Coffee 101 - Everything You Need To Know About Coffee

Coffee is one of the most important products on a global scale.

From the coffee tables of Taiwanese cafes to the sunny terraces of Gibraltar, people drink this beverage on various occasions and for various reasons. But it’s not only a beverage. It’s a strong facilitator of social interactions and a powerful productivity tool, business-wise. Every cup of coffee sold also means more money in the local or national budget.

Now that we’ve described the impact and importance of bean juice, let’s have a deeper look into its characteristics.

Different types, different tastes

The two main classes of coffee are Robusta and Arabica.

Robusta has wider but shorter beans, which release a more intensive flavor. Also, Robusta contains more caffeine than its counterpart, which makes it great for stronger coffee-based beverages, such as instant coffee and espresso. When you’re having your espresso, remember that the thick crema at the top is there thanks to Robusta.

Arabica beans, on the other hand, are longer and thinner than the Robusta ones. They have less caffeine and a milder, less intense flavor. As such, they’re commonly used for softer drinks containing coffee, such as cappuccino.

In coffee blends, Arabica and Robusta are used in different ratios. Arabica is usually the blend base, while the share of Robusta depends on the manufacturer’s production goals in terms of bitterness, crema level, and overall aroma.

Benefits of coffee for the mind and body

At the beginning of this article, we mentioned work productivity in relation to coffee intake.

The study “Productivity Through Coffee Breaks” has shown that employees who had several coffee breaks a day had higher productivity peaks than their colleagues without such breaks.

Also, coffee is good for the liver because it accelerates different processes in the body, plus it can improve your metabolism.

All these are caused by caffeine, which increases the adrenaline level and speeds up the heart rate, ultimately causing faster blood circulation throughout the body. Caffeine boosts the production of dopamine, which makes us feel happier and more satisfied.

With that in mind, it’s important to know that people can easily get hooked on caffeine. When this happens, you’ll likely start drinking more and more of it to achieve the same level of energy and motivation. Unfortunately, excessive caffeine intake – more than 400 mg a day – can lead to restlessness and sleep disorders. Also, people suffering from high blood pressure should limit their caffeine intake.

There are alternatives, as well, to caffeine from coffee. On the one hand, you can have decaf coffee if you want to avoid caffeine. On the other hand, you can get caffeine from energy drinks in case you want more of it.

In a nutshell: for a healthy person, a reasonable amount of coffee each day brings numerous benefits, so go for it.

Geographic distribution and production

Coffee is perhaps the most common commodity in the world. Still, its production is restricted to several areas around the equator. This coffee bean belt includes parts of the Americas, Africa, and Asia.

It goes from El Salvador in Central America to central Brazil, from the Sahel to South Africa, and from southern India and China to southern Indonesia. Some isolated coffee-growing areas are Hawaii and the southernmost part of The Arabian Peninsula.

Coffee beans thrive in these areas because they like a warm climate with substantial precipitation. The temperature range in all these areas stays between 70° and 85°F (21° and 29°C) for most of the year.

Also, some of the regions in this belt – such as parts of Ethiopia and Costa Rica – are placed at high elevation. These geographical conditions play an important role in the quality of coffee beans – the higher the altitude, the harder the beans.

The takeaway

Coffee might be bitter for the taste buds, but it’s sweet for the mind and the body. It comes in dozens of blends and types grown and produced in different parts of the world. Each of them has its own flavor, texture, and specific level of bitterness.

No matter if you’re a true coffee lover or you drink it for practical purposes, we hope this article helped you understand the basics of this beverage.