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Coffee - What's The Big Deal?

It is amazing that this mere beverage has been able to generate such a wealth of romantic tales. On it other face, it also is behind a hard driving business model that affects almost all continents around the world. It is truly a wonder. From its humble beginnings to the current pedestal it sits upon, this pungent and dark liquid has enriched, fascinated, cured and enthralled people the world over.

What are the origins of the coffee plant? We have found in our research that the most reliable histories will say that Ethiopia is the origin of using this plant around 500 BC. As it grew in popularity people noted the stimulating side affects from consuming the plants berries. This observation was what motivated weary travelers to bring it with them to Arabia. It is here that it acquired the name.

The Renaissance not only gave birth the arts and sciences but also to the growing production and distribution world wide of this new hedonistic drink. It was in the late 18th century that both plantations and drinking popularity now would spread around the world and across the ocean to both South and North America. People of every class and race were consuming this beverage.

Over the course of the following centuries the health effects that were due to coffee certainly can seem miraculous. Lets find out some of the real facts based upon scientific research. A study from Harvard followed over 100,000 individuals for almost 20 years they came to the conclusion that general to moderate use of coffee products will assist diabetics. Other studies show that male sperm swims faster, longer and thus farther in liquids laced with coffee. These speedy sperm are being stimulated by the caffeine kick we all love.

As with wine, the antioxidants in coffee have been touted as helping keep hearts healthier, though debates rage about whether the pros outweigh the cons. Coffee is a diuretic and encourages more frequent urination, and some assert that the stimulation from caffeine leads to long term nerve degeneration. Caffeine withdrawal can lead to increased sleeplessness. And, caffeine is a natural insecticide.

What ever side you come down on in this debate coffee is here to stay. Just the sheer economics alone will guarantee that. As a commodity coffee is second only to oil. You will find it exchanges in New York, Hong Kong, London to Lima. There are currently over 500 billion cups of coffee consumed each year. Called 'black gold' we see it only growing in popularity. While in most cases adults drink only one or more cups daily, retail sales hovers near the $12 billion level annually.

Add to those figures the number of raw beans, grinders, roasters, brewers and cups bought for the home and the figures become astounding. With the rise in both basic commodity and specialty retail prices, the future for coffee businesses continues to look bright. Starbucks alone has over 10,000 outlets around the world.

And specialty coffee shops are not the only outlet for a wide choice of blends and styles. Home roasters and brewers also can enjoy espresso, invented in 1901 and growing ever since. Straight shots, long shots or double shots are a snap now with home machines.

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