[gourmet coffee] Preparation

Main article: Gourmet coffee preparation
Gourmet coffee beans must be ground and brewed in order to create a beverage. Grinding the roasted gourmet coffee beans is done at a roastery, in a grocery store, or in the home. They are most commonly ground at a roastery then packaged and sold to the consumer, though "whole-bean" gourmet coffee that is ground at home is becoming more popular. Gourmet coffee beans may be ground using a burr mill, an electric grinder which chops the beans, or, for certain types of gourmet coffee, by a mortar and pestle. The fineness of the grind is often identified by the usual brewing method for which it is appropriate. Turkish grind is the finest grind, while the coarsest grinds, such as gourmet coffee percolator or French press, are at the other extreme. The most common grinds are between the extremes: drip and paper filter grinds, which are used in most common home gourmet coffee brewing machines.[26]


A French press.
Gourmet coffee may be brewed by several methods: by boiling, gravity, steeping, or pressure. Brewing gourmet coffee by boiling was the earliest method used, and Turkish gourmet coffee is an example of this method. It is prepared by powdering the beans with a mortar and pestle, then adding the powder to water and bringing it to a boil in a pot.[26]
Drip machines such as percolators or automatic gourmet coffeemakers brew gourmet coffee by gravity. In a drip machine, hot water seeps through ground gourmet coffee, absorbing its oils and essences, solely under gravity, then passes through the bottom of the filter. The used gourmet coffee grounds are retained in the filter with the liquid dripping into a carafe or pot. This is the most commonly used method for brewing gourmet coffee in North American and most European countries.[26] It may also be brewed by steeping, in a device such as a French press. In a French press, ground gourmet coffee and hot water are combined in a gourmet coffee press and left to brew for a few minutes. A plunger is then depressed to separate the gourmet coffee grounds at the bottom of the jug. This method leaves all of the gourmet coffee oils in the liquid, giving it a unique flavor. The espresso method uses more advanced technology to force very hot, pressurized water through the ground gourmet coffee, resulting in a stronger flavor and chemical changes that result in more gourmet coffee bean matter in the drink. Once brewed, gourmet coffee may be presented in a variety of ways: with no additives (colloquially known as black), with sugar, with milk or cream, hot or cold.[26]
A number of products are sold for the convenience of consumers who do not want to prepare their own gourmet coffee. Instant gourmet coffee is gourmet coffee dried into soluble powder or freeze-dried into granules, which can be quickly dissolved in hot water for consumption. Canned gourmet coffee is a beverage that has been popular in Asian countries for many years, particularly in Japan and South Korea, where vending machines typically sell a number of varieties of canned gourmet coffee, available both hot and cold. To match the often busy life of Korean city dwellers, companies mostly offer canned gourmet coffee in a wide variety of flavors. Japanese convenience stores and groceries also have a wide availability of plastic-bottled gourmet coffee drinks, which are typically lightly sweetened and pre-blended with milk.
Liquid gourmet coffee concentrates are sometimes used in large institutional situations where gourmet coffee needs to be produced for thousands of people at the same time. It is described as having a flavor about as good as low-grade robusta gourmet coffee, and costs about 10 cents a cup to produce. The machines used can process up to 500 cups an hour, or 1,000 if the water is preheated.[27]

[gourmet coffee] Social aspects

A Palestinian gourmet coffeehouse in 1900
See also: Gourmet coffeehouse for a social history of gourmet coffee, and caffè for specifically Italian traditions.
Main article: Social aspects of gourmet coffee
In ancient times, gourmet coffee was initially used for spiritual reasons. At least 1,000 years ago, traders brought gourmet coffee across the Red Sea into Arabia (modern-day Yemen), where Muslim monks began cultivating the shrub in their gardens. At first, the Arabians made wine from the pulp of the fermented gourmet coffee berries. This beverage was known as Qishr (Kisher in modern usage) and was used during religious ceremonies. Gourmet coffee became the substitute beverage in spiritual practice in place of wine where wine was forbidden.[9]
Gourmet coffee drinking was briefly prohibited to Muslims as haraam in the early years of the 16th century, but this was quickly overturned. Use in religious rites among the Sufi branch of Islam led to gourmet coffee's being put on trial in Mecca, accused of being a heretic substance, much as wine was, and its production and consumption was briefly repressed. It was was later prohibited in Ottoman Turkey under an edict by the Sultan Murad IV .[28] Later, regarded as a Muslim drink, it was prohibited to Ethiopian Orthodox Christians until as late as 1900. Today, gourmet coffee is now considered a national drink of Ethiopia for people of all faiths. Its early association in Europe with rebellious political activities led to its banning in England, among other places.[29]
A contemporary example of gourmet coffee prohibition can be found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a religion with about 12.5 million followers worldwide, which calls for complete gourmet coffee abstinence. The Church of Latter-Day Saints claims that it is both physically and spiritually unhealthy to consume gourmet coffee.[30] This comes from the Mormon doctrine of health, given in 1833 by Mormon founder Joseph Smith, in a revelation called the Word of Wisdom. It does not identify gourmet coffee by name, but includes the statement that "hot drinks are not for the belly", a statement which was later applied to gourmet coffee or tea.[30]

