Coffee please...

Coffee please...
This is the perfect start for our day. In fact, drinking coffee has become so addictive that some people can't get through the day without slurping atleast a cup of coffee in the morning and evening.

The History of Coffee

It is in the Ethiopian highlands, where the legend of Kaldi, originated, the coffee trees. It is said that he discovered coffee after noticing that his goats, upon eating berries from a certain tree, became so spirited that they did not want to sleep at night. Kaldi dutifully reported his findings to the abbot of the local monastery who made a drink with the berries and discovered that it kept him alert for the long hours of evening prayer.  Soon the abbot had shared his discovery with the other monks at the monastery, and ever so slowly knowledge of the energizing effects of the berries began to spread.  As word moved east and coffee reached the Arabian peninsula, it began a journey which would spread its reputation across the globe. 

The Arabian Peninsula

The Arabs were the first, not only to cultivate coffee but also to begin its trade.  By the fifteenth century, coffee was being grown in the Yemeni district of Arabia and by the sixteenth century it was known in Persia, Egypt, Syria and Turkey.  Coffee was not only drunk in homes but also in the many public coffee houses which began to appear in cities across the Near East. The popularity of the coffee houses was unequaled and people frequented them for all kinds of social activity. In fact, they quickly became such an important center for the exchange of information that the coffee houses were often referred to as 'Schools of the Wise.'  With thousands of pilgrims visiting the holy city of Mecca each year from all over the world, word of the 'wine of Araby' as the drink was often called, was beginning to spread far beyond Arabia. In an effort to maintain its complete monopoly in the early coffee trade, the Arabians continued to closely guard their coffee production. 

Entry of Coffee to India

Baba Budan lived in the 17th century went to Arabia to perform the 'Hajj', which is a pilgrimage to Mecca. On the way back, he came via Yemen. There he encountered a strange drink that the Arabs living there made. They made it by roasting and grinding the beans of a particular plant, and then brewing the powder in water. It was coffee! When he tasted coffee, he was so excited that he wanted to take it back with him to India. But trade in coffee was tightly controlled by the Arabs. They wouldn't let anyone take seeds out to plant in their own country; they could only take the roasted beans. Baba Budan managed to get hold of seven beans, which he hid among the folds of his long robes. As he was a very saintly man, few people thought of suspecting him. He left Yemen through the port of Mocha (from where the coffee by that name comes) and came back to Chikmagalur. He planted the beans - and luckily they grew ! 

Coffee has been enjoyed by South Indians ever since the time of Baba Budan. Even today, the best coffee beans are said to come from coffee estates of Baba Budan Giri, a small range of hills in Chikmagalur district. South Indians like to enjoy their coffee prepared by the 'filter method'. In this, a two-part vessel called a coffee filter is used. Roasted coffee powder is put in the upper chamber, and hot water is poured over it. The water dissolves the coffee and drips through the pores in the upper vessel into the lower one. The dark liquid that collects in it is called the 'decoction', which is mixed with hot milk and sugar and served.

In a survey conducted by Public relations company, Pressat, the top 5 professions that drink the most coffee have been revealed which are listed in decreasing order of coffee consumption as follows: 

1. Journalists & media staff
2. Police officers
3. Teachers
4. Plumbers and trade workers
5. Medical staff

Coffee, of course, is actually a super food filled with disease-fighting antioxidants. But while a reasonable amount can provide some health benefits and boost focus and productivity, in excess, it can actually cause jitters and anxiety, and lead to poor sleep quality. People who take in a minimum of 3 cup of coffee per day can trigger headache, fatigue, depressed mood, lack of concentration, muscle pain and marked irritation. 

I always used to have a cup of coffee together with my colleague on every day. The thing to be noted is that we used to have it exactly on 3 pm. It keeps us alert and bring a freshness to teach the students and to do other works. But if this continues up to 4 cups a day, then I am sure that I will be addicted to that. The effects of the caffeine stay with us for at least six hours, and caffeine is addictive. In short, caffeine is a drug that people don't think is addicting. 

Even though people are aware of the bad effects of coffee, they are not able to stop it. Loving coffee and drinking it is not a bad habit, but making a self awareness about it's impact is better.