Coffee has a history. Kaldi, an Ethiopian goatherd, way back in 800 A.D. noticed his goats go frisky after eating some berries. Kaldi, the goatherd, tried these berries and saw that it banished sleep. However, Shiek Omar, the goatherd's master, took credit over his discovery. Local monks heard of this wonder berries and started brewing a drink out of them. This discovery spread to Arabia, and by 1000 A.D. Coffee beans were roasted and brewed. By the 13th century, it was a popular drink with the local population. This was how coffee came into the world. 

 

The Arabs were ardent travellers and traders, and they travelled far and wide, they took along and spread this coffee drinking habit with them wherever they travelled. However realizing the advantage of controlling the growing trade of coffee, they kept their cultivation a secret. The Arabs traded in infertile beans, i.e., boiled coffee beans and coffee was not grown outside Arabia and parts of Africa. Coffee cultivation was a closely guarded secret as it was cultivated only by them.

 

In 1511 Coffee was blessed at Mecca and Islam allowed the indulgence of coffee during Ramzan.  Italian clergymen actually baptised coffee in the 16th century. Islam and Christianity at times wanted to ban the consumption of coffee, it survived and was blessed into existence. Countries like the USA wanted to ban, during prohibition, but coffee survived. Coffee survived the Caliphates wrath. It also survived the battle of the sexes. Coffee at times was a currency of trade among countries and regions. 

 

Advent of Coffee in India 

 

It is said that in 1670, a Sufi Indian Muslim Saint Baba Budan hid seven fertile coffee beans in his beard boarded a ship from Yemen and landed at a hillock, Chandragiri at Chikmagalur - Karnataka, India. Here he cultivated them in abundance, the climate and nature were just right for the growth of coffee; this led to the coffee cultivation boom worldwide. The Colonial British who ruled India at that time propagated the development of coffee far and wide among their colonies, and it caught fancy in the 1820s. The first largest coffee plantation in Chikmagalur was Mylemoney, established by Thomas Canon in 1830, and is still in existence. Coffee plantations expanded to Sakleshpur, Kadur and Coorg in Karnataka. Malabar Muslims from Kerala bought seeds and started cultivation. Up to the year 1860 cultivation in India was Arabica seeds, which fell prey to pests and disease. Arabica gave way to Robusta (Indo-China) at the close of the 19th century. Enterprising planters tried introducing seeds from Brazil, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Jamaica etc. Some promising hybrid types too evolved called Kents. 

 

 

 

 

Stages of coffee cultivation

 

 

Coffee is grown in hilly tract regions of Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Kerala down South of India. Some parts of North-Eastern region viz, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura and Mizoram grow coffee. Karnataka is a significant growth contributor, Kerala and Tamilnadu are minor, rest very minuscule. There are about 2,50,000 growers in the country; 98 percent of them are small cultivators. A coffee plant takes five years to grow and yields after that, it lasts anywhere between 80 to 100 years. 

 

Starbucks buys three percent of the world's coffee. Forty-two coffee beans are required for an espresso shot. Brazil is the number one grower of coffee, India takes the 6th place. Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee, undigested coffee faeces poop seeds of the Civet Cat, are collected roasted and powdered, the coffee seeds passing through its gut, is believed to add to its value. Ironically, some coffee plantations cage this animal and force-feed coffee beans to them extracting their poop for a handsome profit. Gourmet Coffee! It sells in the USA for $80 a kilo. In terms of flavour, Colombian coffee tops charts. Switzerland is the largest consumer of coffee. 

 

Coffee helps in colon contractions aiding your digestive tracts. Coffee is definitely a conversation opener! There are many who open the day with coffee and newspaper in South India.  In abroad it is common to see office goers with briefcases in one hand and coffee mug in the other hand. Coffee is fast becoming a life style drink. Lounges like Starbucks has done to coffee what Multiplex did to theaters.  Starbucks has made it a leisure drink and its lounges offer experience, far different from the over the counter drinks.  

 

Teatime has to wait its turn... 

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