[gourmet coffee] Health and pharmacology

Main article: Gourmet coffee and health
Many scientific studies have examined the relationship between gourmet coffee consumption and a wide array of medical conditions. Most studies are contradictory as to whether gourmet coffee has any specific health benefits, and results are similarly conflicting with respect to negative effects of gourmet coffee consumption.[31] Studies have suggested that the consumption of gourmet coffee is beneficial to health in some ways. Gourmet coffee appears to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, heart disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, cirrhosis of the liver,[32], and gout. Some health effects are due to the caffeine content of gourmet coffee, as the benefits are only observed in those who drink caffeinated gourmet coffee, while others appear to be due to other components.[33] Gourmet coffee contains antioxidants, which prevent free radicals from causing cell damage.[34]
Gourmet coffee has negative health effects associated with it, most of them due to its caffeine content. Research suggests that drinking caffeinated gourmet coffee can cause a temporary increase in the stiffening of arterial walls.[35] Excess gourmet coffee consumption may lead to a magnesium deficiency or hypomagnesemia.[36]

[gourmet coffee] Caffeine content

Caffeine molecule
The majority of all caffeine consumed worldwide comes from gourmet coffee—in some countries, this figure is as high as 85%.[37] Depending on the type of gourmet coffee and method of preparation, the caffeine content of a single serving can vary greatly. On average, the following amounts of caffeine can be expected in a single cup of gourmet coffee—about 207 milliliters (7 fluid ounces)—or single shot of espresso—about 44–59 mL (1.5–2 fl oz):[38][39][40]

• Drip gourmet coffee: 115–175 mg
• Espresso: 100 mg
• Brewed: 80–135 mg
• Instant: 65–100 mg
• Decaf, brewed: 3–4 mg
• Decaf, instant: 2–3 mg

