A cup of coffee

Coffee is very popular beverage. But I am one of that minority who does not drink it. Still I find its smell quite nice. Just type the word coffee in Google and you'll get 285 million results. Coffee has a long history. It's estimated that coffee growing started in the 9th century in the southwestern Ethiopian province of Kefa, from which it may have got its name. Later it spread to Egypt, Europe and further in the world. Word coffee comes from Arabic Qah'va and old Turkish Kahve which originally meant wine or liquors. That is why it's first known in Europe as „Arab wine“.
Around 6.7 million tonnes of coffee are produced each year. Coffee is grown commercially in over 45 countries Brazil is the biggest producer of coffee.
Coffee is a main source of caffeine, a stimulant. A typical cup (about 207 ml) of coffee contains 80-140 milligrams of caffeine. For all those athletes who maybe read this post it could be useful to know that caffeine is on the International Olympic Committee list of prohibited substances. Athletes who test positive for more than 12 micrograms of caffeine per milliliter of urine may be banned from the Olympic Games. This level may be reached after drinking about 5 cups of coffee.
Coffee and health. There is no definitive opinion wheather coffee benefits our health. Still some scientific reports have been made. As to the University of California steam rising from a cup of coffee contains the same amounts of antioxidants as three oranges. By the way, antioxidants are substances which prevents cancer and heart disease. Some scientists claim that especially decaffeinated coffee helps in fight with some kind of diabetes.
How to prepare a good cup of coffee? In Turkey they have a proverb about it. It's said that "Coffee should be black as hell, strong as death, and as sweet as love."
In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family's pot filled with coffee.
Most people add some sugar in their cup of coffee. This tradition has started in the 18th century in court of French King Louis the14th.
Many famous persons loved coffee. Great composer Ludwig Van Beethoven had a strange habit about it. He insisted that his coffee has to be made of exactly 60 coffee beans... Oh yes, listen to this...The 18th century emperor Frederick II of Prussia, or Frederick the Great as he's alsow know, had his coffee made with champagne and a bit of mustard.
Raw coffee beans, soaked in water and spices, are chewed like candy in many parts of Africa.
One of the most popular coffee beverages is Italian espresso. Espresso is made by forcing very hot, but not boiling, water under high pressure through coffee that has been ground to a consistency between extremely fine and powder.
I hope you found this post interesting. See you tomorrow. Have a lovely day. Bye!!!