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The Conquest of Coffee

The Conquest of Coffee. A boy and his goats…. Legend has it that coffee was originally discovered by a shepherd boy in Ethiopia. He discovered his goats frolicking around and eating some mysterious bushes. He tried the berries on the bushes, and soon was frolicking with them.

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The Conquest of Coffee

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  1. The Conquest of Coffee

  2. A boy and his goats… • Legend has it that coffee was originally discovered by a shepherd boy in Ethiopia. He discovered his goats frolicking around and eating some mysterious bushes. He tried the berries on the bushes, and soon was frolicking with them. • At first leaves and berries just chewed • Brewed tea, ground berries and mixed them with animal fat • 16th century, dried, roasted and brewed

  3. All about coffee… • Coffee is the most valuable crop after oil • Worlds most widely taken psychoactive drug • Has been used as aphrodisiac, nerve tonic, life extender, other health benefits, Arab-Sufi monks used it for midnight prayers • Comes from qahwa→ Arab word for wine • $80 bil. spent globally on coffee in all forms • 2 mil. C. cup drunk daily in the world

  4. A little history • Discovered in what is now Ethiopia • 15th century spread by Muslim pilgrims throughout Muslim world • Muslim pilgrim smuggled seeds out and cultivated them in India • Dutch transplanted a tree in Holland • From there, Sumatra, Celebes, Timor, Bali, East Indies • 17th century, coffee in Japan→ Dutch merchant • Early 18th century introduced to Latin America

  5. A little more history… • Coffee industry got going in U.S after civil war, when first industrial roaster was created • 1689→first American coffeehouse • Industrial revolution made transportation, communication and marketing easier with new resources • Coffee fueled prohibition, “When there’s such a drink as this, Liquor never need we miss. All it’s virtues we repeat: Coffee! Coffee! That’s the treat!” • 1950s coffee is the beverage of choice for America • Coffee consumption faded with Baby Boomers, favored soft-drinks

  6. The coffee tree • Bush/tree with Berries • Takes 4-5 years to develop • Produces 5lbs berries (1 lb beans) • Produces several times/yr • Self-pollinating allows for mono-crop, no need for bees • Arabica-3000-6000 ft. temps around 70°F, never above 80°F, never freezing, lots of rain-more flavorful than lower grown beans • More sought after • Robusta-unknown until end of 19thcentury • Lesser quality • Climate or region determines coffee prosperity • Brazil’s frosts • Flower delicacy- can ruin entire crop

  7. The Process

  8. The Bean

  9. Substitutes, decaf… • Some additives include chicory, almonds, asparagus seeds and stems, baked horse liver, coal ashes, carrot, cocoa hulls, cranberries, dirt, dog biscuits, lentils, lupine…. • Post- grain based substitute • Decaf- four varieties in Madagascar- too bitter • Decaffeination process- extracted caffeine with high powered steam and solvent benzol • Followed by a brand which claimed no chemical usage

  10. …And instant… • During WWI- refined by German George Washington brewed coffee crystals→ used by army→ cuppa ”George” • Maxwell House and Nestlé • 1952- 17% of U.S coffee was instant

  11. …Caffeine… • Produced by plants as natural insecticide • Liver treats caffeine as poison→ tries to dismantle it→ some molecules reach brain • Caffeine molecules block natural chemical- adenosine- from brain, which usually slows things down, lets us sleep regularly, when blocked, we stay alert artificially • Also adenosine receptors in other parts of body→ heart, beats faster, constricts some blood vessels, causes certain muscle to contract more easily • Diuretic→ sm. amounts of protein end up in urine→ possible bone loss→ dangerous for elderly women with low calcium intake

  12. Possible health risks… • German doctors claimed it caused still births and sterility • English doctors claimed it aided digestion, headaches, coughs, consumption, dropsy, gout, scurvy and prevented miscarriages • In Reality- not even proven to stunt growth • Mild addiction

  13. All about coffee… • “Wherever it has been introduced it has spelled revolution. It has been the world’s most radical drink in that its function is always to make people think. And when they begin to think, they become dangerous to tyrants” • Coffee and coffeehouses have been banned throughout history because of the threat they pose to governments and religions • French revolution born in the coffeehouse

  14. Coffee and politics • Coffee quickly became a profitable crop • Latin American countries increased their dependence on it as they produced more and more • Were importing necessary crops • Vulnerable to “Boom and Bust” • “Land Reforms” in Guatemala • Repression of indigenous people

  15. War and Depression • Both of the World Wars affected coffee producing countries • Europe closed to trade • Unable to switch crops- coffee is long-term • Great Depression- • 26 mil. Bags of coffee in warehouses in Brazil- 1 mil. more than was consumed globally previous year • Government meant to burn surplus- some alternatives- bricks, flour, oil, caffeine, perfume • Traded U.S coffee for flour (only imported 1/8 flour needed)- this put an embargo on flour exports to Brazil • No work, no land to work- farmers were desperate • No work= no money= no schools, food, health care • Revolts and massacres in hard times

  16. …The workers… • Coffee started in slavery • Imported Europeans to Latin America • Today, average field worker in Latin America makes $3/day • In U.S we spend $3 on a cup of coffee • Farmers reduced to laborers by corporations (many foreign owned by countries such as U.S)

  17. …The environment… • Sun vs. Shade • Sun method- depletes soil • Requires slash and burn • Erosion on hill sides • Temporary • Helps with pest control • Shade- habitat for migratory birds • Maintains soil, no erosion • Protects ecosystem

  18. …More environment… • Harvesting, wet vs. dry • Dry(Brazil)-all berries, buds and leaves stripped onto tarps, dried- if not spread thinly, ferment inside skins→ all berries are together, can sit too long • Wet (Central America)-Invented in W. indies→ RIPE beans are hand picked, popped by machine, fermented in water for 48 hours where mucilage loosens and is then removed by sending beans down water filled troughs, then sun or artificially dried and hand sorted→ waste can be used as fertilizer, or if sent down stream, causes pollution

  19. Fair Trade-Removes middle men-assures farmer a stable and just price

  20. …What’s in your cup… • Fair Trade promotes organic and sustainable agriculture • Promotes cooperatives • Promotes fair living conditions • Promotes community

  21. San Lucas Tolimán • 115 families from the village of Chitulul175 families from San Lucas Tolimán9 families from San Juan La Laguna11 families from Pampojilá2 families from the village of San Martín 1 family from the village of Panimaquip2 families from the village of San Gabriel

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