A little of the history of coffee

Coffee - kind of small evergreen trees or shrubs of the family Rubiaceae. Reach 12 meters in height. Leaves entire, leathery, dark green.

The flowers are regular shape, both sexes, white with a long tube and a separate five-limb collected for 3 - 7 in the leaf axils. The fruits kostochkoobraznye, more or less juicy, red or black and blue size of a large cherry. Each has two flattened fruit seeds, so-called coffee beans. Flowering and fruiting starts from the 4th, 5th year.

One year tree gives about 1 kg of grains. There are more than fifty species of coffee. It is widespread in the tropics, mainly in Arabia, Africa, Asia and South America.

One of the most famous coffee - Arabian, a drink made from beans which first began to be used by people. In the 16th - 17th century Arabia was the only country to grow coffee. In the first half of the 17th century began to drink coffee consumed in Europe.

In the 18th century, the coffee tree transported to America. Seeds are coffee sugar, protein and tannin, fatty oils, organic acids, and 0.8 - 2.43% (depending on the variety) caffeine.

Seeds for coffee beans are roasted for 25 - 30 minutes at 180 - 200 degrees Celsius, after which they acquire their taste, flavor and a pleasant brown color. Coffee also called coffee beans and drink which is produced from them.