The Coffee Plant
God certainly knew what he was doing when he created the coffee plant, didn’t he? This unassuming plant – tree for some – has brought so many people such pleasure. More than that, I am certain that it has spelled the difference between going insane and staying sane more than a million times around the globe.
So what is the coffee plant? I was talking to a friend the other day – yes he loves coffee – and it came up that he had never seen a coffee plant! I suddenly thought that maybe he is not alone. There might actually be people – especially those who live in urban areas – who have never seen one.
Here, feast your eyes on this wondrous plant that we all depend on.
There are different kinds of coffee plants although perhaps the two most known varieties are Arabica and Robusta. The difference? It is generally held that Robusta beans yield inferior tasting coffee and has higher caffeine content. As such, about 80 per cent of the world’s coffee plants are Arabica.
How old do you think a coffee plant has to be in order to yield usable beans? Around 3 to 4 years. Yes, it takes that long and even then, you have to wait till the beans turn from green to red. This could take several more months. Another piece of trivia about the coffee plant – it produces about 86 lbs (40 or so kilos) of oxygen a day. That makes the coffee plant a major oxygen contributor. Not only does it give pleasure, it also helps the environment!
Vietnamese Coffee
The other week, a friend of mine went to Vietnam for a weekend trip. Every one of my close friends go on trips, I look forward to their coming back because they normally bring presents. Not necessarily big expensive gifts but unique tokens of their destination. This time, she brought us some Vietnamese coffee.
She knows I am crazy about coffee – most any kind of coffee, in fact. When she presented the bag of beans to us, she was all excited about it. She was raving on and on about the aroma and how it would drive us coffeholics crazy. Skeptic me, I just said yes, ok, thank you, I’ll try it later, I’m busy – or something to that effect.
Of course, she couldn’t be stopped and went on to grind the beans. I had a short whiff and I was in love. I have never heard of Vietnamese coffee before then. I didn’t even know that they had a special kind of coffee beans. The smell was awesome – thick and strong yet creamy and sweet at the same time. I believe they call it mocha coffee beans.
The way it is brewed is quite particular as well. They have this tin strainer like things that you place the grinds in. You then need to place some hot water and the cover the tin and wait for the coffee to “brew.” The special thing about Vietnamese coffee is that they use condensed milk instead of sugar. The result is a very sweet and creamy concoction.
In this characteristic lies the coffee’s success and failure at the same time. If you are in the mood for something really sweet then you’d love Vietnamese coffee. On the other hand, if you prefer it black then I suggest you skip it.
As for me, I just had a huge tall glass with lots of ice.
Of Coffee Cups
I love coffee mugs/cups as much as I love coffee. One of my treasured childhood memories was my dad making his cup of coffee when he came home from work in the late afternoon. I would get a whiff of that aroma and get a glimpse of the humongous mug in his hands – I was in love. I was not allowed to drink coffee then, by the way, but those instances planted and nourished the seed within me.
To this day, I cannot go a day without at least a cup of coffee. I have also collected a lot of coffee cups along the way, each one having its own story that makes it all the more special.
I rotate the use of my coffee mugs. Which one I use depends on my mood. If I feel like drinking more than usual, I get my BIG mug. If I feel like reliving my college days, I get this mug that was given to me by a friend. If I am feeling a little classy, I use my Starbucks mug.
Right now, my cup of the moment is this quaint light brown one with “Old Glory” written on it. To be honest, I don’t know exactly why I feel like using it. Maybe because it’s the perfect size – it gives me my morning dose of caffeine. Maybe because the design is just nice to look at. Or maybe it fits my hand perfectly. I don’t know, but I sure love this mug!
Iced Coffee Not Hot?
Coffee is usually known to be best served when hot. But for the innovative and creative minds of coffee lovers, the prickly heat of seasons such as summer would get them to think of new ways to enjoy the usual hot beverage that opens the eyes of sleepy people. That has totally changed today in the world of coffee.
Everyone is aware of such new brews, especially for people who have tried out the cold Starbucks drinks like frappuccino and ice blends. These are clear examples of new ideas brought out in the market. To top it all off, they are hits in the regions and have made other coffee manufacturers and shops create their own drinks as well.
Hence the initial notion of coffee being solely good when hot has been slowly disintegrating. Hot or cold, coffee can be enjoyed depending on the preference and want of people who love to drink a good coffee brew.
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