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What does café mean?

By Chelsie Vandaveer

December 17, 2002

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There are 25 species of coffee, but seventy percent of all coffee consumed in the world comes from Coffea arabica Linnaeus. Arabica coffee is native to Ethiopia where the greatest genetic diversity in the species is found. Coffea arabica is a tetraploid—four sets of eleven chromosomes. This unique genetic make-up has given rise to the numerous naturally flavored coffees like Ethiopian Harrar, the Mochas, Jamaican Blue Mountain, and Kenya AA.

Cafe Du Monde by Consuelo Gamboa
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In Ethiopia and Middle Eastern countries, coffee seeds or 'beans' were chewed as a stimulant, precisely how it became a beverage is unknown. Arab traders introduced the plants into cultivation in the Arabian Peninsula around 1,500 years ago. Legend credits a goat-herd and a monk from a monastery on Lake Tana with the creation of the beverage, but the coffee beverage probably began with the Arabic peoples. Yemen became the major center of coffee production.

Coffea is in the Rubiaceae, the madder family. Coffee trees produce fragrant white flowers which become 'coffee cherries' each containing two seeds. The 'cherries' must be hand-picked since the fruits ripen at different times and will not ripen if picked green.

The flavor of coffee is an essential oil, caffeol, found in the beans. The stimulant is an alkaloid, 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine better known as caffeine. Caffeine affects the adrenal hormones causing a rise in the blood sugar level.

Coffee from Yemen was introduced to Europe in the mid-1600s. The stimulant effect quickly became a popular pastime. The coffeehouse fad began in England and spread through Europe by the middle of the 1700s. It was the Spanish name for coffee and coffeehouse that gave rise to a new type of eating establishment, the café.

Gerald Carr with the Botany Department of the University of Hawaii at Manoa had posted photographs of plants in the Rubiaceae. To view the photographs, click on the link:

http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/rubi.htm

Coffee flowers and leaves are the third set down in the table. Click on the thumbnails to enlarge the images.

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Starbucks Coffee Caffè Verona Caffeinated Whole Bean

Caffè Verona® Coffee

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Starbucks Coffee Italian Roast Caffeinated Whole Bean

Italian Roast Coffee

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This sturdy Latin American blend is less complex than Espresso Roast and not as intensely smoky as French Roast. Nonetheless, it's a potent, bold cup of coffee. Click here for price and more info...

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Starbucks Coffee House Blend Caffeinated Ground

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A wonderful, straightforward blend of Latin American coffees. The bright flavor is tempered with a round smoothness and ends with a clean finish. Click here for price and more info...

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Starbucks Coffee French Roast Caffeinated Whole Bean

French Roast Coffee

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Blunt, smoky flavors are the objective in creating this, our darkest roasted coffee. The intense flavor makes it one of our most popular coffees. Click here for price and more info...

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Starbucks Coffee Espresso Roast Caffeinated Whole Bean

Espresso Roast Coffee

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A blend of coffees from Latin America and Asia Pacific, Espresso Roast has a dense, caramel-like sweetness and smooth, satisfying finish. Click here for price and more info...

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