Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
The Significance of coffee to American society
Coffee has played an important role in many societies throughout modern history. Coffee is an important export commodity. In 2004, coffee was the top agricultural export for 12 different countries, and in 2005, it was the world’s seventh largest legal export by value. It is the most popular beverage in the world. Coffee wakes us up in the morning. No one really needs coffee, they just want it, and after drinking it for years they think they can not live without it. It makes you think your awake and you feel like it did something to help you because it is in your head that it did. It is important to Americans image because it makes you look important and professional and many people just want to be seen with their Starbucks or their Saxby’s coffee.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Why is Coffee an American Icon?
It is an American icon because people in our country feel like they need coffee to function. It is a trend and they are addicted because they feel like they need it. Everywhere you go you see a Starbucks or a dunkin’ doughnut coffee shop. They are everywhere and even though these specialty coffee shops are triple the costs of a regular coffee, people still pay for it. Many people prefer to go to Starbucks just for the brand name. They need to be seen with their Starbucks, expensive latte instead of a simple cup of coffee because it is a status symbol (Nowhouse)
Symbolism of Coffee
I had an interview with Sarah, who is one of Saxby’s employees. She is like all of the other citizens of Strongsville who need their coffee everyday to survive. Coffee plays a large impact in her life because she works in a coffee shop and is around coffee all day, everyday. She has a very interesting opinion on what she thinks coffee symbolizes. She says, “I think it symbolizes conformity because everyone drinks it, which forms a chain of people to follow, and drink it. Also I think it symbolizes working class people who use coffee as an everyday commodity to get them through the day. Here in this shop there are so many repeat customers who come in everyday before they head off to work” (Nowhouse). Coffee symbolizes dependency, so many people get out of bed every morning and go down and get their coffee every morning, before they do anything else. They can always count on their coffee to be there to get them through the day. Its funny that one beverage has so much of an impact on most Americans and can improve their day so much by just drinking one cup of it. Coffee is like a drug, everyone who needs to have it everyday is addicted to it and it is nearly impossible to stay off it. Last she says “It is like a bridge that brings the nation together through warmth and togetherness, figuratively and literally because you feel at home when you go to a coffee shop and also it makes you warm drinking it”(Nowhouse).
Friday, March 13, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The History of coffee
History of Coffee
Coffee berries were first discovered in c 850. The legend is that there was an Arabian shepherd whose name was Kaldi who had done many experiments with them and when feed to goats they began to feel more lively and happier. They realized it had a stimulating effect on the goats and soon enough coffee was born. In c 1100 the first coffee trees are refined on the Arabian Peninsula. They first time it was roasted was by the Arabs. Later in 1475 the world’s first coffee shop opens in Constantinople. Two separate coffeehouses are established later in 1554. Next coffee was imported into Europe through Venice’s port and the first coffeehouse opened in Italy in 1654. Coffee was first introduced to America in 1607 when the founder of Virginia at Jamestown, John Smith, had brought it with him on one of his expeditions. Many people became used to it and continued to drink it. Soon after it became just a hit in the "New World," the first coffeehouse opened in England. When they were first established they were called, "penny universities" because the price for a cup of coffee only cost one penny. Also at this establishment the word, "TIPS" was coined because at the shop on the counter there was a sign reading, "To Insure Prompt Service." With that said those people who wanted prompt service would put a penny in a cup and the phrase was later shortened to, "TIPS." Later King, Louis XIV was given a coffee tree as a gift and in his court sugar was first used in coffee. From then on it has become a habitual thing to put sugar in your coffee. In 1690 the first transport of coffee commercially was by the Dutch who then began to cultivate it nationally. Then the smuggling of coffee begins in Arabia and it is transported to the East Indies. Berlin was the last major country to open a coffeehouse in 1721 and from then on coffee is a commodity now. Next Coffee Plants begin to establish in North and South America, and they begin to export coffee. In 1727 there were many coffee seeds smuggled out of Paris and it helped to start the Brazilian coffee industry. By the early 1760’s Venice has already over 2,000 coffee shops. The idea for the first espresso machine was created in France in the 1820’s. It used natural gas and hot air to become the most popular way of roasting coffee. All coffee shops later begin serving espresso drinks and change ordinary coffee to a specialty drink. In 1908 the worlds very first drip coffee maker was created, it used blotting paper to create a filter and was invented by Melitta Bentz. Many years later the espresso maker was perfected which used a high-pressure extraction and produced a thick layer of crème to the drink. They began mass producing these inventions and were later seen in every coffee shop throughout the world. Finally in 1995 more than 400 billion cups of coffee are consumed each year and coffee has become the world’s most popular beverage (Coffee History).
