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Coffee resource center

About coffee shop works Blog Both coffee and tea are two of the most common beverages, yet both have been vilified as having addictive qualities and being harmful to our overall health. Globally, coffee tends to dominate in both supply and consumption with the largest producers being Brazil, Indonesia and India. Their climate and fertile soil offer the ideal conditions for cultivating rich harvests. With the average American consuming 23 gallons of coffee per year, it is no wonder the United States is the leading consumer of all countries around the world.

Tea and coffee both share a number of common traits. Both plants are members of the evergreen family, but both are trimmed to the height of a shrub in order to maintain manageability when harvesting. Both contain caffeine, but how much depends on the brewing methods and type of bean used. This is also true when it comes to taste since both depend on the growing conditions with respect to the soil conditions and moisture in addition to the surrounding vegetation. Tea and coffee both originate from the dried versions of a part of the plant and they both endure similar methods of preparation.

In addition to the consumption of coffee and tea, both include other uses. Tea can be used as a mosquito repellant, for medicinal purposes such as curing burns, reducing phlegm and lethargy, use as a beauty aid in skin care and even in gardening in the form of manure. Coffee contains some antioxidants associated with fighting disease and enhancing health, for example increasing brain function, alleviating asthma, easing congestion due to colds and flu, temporarily boosting athletic performance, combating drowsiness and headache management and elimination.

Various studies have reported that when consumed in moderation, tea and coffee have no damaging effects. By moderation they mean, 2 cups of coffee per day or 4-5 cups of black tea per day. Apparently, the caffeine in tea which is much lower than that in coffee (it still is dependent on the type, although green tea has the least amount of caffeine) not only increases concentration, but enhances the sense of taste and smell and takes longer to enter the blood stream than coffee therefore being gentler on the system.

Ethiopia, one of the oldest countries in existence is considered the birthplace of coffee. While tea is much older, having been in use since 2737 BC coffee is much younger! Generally, it is thought to have been discovered in the 11th century spreading quickly to other lands around the Arabian peninsula such as Yemen in the 14th century by the Arab traders. Due to merchants and travelers passing through Istanbul, Turkish coffee soon spread to Europe and the rest of the world with coffee houses being established in various European cities from the mid to late 1600’s. In fact, London had its first coffee shop open in 1652, and, by 1700, there were more than 2000 inhabiting more retail space and paying higher rent than any other trade at the time.

With the popularity of coffee and the big business it created in the 19th century, inventors scrambled to improve brews, reduce brewing time and seek alternative brewing methods. Hence the reason we now have various forms of the beverage such as cappuccino, latte, americano, expresso, macchiato, frappuccino and cold brew to name just a few. How you like your coffee is a personal choice. You may enjoy a cup of java at home or purchasing regularly from your local coffee shop, but now there is more variety in terms of how it is packaged; ground, whole bean, pods, k-cups and sachets. There is a multitude of coffee bean flavours to choose from as well as numerous types of coffee machines available for purchase from your basic electric drip, French press and single serve all the way up to the fully programmable, multi-beverage machines. The cost of the coffee makers can range from reasonable to exorbitant and needless to say there is a plethora of manufacturing brands to choose from.

Whatever the case may be, if you are a coffee addict or simply enjoy the odd cup in the morning, you are living in a world of never-ending possibilities for taste.