Coffee, the universally loved beverage evoking emotions of happiness and energy, comes from the berries of the plant whose origins trace back to the tropical African countries of Madagascar and Ethiopia.
When most people think of coffee, they think of the fine, rich brew made from roasted coffee beans. However, the plant has many benefits.
The Coffee Plant
Coffee is brewed from roasted berries of the coffee plant. Two main varieties are used for this purpose: C. Arabica and C. Robusta. Once the berries are ripe, they are picked and roasted to varying degrees depending on the blend desired.Surprising facts about the coffee plant
Coffee has many interesting characteristics that you may gloss over in favor of the types of beverages available in your nearby cafe. It can be made whenever the word is brought up. People might be surprised to know that coffee plants are actually coffee trees; they are regularly pruned to keep them at a height conducive to farming.
Making a hot cup of coffee might seem like a mechanical exercise, but a lot of thought and planning goes into growing coffee and harvesting the beans. What people may not know is that the part of the coffee plant that provides the delicious brew is the seeds of the fruit.
Fruit ripens at different times, and it needs to be picked at just the right moment to ensure proper taste. Overripe cherries have a tart and unpleasant taste, which completely ruin the coffee-drinking experience.
Coffee plants take a while to grow and mature. A proper maturing process takes about 5 years. Once they start fruiting, they will produce coffee for about twenty years.
There are many coffee plants, but the two main varieties with economic value are C. Arabica and C. Robusta. As the name suggests, the Robusta variety is very robust and hardy. It imparts a slightly more bitter flavor than the Arabica version but has significantly higher levels of caffeine.
The Arabica variety has a smoother and richer taste, which is why premium coffee brands tout that their coffee is 100% Arabica. Although the smooth taste of Arabica is favored worldwide, the caffeine content is much lower than that of other varieties.
That makes Arabica less of a favorite when a full-body, strong coffee experience is desired. Conversely, Robusta is perfect for such uses and is preferred when making Italian espresso and similar beverages.
Although Arabica and Robusta are the most important varieties of coffee, economically speaking, the coffee plant has a wide range of varieties that can be used for many other purposes. It can be used medically as a source of plant-based medicine.
In the modern world, we take drinking coffee for granted. Can’t make your own? No problem, just nip down to the nearest coffee shop of choice and walk out with a steaming cup of coffee. One might wonder who discovered the energizing effects of this intriguing plant.
Legend has it that a herder in present-day Ethiopia discovered that his goats' energy levels rose significantly after chewing the red berries of a strange plant.
He then showed it to some monks, who brewed a beverage out of it to try to stay awake during evening activities. It worked very well, and toffee as a beverage was born.
The coffee bean is so economically important that people tend to forget that the coffee plant has other valuable uses. Research into the medicinal aspects of the plant has given surprising results.
One study found that “tea” brewed from the leaves of the coffee plant is healthier than any other form of tea. The leaves contain chemicals that have beneficial effects on human health. Tea helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels and reduces the risk of heart attack.
Studies have also found that the coffee plant contains antioxidants that positively affectealth, which could prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
In fact, it has been shown that having 2-3 cups of coffee a day prevents depression and lessens suicide risk antioxidants who are prone to mental problems.
Green coffee has many benefits that roasted coffee doesn’t. Many essential elements the coffee plant imparts to the cherries get lost in roasting.
A beneficial chemical called chlorogenic acid (CGA) is lost during roasting. CGA has strong anti-oxidant properties that are beneficial for health. It boosts metabolism and helps maintain a healthy weight.