Coffee berries were first discovered in c 850. The legend is that there was an Arabian shepherd whose name was Kaldi who had done many experiments with them and when feed to goats they began to feel more lively and happier. They realized it had a stimulating effect on the goats and soon enough coffee was born. In c 1100 the first coffee trees are refined on the Arabian Peninsula. They first time it was roasted was by the Arabs. Later in 1475 the world’s first coffee shop opens in Constantinople. Two separate coffeehouses are established later in 1554. Next coffee was imported into Europe through Venice’s port and the first coffeehouse opened in Italy in 1654. Coffee was first introduced to America in 1607 when the founder of Virginia at Jamestown, John Smith, had brought it with him on one of his expeditions. Many people became used to it and continued to drink it. Soon after it became just a hit in the "New World," the first coffeehouse opened in England. When they were first established they were called, "penny universities" because the price for a cup of coffee only cost one penny. Also at this establishment the word, "TIPS" was coined because at the shop on the counter there was a sign reading, "To Insure Prompt Service." With that said those people who wanted prompt service would put a penny in a cup and the phrase was later shortened to, "TIPS." Later King, Louis XIV was given a coffee tree as a gift and in his court sugar was first used in coffee. From then on it has become a habitual thing to put sugar in your coffee. In 1690 the first transport of coffee commercially was by the Dutch who then began to cultivate it nationally. Then the smuggling of coffee begins in Arabia and it is transported to the East Indies. Berlin was the last major country to open a coffeehouse in 1721 and from then on coffee is a commodity now. Next Coffee Plants begin to establish in North and South America, and they begin to export coffee. In 1727 there were many coffee seeds smuggled out of Paris and it helped to start the Brazilian coffee industry. By the early 1760’s Venice has already over 2,000 coffee shops. The idea for the first espresso machine was created in France in the 1820’s. It used natural gas and hot air to become the most popular way of roasting coffee. All coffee shops later begin serving espresso drinks and change ordinary coffee to a specialty drink. In 1908 the worlds very first drip coffee maker was created, it used blotting paper to create a filter and was invented by Melitta Bentz. Many years later the espresso maker was perfected which used a high-pressure extraction and produced a thick layer of crème to the drink. They began mass producing these inventions and were later seen in every coffee shop throughout the world. Finally in 1995 more than 400 billion cups of coffee are consumed each year and coffee has become the world’s most popular beverage (Coffee History).
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
What is coffee made of and how is it made?
What is coffee made of and how is it made?
Coffee is made from a berry called coffee berries, in these berries there is a small coffee bean, which are produced by several species of small evergreen bush from the genus Coffea (Dirty Jobs). The two most commonly grown species are Coffea canephora and Coffea arabica. These two beans are made in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Once ripe, the coffee berries are picked by hand, then they are sorted by ripeness and color and the flesh of the berry is removed. Then they are washed, processed, and dried. The most popular way to dry them is to lay them out to sit on a cement patio and then with a special rake you can rake them over till beans are completely dry. The seeds are then roasted, and they undergo numerous chemical and physical changes. They are roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor, usually 200 degrees Celsius. They are then ground and brewed to create coffee, which we drink. Coffee can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways. Coffee is a typically a brewed beverage which is prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. Depending on the color of the beans the coffee can be light, medium, or dark. This is the long process to make coffee edible for us to drink (Struning).
Coffee is made from a berry called coffee berries, in these berries there is a small coffee bean, which are produced by several species of small evergreen bush from the genus Coffea (Dirty Jobs). The two most commonly grown species are Coffea canephora and Coffea arabica. These two beans are made in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Once ripe, the coffee berries are picked by hand, then they are sorted by ripeness and color and the flesh of the berry is removed. Then they are washed, processed, and dried. The most popular way to dry them is to lay them out to sit on a cement patio and then with a special rake you can rake them over till beans are completely dry. The seeds are then roasted, and they undergo numerous chemical and physical changes. They are roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor, usually 200 degrees Celsius. They are then ground and brewed to create coffee, which we drink. Coffee can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways. Coffee is a typically a brewed beverage which is prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. Depending on the color of the beans the coffee can be light, medium, or dark. This is the long process to make coffee edible for us to drink (Struning).
Monday, March 2, 2009
Visit to a Coffee shop
I went to Saxby's coffee shop to enjoy a nice cup of coffee with my friends. It was very warm and the employees were very welcoming. In Saxby's they have a fireplace and they turn it on when it is cold outside. It gives you the feeling of being at home and it is comforting. They have many different coffee options to choose, from the signature drinks to the coffee of the day, and they all taste good. There are always people in there enjoying a nice cup of coffee and sometimes a muffin. I love going to coffee shops and being able to sit down in a comfy chair and just sit and talk to my friends.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Works Cited
"Coffee History." Koffee History. 30 Mar. 2000. 6 Mar. 2009 http://www.koffeekorner.com/koffeehistory.htm.
Dirty Jobs: Coffee Growers. DiscoveryNetworks. You Tube. Discovery Channel. 4 Mar. 2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA9SMWb4bJM.
"From Tree to Bean to Cup," Consumer Reports. September, 1987, p. 531.
Globus, Paul. "This Little bean is Big Business," Reader's Digest (Canadian), March, 1986, p. 35
Nowhouse, Sarah. Personal interview. 7 Mar. 2009.
Struning, William C. "Coffee." Encyclopedia Americana. 2009. Grolier Online. 15 Mar. 2009.
Dirty Jobs: Coffee Growers. DiscoveryNetworks. You Tube. Discovery Channel. 4 Mar. 2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA9SMWb4bJM.
"From Tree to Bean to Cup," Consumer Reports. September, 1987, p. 531.
Globus, Paul. "This Little bean is Big Business," Reader's Digest (Canadian), March, 1986, p. 35
Nowhouse, Sarah. Personal interview. 7 Mar. 2009.
Struning, William C. "Coffee." Encyclopedia Americana. 2009. Grolier Online. 15 Mar. 2009
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