Coffee: It's the Shit.

[Loompa Lord]

[b]COFFEE[/b]
[media]http://www.wilkinsonsofnorwich.com/Images/Uploads/US%20Pics/gall.6.coffee.beans.jpg[/media]

There must be some avid coffee drinkers on facepunch, so if you are one of those people, you may enjoy this nice little crumb of information.

So as I sat down this morning with my steaming hot cup of coffee, I thought to myself, "where the fuck does this delicious beverage come from?"
Well, I'll tell you all where this delicious beverage comes from!

[b]First let's begin with its early history shall we[/b]?

It is widely believed that coffee berry consumption first began in Ethiopia, but it wasn't until spreading to Arabia that coffee started being roasted and brewed in an actual beverage.
It's consumption soon spread through most of the middle-eastern world, Turkey, Europe, and finally to the Americas.

If you didn't already know, Coffee comes from ground up seeds found inside berries, which contain the coffee bean, and are produced by several species of small evergreen bush, also known as the coffee plant from genus "Coffea".
The plant itself is actually native to South Asia and Africa, but due to widespread trade, it is now cultivated in many other countries.
Here's the top ten producers today:
[media]http://coffee-importers.com/images/stories/top_ten_producers.jpg[/media]
[QUOTE=]
Coffee is an important export commodity. In 2004, coffee was the top agricultural export for 12 countries,[7] and in 2005, it was the world's seventh-largest legal agricultural export by value.[8]
[/QUOTE]
[b]Here's a picture of the plant itself[/b]:
[media]http://www.nikdaum.com/kauai/kau24.jpg[/media]
[QUOTE=]
In 1583, Leonhard Rauwolf, a German physician, gave this description of coffee after returning from a ten-year trip to the Near East:[15]
“ A beverage as black as ink, useful against numerous illnesses, particularly those of the stomach. Its consumers take it in the morning, quite frankly, in a porcelain cup that is passed around and from which each one drinks a cupful. It is composed of water and the fruit from a bush called bunnu.[/QUOTE]
There are many types of harvested coffee berries, and they all range in flavor, strength, and cost. (especially for less desirable types of berry)
If you were to open your cupboard right now for some coffee beans, chances are they are of the two most common types.
[b]These are[/b]:
"Coffea robusta"(also known as "canephora")
and
"Coffea arabica"
The other types include: excelsa, racemosa, stenophylla, mauritiana, and liberica. (as mentioned before, these types are apparently less common)

Coffee is most commonly brewed by grinding the roasted beans, and boiling with water.
Its concentration of Caffeine within the bean itself attributes to the "boost in energy" when consumed.

[b]Here's a General Chart of Caffeine content[/b]:(just found it on wiki):
[QUOTE=]
* Drip coffee: 115–175 mg (560–850 mg/L)
* Espresso: 185 mg (2000 mg/L)
* Brewed/Pressed: 80–135 mg (390–650 mg/L)
* Instant: 65–100 mg (310–480 mg/L)
* Decaf, brewed: 3–4 mg
* Decaf, instant: 2–3 mg
[/QUOTE]
It has widely been thought that the caffeine in coffee caused an array of negative health effects. Most of these allegations have been disproved.
[QUOTE=]
Coffee consumption has been shown to have minimal or no impact, positive or negative, on cancer development;[72] however, researchers involved in an ongoing 22-year study by the Harvard School of Public Health state that "the overall balance of risks and benefits [of coffee consumption] are on the side of benefits."[72] Various other studies have shown apparent reductions in the risks of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, heart disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, cirrhosis of the liver,[73] and gout. A longitudinal study in 2009 showed that moderate drinkers of coffee (3-5 cups per day) had lower chances of developing dementia, in addition to Alzheimer's disease [74]. It increases the risk of acid reflux and associated diseases.[75] Some health effects of coffee are due to its caffeine content, as the benefits are only observed in those who drink caffeinated coffee while others appear to be due to other components.[76] For example, the antioxidants in coffee prevent free radicals from causing cell damage.[77]
[/QUOTE]
Not only is coffee delicious, but it has a pretty relevant social aspect behind it, at least in my own opinion.
For me, there has always been a huge social aspect in having coffee throughout the day. When I'm out with my girlfriend, I love to enjoy a cigarette with a cup of hot coffee and just talk about the obscure randomness of our day.

