Coffee Is A Commodity
Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world.First discovered in the highlands of Ethiopia, other countries in the middle east, the Americas and Europe soon began demanding it.Coffee ranks second only to oil in the amount traded in dollars. The entire coffee growing region of the world is locating between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
Today there are a few places in the world that have turned coffee cultivation into an art form.While Brazil grows the highest volume of coffee in the world, Southeast Asia produces the most expensive coffee.It is called Kopi Lewak, and the ripest coffee beans are eaten by a Common Palm Civet and then passed through the digestive system.The outer shell of the beans is digested, but the inner bean is not. The beans are then picked up off the ground and processed. Coffee aficionados believe this to be the finest coffee in the world. It costs about 600 dollars a pound, or roughly 50 dollars a cup.
Lots of different blends and roasts of coffee are available.Some of the most popular are the dark rich roasts and of course decaffeinated.However there is a new trend emerging toward low acid coffees. Coffee beans contain tannic acid along with other acids. While these acids have benefits to the body, some people find them hard to digest, particularly those with acid reflux disease.Since acid softens tooth enamel dentists often recommend that patients limit their intake of coffee and tea. One of the finest low acid coffees on available is Tyler's Coffee. This wonderfully robust Arabica is roasted in Arizona with a state of the art process that produces a rich smooth coffee.Tyler's coffee was started by a very bright 13 year old boy in Tucson, Arizona.The company has since grown and today is producing one of the best low acid coffees available.
Coffee goes through an intensive process between being grown and being brewed. When coffee is grown the coffee pods are actually red in color, resembling cherries, and the plant is at least 3 years old.The cherry itself is not what the farmers are after however. Inside each cherry there are two coffee beans, similar to the way peanuts grow two to a shell.To prevent over fermenting the beans must be processed quickly after being picked.The most common process is called the "wet" process where the beans are washed and slightly fermented several times to get them out of there shell.
They are then sorted, bagged and sent to the roaster.The roasting process is the most important part of making coffee.It determines the flavor of the end product and it takes a very experienced roaster to turn out a fine coffee.By roasting, the raw coffee beans which were light green and bitter are now a dark flavorful bean ready to be brewed.
