A bad day with Coffee is better than a good day without it

Coffee is the most sought-after commodity in the world, second only to crude oil. Every year, 400 billion cups of coffee are consumed. Coffee consumption is quite likely to continue for a very long time because Coffee is the favourite drink in the world.

Our beloved Coffee; Source: Pexels

A bad day with Coffee is better than a good day without it” as said by coffee lovers, Coffee has become a popular beverage in India, with around two 120,000 tons of consumption per year. Researchers state that coffee has numerous health advantages, potential to boost energy, support weight loss, improve athletic performance, and protect against chronic diseases. Consuming coffee before exercise may improve physical performance and endurance. With the number of coffee drinkers on the rise, let's learn more about where coffee came from and how it travelled to India.

In 700 AD, Goat herder Kaldi a goat herder from Ethiopia first discovered the potential of these beloved beans, when he noticed that his goats were acting strangely after eating the berries from a certain tree. They were enjoying the moment, which was not at all normal. After discovering this magical fruit, he reported this to the monk of the local monastery, who made the drink with the berries and was overjoyed to discover something that would help him pray all night. They attempted to preserve the beans in an ewer filled with hot water after taking them from the fire and pressing them to eliminate the embers. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee drew in even more monks. The monks noticed the elevating effects for themselves after taking it.

About 1000 years after Christ, it was the Arabs who first started the roasting and grinding of coffee beans to brew them with hot water. They were also the first to plant coffee trees and establish their first plantations in Yemen. Coffee has travelled a long, successful, and fascinating journey from the discovery of the first specimen of Coffee Arabica to its now refined avatar, the Italian Espresso.

Coffee was introduced to the hilltops of India in the mid to late 1700s. It is believed that an Indian pilgrim, Baba Budan on his return from Mecca had smuggled seven beans back to India from Yemen, in 1670 as it was illegal to take coffee seeds out of Arabia at the time. He planted them in the Chandragiri hills of Karnataka. The Dutch, who had occupied much of India throughout the 17thcentury helped spread the cultivation of coffee across the country, but it was with the arrival of the British in the mid-nineteenth century that commercial coffee farming fully flourished In India.

Initially, it was the Arabica been which was widespread, but huge infestations of coffee leaf led many farms to switch to Robusta or Arabica/Liberica hybrids. Chikamagalur, a lesser-known, charming hill village, became the first recorded spot in India to plant coffee for commercial purposes. Coffee was grown long before tea, primarily in Northern India. This is a little-known fact because India is recognised as a tea-drinking country, with outstanding tea gardens in Darjeeling, Bengal, and Assam.

Since the turn of the 20th century, coffee has become the most popular and favourite beverage among individuals. Plantations across South India went on to produce a variety of blends like Special Peaberry, Special A, Arabica, Robusta, etc., to suit the tastes of people from various regions eventually making coffee the Soul of South India.

Today the state of Karnataka accounts for over 65% of the total coffee production, with Tamil Nadu contributing to about 15% and Kerala accounting for around 20%. From goat-herders to creative baristas, the legacy of coffee is ongoing and this beverage has become so popular that it is consumed by millions of people every day all over the world.

Coffee is the most sought-after commodity in the world, second only to crude oil. Every year, 400 billion cups of coffee are consumed. Coffee consumption is quite likely to continue for a very long time.