Origin of coffee: where it comes from and the origin of the fruit
Each of the coffee beans that, once processed, reach your cup come from a cultivation area where, depending on the area and its characteristics, they offer that unique touch to your senses.
Precisely because of this fact, because of this long process that means that today we can enjoy a good cup of coffee, whether at work, at home or in that place where you enjoy a few moments of relaxation, in Incapto We want to teach you everything you need to know about eThe origin of coffee.
Origin of Coffee
To answer the question of where coffee originates, we must travel in time, specifically to the 11th century in Ethiopia.
According to a legend that still continues in our time, it was a shepherd who, after discovering the way his sheep behaved after consuming the leaves and fruits of the coffee plant, decided to let some Arab monks know. The monks decided to make an infusion with the fruits to see the effects for themselves.
Thus, it would be the Arab people who extended for the first time not only their cultivation, but also the consumption of coffee to the rest of the world. In fact, as a curiosity, the The word coffee means stimulating in Arabic..
History tells us that coffee first began to be consumed by chewing the raw beans directly or as part of a dough in which the already ground beans were mixed with fat.
Years later, it would become a drink thanks to cold water maceration techniques. Finally, already in 13th century They improved the process for obtaining the infusion, first drying the grains in the sun and then roasting them over the fire. This process is the one that continues today to achieve all those nuances that reach each of the cups of coffee around the world.
This was the origin of coffee in the world and, thanks to this, it is currently cultivated in much of the planet, especially in the tropical and subtropical areas of the Asian, American and African continents. Being more specific we can say that the origin of the coffee that reaches us comes from countries like Brazil, Honduras, Colombia, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Vietnam, those who concentrate up to 80% of world production of coffee.
The coffee fruit
Now that we know the origin of coffee, we must take the next step to learn where coffee comes from.
Each coffee bean comes from the coffee plant, also known as the coffee tree. This shrub belongs to the Rubiaceae family, specifically to genus Coffea.
The coffee plant can reach up to 20 meters in height in the wild, but, to facilitate its cultivation, coffee plantations have coffee trees that usually do not exceed 4 meters in height. In fact, generally, different coffee varieties are grown to reach an optimal height of about 3 or 2 meters approximately.
The coffee tree, depending on the variety, blooms every 3 or 4 years. Its flowers, very similar to jasmine in color, size and aroma, once pollinated will give rise to fruit.
The coffee fruit is popularly known as coffee cherry. This drupe, similar to a small cherry, starts out green and, after almost a year of maturation, begins to take on that characteristic intense red color; although this depends on each species. What's more, it is possible to find coffee varieties with drops of colors ranging from yellow to red.
Right inside this drupe or fleshy fruit, very rich in sugars and vital to the coffee fermentation process, is where the beans are found. Likewise, it is normal to find up to two seeds or coffee beans in each coffee cherry.
Thus, from the first harvest, the coffee plant will continue producing its fruits and seeds for approximately 20 years.
Likewise, it is very important to know that the botanical family to which the coffee tree belongs has more than 6,000 different species and, within the genus Coffea, around 25 varieties. Among them, the most cultivated for consumption are Arabica coffee (Arabica coffee) and Coffea caneophora (robusta coffee). These two varieties of coffee with such different nuances reach our homes following the best selection and manufacturing processes for coffee lovers.
The coffee It is one of the most popular and consumed drinks around the world.. Millions of people drink a cup of coffee every day to get going each morning or to share pleasant moments with co-workers, family or alone.
It is always a good time, after knowing the origin of the coffee, to appreciate each sip even more. In the store Incapto you can access the sale of coffee beans of a high quality.