Slang Terms for Coffee

The first questions about slang terms are where did they come from and how did they originate. Where they originated covers a wide spectrum of places. Some started by military groups during wars while others originated in both men’s and women’s prisons. Others originated in foreign countries, by college students or just groups of people who felt they needed another name for their cup of coffee. This even includes people who don’t drink coffee for its taste, but for the reaction they get when drinking coffee. Some words are more a description than slang. Of the hundreds of terms, those mentioned here a just a sampling.

Slang names that come from where the coffee is grown or made include Java and Cocoa Java from Java Island in Indonesia. Kaffee comes from Switzerland while a Manila comes from the Philippines. An Americano is regular coffee as brewed in America while the Kona comes from coffee grown and brewed on the Kona Coast of Hawaii. Kahwa, which is a French slang word for coffee, actually comes from the Egyptian language that is spoken in the Korcafa area near Ethiopia.

Continue reading “Slang Terms for Coffee”

The Specialty and History of Kumbakonam Degree Coffee

Coffee has for long been a delectable beverage inspiring millions across the globe. Tracing its roots to ancient Ethiopia, coffee is today an acclaimed “global beverage” that has captured the imagination of the masses and lent itself to be an inseparable part of their everyday life. According to a study by Ponte Stefano published in the journal World Development in 2002, over 2.25 billion cups of coffee consumed in the world every day, and the numbers are only set to increase everyday!

Kumbakonam is an ancient temple town in South India, known for its vibrant culture, unmatched temple architecture, betel leaves, Carnatic music, and the signature filter coffee brew that has made it stand out with distinction. It is a coffee that has won the hearts, minds and souls of connoisseurs from around the globe simply because of its elegance, balance, intensity and finish. The beauty of the coffee lay in the fact that it could announce its flavor without fanfare, yet make people swish their tongues with a gentle after-taste. Another specialty of the town lies in its presentation of the same coffee in astounding variations. A number of varieties are available, right from a watered down version to a one with pure milk, bitter sweet, dark and all, all customized to the whim of the consumer. Yet, it is a coffee that stands on its own, with no mix of any flavors, be they artificial or natural. Continue reading “The Specialty and History of Kumbakonam Degree Coffee”

From a Cherry to the Cup: The Life and Journey of Coffee Beans

You sit back at your local café, sip your latte or black gold brew, and relax. But did you ever wonder how that Joe got to your cup? Fresh roasted gourmet coffee does not just appear! There is a journey here. Before any roaster can sell coffee wholesale to any café to brew a cup, many things need to happen. Enjoy the journey!

A coffee tree produces a fruit we call a cherry. These are small, like berries and they turn bright red when they are ripe, ready for picking. The skin, is thick and bitter but the fruit underneath is extremely sweet. Its texture is similar to that of grape. Then there is a slimy layer that comes next to help protect the bean. The beans inside are covered by yet another layer that protects the two halves which are covered by yet one last layer called the silver skin. Yeah, a lot of layers! This is where we find the raw green coffee beans. Continue reading “From a Cherry to the Cup: The Life and Journey of Coffee Beans”

Some Facts About Deforestation

Deforestation is a permanent destruction of forests and woods. Deforestation is the conversion of forested area to the non forest land for the use of industrial gain, livestock, and urban use. In the ancient times, most of the land was covered with forests. As the population and other demands damage the earth and it leaded to deforestation.

In all over the world the rate of the destruction of forests is unimaginable. Nearly half of the mature tropical land is destroyed. As the humans are more conscious for searching of new accommodation, and making urban areas, they have become the largest cause of deforestation.

Examples of Deforestation:

Many tropical countries are the victims of deforestation. For example: Continue reading “Some Facts About Deforestation”

How Does Coffee Affect the Environment?

The growth and cultivation of coffee plants have seen a number of changes over the years, resulting in a different impact on the environment. Every American considers coffee to be a popular social beverage and a wonderful way to start the day, but many people do not consider where their Java may come from, and what type of effect it has on the environment!

For this reason, many coffee companies have begun to create specialized styles of coffee that work to benefit the environment instead of affecting it negatively. Many of these coffee companies are created to have a conscience, and even the leading coffee brand, Starbucks, has begun to contribute to environmentally friendly coffee growing practices. Some examples of this are shade grown, organic, and fair trade coffee practices. In fact, socially responsible coffee growing styles are used in over 40 countries, including Mexico, Peru, and Ethiopia.