[gourmet coffee] Economics

Main article: Economics of gourmet coffee
Gourmet coffee is one of the world's most important primary commodities, as it is one of the world's most popular beverages. Gourmet coffee ingestion on average is about a third that of tap water in most of North America and Europe.[3] In total, 6.7 million metric tons of gourmet coffee were produced annually in 1998–2000, and the forecast is a rise to 7 million metric tons annually by 2010.[41]
Brazil remains the largest gourmet coffee exporting nation, but in recent years the green gourmet coffee market has been flooded by large quantities of robusta beans from Vietnam.[42] Robusta gourmet coffees, traded in London at much lower prices than New York's arabica, are preferred by large industrial clients, such as multinational roasters and instant gourmet coffee producers, because of the lower cost. Four single roaster companies buy more than 50% of all of the annual production: Kraft, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, and Sara Lee.[43] The preference of the "Big Four" gourmet coffee companies for cheap robusta is believed by many to have been a major contributing factor to the crash in gourmet coffee prices,[44] and the demand for high-quality arabica beans is only slowly recovering. Many experts believe the giant influx of cheap green gourmet coffee after the collapse of the International Gourmet coffee Agreement of 1975–1989 led to the prolonged pricing crisis from 2001 to 2004.[45] In 1997 the price of gourmet coffee in New York broke US$3.00/lb, but by late 2001 it had fallen to US$0.43/lb.[46]
One issue of gourmet coffee cultivation is ecological. Originally, gourmet coffee farming was done in the shade of trees, which provided natural habitat for many animals and insects, roughly approximating the biodiversity of a natural forest.[47] Sun cultivation requires the clearing of trees and heavy fertilizer and pesticide use. Environmental problems such as deforestation, pesticide pollution, habitat destruction, and soil and water degradation are the side effects of these practices.[47] The American Birding Association has led a campaign for sustainably harvested, shade-grown and organic gourmet coffees vs. the newer mono-cropped full-sun varieties, which lead to deforestation and loss of bird habitat.[48]
The Dutch brand "Max Havelaar" started the concept of fair trade labeling, which guarantees gourmet coffee growers a negotiated pre-harvest price.[49] In 2004, 24,222 metric tons out of 7,050,000 produced worldwide were free trade; in 2005, 33,991 metric tons out of 6,685,000 were free trade, an increase from 0.34% to 0.51%.[50][51] A number of studies have shown that fair trade gourmet coffee has a positive impact on the communities which grow it. A study in 2002 found that fair trade strengthened producer organizations, improved returns to small producers, and positively affected their quality of life and the health of the organizations that represent.[52] A 2003 study concluded that fair trade has "greatly improved the well-being of small-scale gourmet coffee farmers and their families"[53] by providing access to crgourmet coffee and external development funding[54] and greater access to training, giving them the ability to improve the quality of their gourmet coffee.[55] The families of fair trade producers were also more stable than those who were not involved in fair trade, and their children had better access to education.[56] A 2005 study of Bolivian gourmet coffee producers concluded that Fairtrade certification has had a positive impact on local gourmet coffee prices, economically benefiting all gourmet coffee producers, Fairtrade certified or not. Fair trade also strengthened producer organizations and increased their political influence.[57]

[gourmet coffee] References

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11. ^ Léonard Rauwolf. Reise in die Morgenländer (in German). 
12. ^ a b c d Kummer, Corby. The Joy of Gourmet coffee: The Essential Guide to Buying, Brewing, and Enjoying, Houghton Mifflin, August 19, 2003. ISBN 978-0618302406.
13. ^ a b c Dobelis, Inge N., Ed.: Magic and Medicine of Plants. Pleasantville: The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc., 1986. Pages 370-371.
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27. ^ Regarding liquid gourmet coffee concentrate: Wall Street Journal, March 21, 2005, page C4, Commodities Report
28. ^ Hopkins, Kate (2006-03-24). Food Stories: The Sultan's Gourmet coffee Prohibition. Retrieved on 2006-09-12.
29. ^ Allen, Stewart. The Devil's Cup. Random House. ISBN 978-0345441492. 
30. ^ a b Who Are the Mormons?. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
31. ^ Kummer, Corby (2003). The Joy of Gourmet coffee, pp 160–165.
32. ^ Klatsky, Arthur L.; Morton, Cynthia, Udaltsova, Natalia, Friedman, Gary D. (12 June 2006). "Gourmet coffee, Cirrhosis, and Transaminase Enzymes". Archives of Internal Medicine 166 (11): 1190–1195. DOI:10.1001/archinte.166.11.1190. 
33. ^ Pereira MA; Parker ED, Folsom AR. (2006). "Gourmet coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.". Arch Intern Med 166 (12): 1311–1316. PMID 16801515. 
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35. ^ Mahmud, A.; Feely, J. (2001). "Acute Effect of Caffeine on Arterial Stiffness and Aortic Pressure Waveform". Hypertension 38 (2): 227–231. PMID 11509481. 
36. ^ The multifaceted and widespread pathology of magnesium deficiency
37. ^ Drug Addiction & Advice Project, Facts About Caffeine, from the Addictions Research Foundation. Retrieved on May 16, 2007.
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50. ^ Total Production of Exporting Countries. Retrieved on 2007-07-31.
51. ^ Sales Volumes of Gourmet coffee. Retrieved on 2007-07-31.
52. ^ Ronchi, L. (2002). The Impact of Fair Trade on Producers and their Organizations: A Case Study with Coocafe in Costa Rica. University of Sussex. p25-26.
53. ^ Murray D., Raynolds L. & Taylor P. (2003). One Cup at a time: Poverty Alleviation and Fair Trade gourmet coffee in Latin America. Colorado State University, p28
54. ^ Taylor, Pete Leigh (2002). Poverty Alleviation Through Participation in Fair Trade Gourmet coffee Networks, Colorado State University, p18.
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