Preface
In about 850 A.D., a shepherd in Iesopia ate a certain kind of fruit and his goats became particularly energetic. A group of curious monks tasted the fruit and threw it into the fire because they found it bitter, but to their surprise, it gave off a strong aroma. Now this magical fruit has become the most popular drink today – coffee.
The culture of coffee dates back to the 11th century, when it was first imported from Ethiopia, and in the second half of the 15th century, it spread to the Arab empires through the cities of Mecca and Medina, and to Cairo in 1510. Then it entered Turkey and was brought back to Western Europe by Venetian merchants, and it gradually became more popular in European countries and colonies. The popularity encouraged the cultivation of coffee trees, and by the end of the 17th century, it was successfully grown in greenhouses.
Popularization and processing
When it comes to the popularity of coffee, we have to attribute it to the advancement of processing and preservation methods. Generally speaking, processing methods can be divided into: water washing, solarization, honey treatment and wet grind method.
The former has high acidity and low purity, while the latter is the opposite. Commercially available coffee is still mainly washed and sun-dried. The water washing method, as the name implies, uses “water” as a medium to screen and clean the beans, and the process also involves fermentation to remove pectin. The finished product is less impurities, complete in appearance, and because the pulp is removed at the beginning, it is less likely to become moldy and the quality is stable. The disadvantage is that the process is tedious and requires a large amount of water, which is costly.
Compared to water washing, the sun drying method uses sunlight for drying, which is a simple process that does not require much equipment and is therefore relatively inexpensive. The disadvantage is that the beans must be placed outside (requiring a large area), so there are often fallen leaves and insects mixed in, and the intensity of sunlight varies from day to day, so it is not easy to control the degree of drying. Overall, sun-dried beans have a fruity and winey aroma; washed beans have a better sour aroma.
The effect of flavor
The flavor is influenced by three major factors: beans, roasting and brewing, which account for 60%, 30% and 10% respectively. The Mena reaction that occurs during the roasting process (at approximately 140-165 degrees) causes the beans to exhibit different aromas. Different roasting levels also affect the flavor, such as “light roast” which brings out floral and fruity notes, “medium roast” which gives creamy and nutty notes, and “medium to dark roast” which gives chocolate, woody and spice like notes.
Types of coffee
In addition, coffee drinks are subdivided into Cappuccino, Latte, Americano, Expresso, Mocha, Macchiato, etc. depending on the ratio of water, milk, coffee, milk froth and chocolate content. But friends who want to taste it well, we recommend trying pure black coffee, more can taste the aroma. The Turkish people grind the coffee beans into a fine powder and steam it in a small copper pot (Cevze), which makes it more aromatic than regular one. In addition to its special flavor, it also contains the Turkish culture of divination, and it is said that Turks will comment on the appearance of coffee grounds, which is very interesting.
In human history, coffee has always been a fascinating beverage, so when you’re busy, why not go to a cafe and have a feast for your taste buds?
References:
History (Chinese) 🔗
650 kinds of fragrance changes to play endlessly! (Chinese)🔗
Sun-drying, washing, semi-washing, honey treatment… Why are there so many different ways to treat coffee beans? (Chinese)🔗
Cover photo from pixabay.com 🔗