[b]Even Dave Mustaine of Megadeth has his own personal views on coffee.[/b]
Hell, the guy even has his own signature brand that he distributes under fair trade law. (courtesy of FP member "OutOfExile" for bringing this to my attention.)
[media]http://www.larevistadehank.com.ar/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/mustaingold1.jpg[/media]

And last but not least, here's some interesting coffee art for you to enjoy:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjvwPhN7EBs[/media]

Hope you guys enjoyed it.

[b]Edit:[/b]
Sorry to those of you who can't stand coffee, although I really don't know how one could disagree with its history.

[JesterUK]

I fucking love Coffee

[Pandamobile]

I could never drink coffee every day. It's way too bitter for me. Even with a mountain of sugar in it.

[gerbils_alt]

(coffee) Drinker since 1995 bro. And i was born in 1993.

[nVidia]

Brazil sure produces some coffee compared to the rest of the world.

[PolygonLarry]

Whilst I do enjoy coffee, tea is the way to go.

[gerbils_alt]

[QUOTE=MelonGuy;17499070]Whilst I do enjoy coffee, tea is the way to go.[/QUOTE]

This thread showed up as I finished making a cup of tea.

[radioactive]

Decaff, a dash of milk, 2 sugars please.

[GMOD ftw]

I usually get a triple triple from Tim Hortons

[Loompa Lord]

One large cup, one sugar. That's how I prepare mine.

[venn178]

Starbucks :h:

[Epidemick]

I only drink Tea if I mix it with milk.
Even then, I prefer coffee.

[editline]07:48PM[/editline]

[QUOTE=GMOD ftw;17499108]I usually get a triple triple from Tim Hortons[/QUOTE]

I miss Tim Hortons

[Billiam]

[QUOTE=MelonGuy;17499070]Whilst I do enjoy coffee, tea is the way to go.[/QUOTE]

I agree.

[Strongbow]

I hate it. My mother is also allergic to it.

[Loompa Lord]

[QUOTE=Billiam;17499166]I agree.[/QUOTE]

I enjoy both really, but I like to alternate back and forth between the two.

[BricknHead]

if you drink it in any way other than black you're a fucking pansy.

[QUOTE=venn178;17499132]Starbucks :h:[/QUOTE]

no.

[bobste]

that video was pretty cool

[Lighting]

I used to drink coffee until one day I puked right after a small cup of it.
Now I can only drink tea :sigh:

[Jallen]

Coffee, Tastes like shit.

[toxicpiano]

I prefer tea.

[Goatham]

[QUOTE=venn178;17499132]Starbucks :h:[/QUOTE]

Starbucks is a rip off. 5 dollars for a cup of diarrhea.

[nVidia]

I like beer, actually drinking some now.

[Kamikaze]

I prefer drinking Green tea in the morning. But when I do drink coffee, I have it only one way.

[b]Black[/b]

[OvB]

I drink coffee every morning to wake me up before school.

[DiscoBiscuit]

I hate how it tastes but I drink it anyway for some reason.

[ketchup]

[QUOTE=Kamikaze;17499265]I prefer drinking Green tea in the morning. But when I do drink coffee, I have it only one way.

[b]Black[/b][/QUOTE]

Racist.

[DeandreT]

Tea is too plain for me Coffee Is the way to go:smug:

[{FP}ST]

Pfffft

You people are pathetic. I drink my awesome version of tea.

3/4 tea (Red Rose)
1/4 milk
2 teaspoons of sugar

Better than any coffee you maggots will ever drink. :smug:

[Killy_Mcgee]

[b]turkish coffee ft fucking w bitches.
Mmmmmmm, makes espresso taste like shit.
Fuck bitches. Get beans.[/b]

[bobste]

[QUOTE={FP}ST;17499373]Pfffft

You people are pathetic. I drink my awesome version of tea.

3/4 tea (Red Rose)
1/4 milk
2 teaspoons of sugar

Better than any coffee you maggots will ever drink. :smug:[/QUOTE]

wrong as usual