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What is the origin of coffee?

By Chelsie Vandaveer

December 20, 2002

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Killer Picks: Cuisinart Grind & Brew Coffee Maker w/Thermal Carafe—>Click here.

Ethiopia Sidamo Coffee, Arabian Mocha Timor Coffee—>Click here.

Komodo Dragon Blend® Coffee, Colombia Nariño Supremo Coffee—>Click here.

Coffee Plant Grow Your Own Beans!—>Click here.

Arab traders introduced qahwah seeds from the districts of Kaffa and Buno, Ethiopia and began the first true cultivation of the plants in the Arabian Peninsula sometime between 1000 to 1500 years ago. The main center of qahwah production was the port city of Mocha, Yemen. Qahve imported from Yemen was a popular strong brew with the Turks who served the drink
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While the world believed coffee came from Arabia,
the Arabian name qahwah appears to have been for the origin,
the Kaffa district of Ethiopia.
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to visiting Italian merchants.

The Italians introduced caffe to Europe in the 1600s. Thomas Johnson added the seeds to the 1633 edition of The Herbal calling the fruit Buna "...easily divided into two parts...each a kernel longish and flat upon one side, of a yellowish colour and acide taste. They say that in Alexandria they make a certaine very cooling drinke hereof."

The stimulant became fashionable throughout Europe. By the late seventeenth century, the drink was enjoyed under numerous names—English coffee, French and Spanish café, German koffee, Finnish kahvi, Dutch koffie, Swedish and Norwegian kaffe, Russian kofe, Polish kawa, and even Yiddish kave.

As the drink traveled around the world, it was given more names—Japanese koohii, Malay kopi, Mayan kaape, Thai gafae, Tagalog (Philippine) kape, Punjabi (India) kaafii, Hindi kofii, Hopi kaphe, and Navajo gohwééh—all phonetic derivations from the Arabic qahwah.

Linnaeus really did not have much of a choice but to Latinize the name to Coffea [cof' fee]. The species was given the epithet, arabica, for everyone 'knew' the trees grew in Arabia. While the world believed coffee came from Arabia, the Arabian name appears to have been for the origin, the Kaffa district of Ethiopia.

The International Coffee Organization has a great website with more information about the history and botany of coffee. To learn more about this important commodity, click on the link:

http://www.ico.org/coffee_story.asp

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killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~

Cuisinart Grind & Brew Coffee Maker w/Thermal Carafe

Cooking.com®

Compact and sleek, this Cuisinart coffee maker does it all. Pour in your favorite coffee beans and it automatically grinds them for you. The built-in charcoal filter eliminates chlorine and bad odors from tap water, so you get a fresh brewed pot every time. Program it for a preset time and let the fresh aroma wake you in the morning. Click here for (Limited Time Sale) price and more info...
[More Coffee Makers...]

Starbucks Coffee Ethiopia Sidamo Caffeinated Whole Bean

Ethiopia Sidamo Coffee

Starbucks Store®

From the birthplace of coffee, Sidamo is highly prized by coffee buyers from around the world. It features a fleeting, floral aroma with a bright yet soft finish and, like the best Sidamo coffees, a wonderful hint of lemon. Click here for price and more info...

More about this coffee: Typically, Ethiopian coffee is grown in small, backyard gardens and sold at daily auctions. Shop for All Starbucks Coffees at StarbucksStore.com

Now all Starbucks coffees are at your fingertips - StarbucksStore.com is the online resource for all Starbucks coffees. Buy Starbucks coffees - whole bean, ground, pods, caffeinated, decaf, single-origin, espressos, blends, organic, promotional holiday seasonal blends and Black Apron Exclusives - easily and conveniently, delivered to your home or office. StarbucksStore.com

Starbucks Coffee Arabian Mocha Timor Caffeinated Whole Bean

Arabian Mocha Timor Coffee

Starbucks Store®

Arabian Mocha Timor strikes a perfect balance between the clean, fresh floral notes of washed Timor coffees, and the wild and exotic berry, cocoa, spice flavors of naturally processed Arabian Mocha Sanani. It's a complex blend with up front berry notes, medium body and a clean finish. Click here for price and more info...

More about this coffee: Coffees from East Timor are washed and have acidity, though not as pronounced as Latin American coffee. Coffee from East Timor often has an herbal taste quality as well.

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Origin Note: The historic port of Mocha provided the gateway for beans traveling on the backs of camels and into the first coffeehouses of Europe.

Starbucks Coffee Komodo Dragon Blend Caffeinated Whole Bean

Komodo Dragon Blend® Coffee

Starbucks Store®

Indonesia is the home of the world’s largest lizard — the Komodo dragon — and this blend of Asia Pacific coffees bears its name. Spicy, herbal and earthy with a full body, each sip of Komodo Dragon Blend™ evokes the lushness of Indonesia. Click here for price and more info...

More about this coffee: Indonesian coffees are known as the deep, stalwart elements of the coffee world. Komodo Dragon Blend— is wholly an Indonesian coffee.

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Origin Note: Some Asia Pacific coffees are known for their full body and rich, earthy flavors. Others possess herbal or spicy notes with a tangy crispness. Komodo Dragon Blend™ is a perfect balance of the region's complex and exotic characteristics.

Starbucks Coffee Colombia Nariño Supremo Caffeinated Whole Bean

Colombia Nariño Supremo Coffee

Starbucks Store®

Colombia Nariño Supremo is the best coffee we've tasted from this area of South America. Its nutty flavor and smooth body make it a longtime favorite. Click here for price and more info...

More about this coffee: The coffee cherries are grown and processed in the province of Nariño in Southwest Colombia - a precipitous landscape known for its breathtaking scenery and active volcanoes. Many Starbucks blends are enriched with Nariño's fine coffee.

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Origin Note: Coffees from Latin America are celebrated for their great balance, medium body and clean finish.

Coffee Plant

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Grow Your Own Beans!

Compact, 4-ft. plants with glossy leaves bear scented white blooms followed by scarlet fruits. Prefers filtered sunlight. Potted plants.

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Comments: Species is the major source of best quality coffee. Very easy to grow. Coffee beans are the seeds of the plants pulpy fruit. Variety stays dwarf, up to 4 feet tall.

Apply half strength fertilizer every other week. Pollinate by hand to ensure fruit set. Water twice a week and mist regularly. Will not produce fruit for 3-4 yrs.

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