Continue reading “How Does Coffee Affect the Environment?”

A Quick Guide to Coffee

There are 3 major regions in the world where coffee if grown: Central America, North Africa, and South Asia. Each region has its own distinct flavors and aroma. This comes from the minerals in the particular soil, the amount of precipitation, and the method of processing the beans. For this article, I will use Starbucks as an example; not for promotional reasons but since Starbucks is the most well known in the coffee industry.

Latin America

By far the leading producers of coffee in the world, Brazil alone produces over 2 million metric tones of coffee each year. Latin American coffees go through a process called “washing”. After the beans are picked, they are pulped and fermented for 18 to 36 hours. This fermentation brings out an acidic flavor and smell from the beans. A good example of coffee from this region is the Starbucks Breakfast Blend or Organic Shade Grown Mexico. Continue reading “A Quick Guide to Coffee”

Gluten Free Recipes – What 10 Grains Can Be Substituted For Wheat?

Gluten-free recipes can be a challenge and looking at all the grain bins at the natural food store can be intimidating. Whether you have Celiac disease, gluten intolerance, wheat allergies, or your choice is to follow a gluten-free diet, you need to know not just which grains have gluten but which grains are gluten-free and can be substituted.

Here is a list of 10 gluten-free grains with a little information about each one. Continue reading “Gluten Free Recipes – What 10 Grains Can Be Substituted For Wheat?”

The Dangers of Drinking Coffee

If you drink coffee because you think you need to in order to rev or pep you up daily, especially if you work in corporate America, here are some things to think about pertaining to this liquid drug that is the number one cause of cancer of the esophagus:

The first thing you should think about is – why would you drink something that is so hot that if you stuck your finger in it, it would burn the hell out of you? If it burns your finger, what do you think it does to your tissues and cells throughout your body? Hot beverages destroy (kill) your cells, i.e. cancer!

Coffee is a stimulant to the central nervous system. Drinking coffee inhibits the release of natural brain opiates (that make you feel good and counteracts pain). Women need all the natural brain opiates their bodies can muster up, especially around the menstrual period and not to mention childbirth (which is very painful due to the inordinate decrease of opiates in the modern American woman). Coffee may rev you up for a while, but is sure to bring down as well (making you crave more of it, after all, it is a drug, at least in the state that we use it today). Excessive consumption of coffee causes shaking and trembling of the hands due to nervousness. Coffee greatly impairs the nervous system. Continue reading “The Dangers of Drinking Coffee”

What You Need to Know About Coffee

A Third of the World Drinks Coffee

“Without my morning coffee, I’m no good.”

“I need my two cups of coffee to get me going in the morning.”

“The first thing we do in the morning is make a pot of fresh coffee.”

So go the sentiments of nearly a third of the world’s population according to researchers. Starting your day with a cup or two of freshly brewed coffee can improve your disposition while the fragrant aroma calms you and its caffeine stimulates you. Its flavor and aroma can vary depending on the country or region of origin. Coffee is one of the world’s five most popular drinks along with water, tea, chocolate and milk. Continue reading “What You Need to Know About Coffee”

A Brief Tour of Coffee’s Chemical Composition

Everyday millions of people around the world begin their day religiously with a morning cup of coffee. Though today we easily identify coffee in its beverage form, it wasn’t always this way in the beginning. Throughout history, coffee has taken on several physical transformations, initially serving as an energy source when nomadic tribes combined coffee berries with animal fat as an early form of an energy bar. Later it was consumed as a tea, then a wine, and finally to the beverage we’ve come to identify today. Since the beginning, coffee has always been a product of great mystery, having been discovered accidentally in wild forests of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and consumed in its native cherry form, then later, passed through fire to significantly alter its chemical state. And although coffee has been in existence for thousands of years, its only been in the past half century or so, that scientists have been able to truly identify and understand what exactly is contained in this mystical bean. To date scientist have identified over 1,000 compounds in coffee, which when compared to products such as wine of chocolate that are composed of a few hundred, pale in comparison to that of coffee. Luckily through advancements in technology, much of coffee’s chemical make-up has been unlocked and we now have a better perspective on the chemistry contained within this mystical bean.

Caffeine Continue reading “A Brief Tour of Coffee’s Chemical Composition”