffee Day in the USA is September 29. International Coffee Day is October 1.
Coffee Made an Epic Journey From Mother Africa to Your Morning Cup
The drink is brewed from a bean that is native to Southwestern Ethiopia in East Africa. It crossed the Red Sea to Yemen which introduced coffee cultivation and trade to Arabia. Sufi’s (the mystical branch of Islam) brewed coffee in the 15th century to stay awake for their religious ceremonies, so coffee was originally a Muslim drink.
Historically, Arabs ran the coastal trade around Mother Africa and the Monsoon Trade with India. The region’s monsoon winds blow back and forth seasonally between the Red Sea and India. This was an important route for Arab traders in silk and spices. They brought coffee to India. From there it traveled further on the Spice Trade routes to Indonesia.
The Dutch brought a coffee plant from Indonesia to a botanical garden in Amsterdam. They then brought coffee to Dutch Guiana (Suriname). From there it found its way to Brazil.
The Dutch had given some plants as a gift to the famed King Louis XIV. That line is called Bourbon coffee. French brought their coffee to Martinique in the West Indies. In colonial times, the French colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) grew about half the world’s coffee. The British took it to Jamaica. Coffee soon traveled on to the Dominican Republic and Cuba. Cuba sent seeds to Costa Rica and El Salvador.
Many Latin Countries are Modern Coffee Producers
Is your favorite coffee Brazilian, Colombian, Ethiopian, Honduran, Ugandan, Mexican or Peruvian? These are the top Latin and African coffee producers by rank in 2023.
Brazil leads the world in coffee exports with about one third of global production. Colombia is the third largest producer after Vietnam.
Coffee Culture
Venice, Italy was the European gateway to the Orient, so it developed a strong coffee culture.
Argentina has a vibrant coffee culture as well. A lot of socializing and business is done over a cup of coffee in a coffee house. In Argentina you can order the type of coffee you want with hand signals.
Colombians even give coffee to babies, putting it in their bottles. The nickname for Colombians is “Cafeteros” (Coffee makers).
French sidewalk cafes are all about having a cup of coffee with friends.