COFFEE

tropical evergreen shrub belonging to the genus Coffea of the Rubiaceae, or madder, family; or its seeds, called beans; or the beverage made by brewing the roasted and ground beans with water. Coffee (Coffea arabica). Coffee may derive its name from the Arabic qahwah, but some etymologists connect it with the name Kaffa, a province in southwestern Ethiopia, reputedly its birthplace. Most of the 25 or more species of the coffee plant grow wild in the tropics of the Eastern Hemisphere. The earliest known and cultivated species is Coffea arabica (see photograph), the coffee shrub of Arabia; it is now cultivated mostly in Latin America. Coffea robusta, which originated in East Africa and the Congo River basin, is now widely cultivated in Africa and Madagascar. Both species are cultivated in Asia. In its wild state the coffee shrub is an evergreen bush 8 to 10 metres (26 to 33 feet) high. Its branches carry bouquets of small white flowers with a jasmine-like fragrance. The fruit, 15 to 18 millimetres (1/23/4 inch) long and red when mature, is called a cherry; it consists of a fleshy pulp and two seeds joined with even planes side by side. Each seed is protected by two coverings: a thin, hard endocarp and a fine membranous pellicle. The species C. arabica has given rise to a number of varieties, among which are maragogype, with bulky seeds; bourbon, appreciated for quality; and caturra, of exceptional quality and cultivated in Brazil and Colombia. The species C. robusta possesses greater strength and resistance to disease than C. arabica, yields more fruit, and adapts to warm, humid climates to which the C. arabica is not suited. The coffee beverage is consumed hot or cold by about one-third of the world's population, and its total consumption is larger than that of any other beverage except tea. A coffee beverage may be prepared from the roasted and ground coffee beans in various ways and using diverse apparatus, sometimes with filtration: grounds may be steeped in water in a pot or leached with water in a percolator; espresso coffee is made by forcing steam through powdered coffee in a special machine; a decoction may be made by boiling the grounds in water in a pot. Mild coffees are exclusively high-quality varieties of C. arabica, principally from Central and South America, excluding Brazil. The varieties obtained from Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Cameroon are related to this group. Brazilian coffees, known for their diversity, are also varieties of C. arabica, but they are characterized by less refined flavour and aroma than those of the mild group. Coffees of the C. robusta species are more neutral in taste and less aromatic than the C. arabica varieties, but are becoming more appreciated, particularly in the form of soluble coffee. Most coffee products are mixtures that combine the characteristics of different species and varieties, professionally blended to satisfy consumers' tastes. beverage brewed from the roasted and ground seeds of the tropical evergreen coffee plant of African origin. It is consumed either hot or cold by about one-third of the people in the world, in amounts larger than those of any other drink. Its popularity can be attributed to its invigorating effect, which is produced by caffeine, an alkaloid present in green coffee in amounts between 0.8 and 1.5 percent for the Arabica varieties and 1.6 to 2.5 percent for Robusta. Two species of the coffee plant, Coffea arabica and C. canephora, supply almost all of the world's consumption. Arabica coffee, which is divided between Brazilians and milds, is considered to brew a more flavourful and aromatic beverage than Robusta, the main variety of C. canephora. Arabicas are grown in Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Indonesia, while Robustas are grown mainly in Africa. Additional reading On the history of coffee, see Ralph S. Hattox, Coffee and Coffeehouses: The Origins of a Social Beverage in the Medieval Near East (1985). William H. Ukers, All About Coffee, 2nd ed. (1935, reissued 1976), offers an excellent view of coffee technology and production. Later sources include M.N. Clifford and K.C. Willson (eds.), Coffee: Botany, Biochemistry, and Production of Beans and Beverage (1985); R.J. Clarke and R. Macrae (eds.), Coffee, 2 vol. (198587), on chemistry and technology; Michael Sivetz and Norman W. Desrosier, Coffee Technology (1979), a comprehensive survey of roasted, soluble, and extracted coffees; and C.F. Marshall, The World Coffee Trade: A Guide to the Production, Trading, and Consumption of Coffee (1983). The Editors of the Encyclopdia Britannica