History of coffee
National Coffee Association mentions that coffee was first used in Ethiopia, Middle East, then moved to Americas, and lastly Europe. It’s interesting to note; people in Europe thought it was an invention of Satan, and wanted to ban it. The pope gave it a taste before passing judgment, and he liked it so much that a papal approval was given.
Fun fact: legend has it; a goat’s herd, named Kaldi was taking care of his goats and noticed one of his goats staying up, and super hyper from eating the coffee beans (red berries).
The picture in Brian Lokker. Published March 6, 2013, shows Kaldi gave the red berry a try, and started dancing with the goats. He decided to give some of the red berries to the monks in the Ethiopian mountains. The monks needed something to stay up late at night for their prayers, and this was the solution. They decided to brew it, and the first cup of coffee was created.
Image credit: Rndmst by dreamstime, Ethiopian monk
Image credit: Bjoernd by Dreamstime
Ethiopian coffee
Cold brew vs hot coffee
Cold brew is one of my favorite drinks. I usually buy one when I really need it. You know; some days you need a pick me up. On the other hand, hot brew is not on my list of drinks to try. I rather have cold brew over hot brew any day.
Emma from pocket.com mentions: “Firstly, allegations that cold brew coffee is actually less acidic — and therefore easier on the stomach — didn’t withstand the analysis of chemists Megan Fuller, Ph.D., and Niny Rao, Ph.D., of Philadelphia University. Their analysis of six coffees from Mexico, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Brazil, and Colombia published in Scientific Reports found that hot and cold brew coffees had similar pH levels — a measure of acidity. They ranged from 4.85 to 5.13 across all samples, a very small difference.” The range 0- 6.9 is acidic on the pH scale.
American Chemical Society continues by saying, “With the lighter roasts, Rao’s team finds that the content of caffeine and antioxidants is pretty similar in hot and cold brews. However, significant differences show up with the darker roasts. “Hot brewing extracts more antioxidants from the grind than cold brew, and this difference increases with the degree of roasting,” Rao says. So hot-brew of dark roasts produces a potentially healthier drink. Hot brew also contains more of certain kinds of acids and total dissolved solids. The pH is about the same for both hot and cold brews at equivalent roast, though both become less acidic as roasting temperature increases.”
This video explains more about the difference between hot and cold brew:
So, the next time you take a sip of coffee. Think of the goats, Kaldi, and start dancing with them in your imagination. Also, thank them for discovering this caffeinated drink 😊
References
- Betuel, Emma (2020). Chemists Explain Crucial Difference Between Cold Brew and Hot Coffee. Pocket. Website: https://getpocket.com/explore/item/chemists-explain-crucial-difference-between-cold-brew-and-hot-coffee?utm_source=pocket-newtab
- Ouellette, Jennifer (4/9/2020). The chemistry of cold-brew coffee is so hot right now. Ars technica. Website: https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04/the-chemistry-of-cold-brew-coffee-is-so-hot-right-now/?utm_source=pocket-newtab
- How to Make Cold Brew Coffee. Sun Kissed Kitchen. Website: https://sunkissedkitchen.com/cold-brew-coffee-ratio/
- American Chemical Society (4/2/2020). Using chemistry to unlock the difference between cold- and hot-brew coffee. ScienceDaily. Website: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200402134618.htm
- National Coffee Association of U.S.A. The History of Coffee. Website: https://www.ncausa.org/About-Coffee/History-of-Coffee
- Lokker, Brian ( June 19, 2020). The Origin of Coffee: Kaldi and the Dancing Goats. Coffee Crossroads. Website: https://www.coffeecrossroads.com/coffee-history/origin-of-coffee-kaldi-and-dancing-goats
- Daniels, Sebastian (2018). The history of coffee – coffee is an African plant. Website: https://coffeeshopblues.co.za/history-of-coffee-origin-of-coffee/
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