Cuisinart Coffee Makers

A coffee bean is the seed of the coffee plant (the pit inside the red or purple fruit). Even though they are seeds, they are referred to as 'beans' because of their resemblance. Coffee beans contain 0.8 - 2.5 % caffeine, which is one of the main reasons the plants are cultivated. As coffee is one of the world's most widely consumed beverages, coffee beans are a major cash crop, and an important export product for some countries. It is considered a regularly consumed beverage in the United States - as popular as soft drinks and even water - and because of the volume consumed, it is there that coffee is highest in demand.

Cultivation of the coffee bean originated in Ethiopia, in approximately 850 C.E. Farming of the coffee plant then spread to Arabia, where it was first mentioned in writing around 900 C.E. The Arabians guarded it carefully, but some plants were eventually smuggled out to the Dutch, who kept a few plants for gardens in the Netherlands.

The Americas were first introduced to the plants around 1723. South America is now responsible for over 50% of the world's total coffee production.

There are many types of coffee such as Coffea arabica, Coffea benghalensis, Coffea canephora, Coffea congensis, Coffea excelsa, Coffea gallienii, Coffea bonnieri, Coffea mogeneti, Coffea liberica, and Coffea stenophylla. The seeds of different species produce coffee with slightly different characteristics.

There are two main types of coffee beans: Coffea Arabica (more commonly referred to as "Arabica ") and Coffea Canephora (Robusta). These two types make up over 90% of coffee beans sold worldwide. Arabica typically produce higher quality coffees, while Robusta are more economically favorable for their heartiness.

Because environmental factors deeply affect the flavor of the beans, they are usually identified not by type but by geographic location.

The coffee tree averages from 15–30 ft. in height. As the tree gets older, it branches less and less and bears more leaves and fruit. The tree typically begins to bear fruit 3–5 years after being planted, and continues to produce from 10-20 more, depending on the type of plant and the area.

Coffee plants are grown in rows several feet apart. Some farmers plant fruit trees around them or plant the coffee on the sides of hills, because they need specific conditions to flourish. They require a warm climate (but not too hot, either) and at least 70 inches of rainfall year. Heavy rain is needed in the beginning of the season when the fruit is developing, and less later in the season as it ripens. The harvesting period can be anywhere from three weeks to three months, and in some places the harvesting period continues all year round.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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