The Maldivian Coffee culture and its Hisotry

Going for a COFFEE to drink a REDBULL!

Coffees, in Maldives well know as something people drink to stay awake.
May be me a guy from a remote island thinks about coffee is “No sleeping pills”. But this was until I met my lavish and expert coffee lover in one of the café in Male.

We all know that coffee is something so popular among the young crowd in Maldives and it’s something that we cannot live without. Believe me or not- I discovered it after I met my friend. Sitting with his Gang members with a grim smile he told me “We cannot live without coffee” while drinking a “RED BULL”.

Another friend said “We love coffee than our families”. That may be true, because recent polls showed that 70% of the young Maldivians living in male spent 3 – 4 hours in a café or a restaurant a day.
So my calculation is:

24 Hours a day
-3 hours minimum in a café or restaurant
-8 Hours at work
-8 Hours to sleep
Total 19 hours gone and what time with family.

I am also among those guys who love coffee. But I love coffee not because it so good and tasty. To be honest I just love it because people love.
So after meeting with my friend I decided to do a bit of research on history of Coffee and what coffee exactly does to people.

HISTORY OF COFFEE

According to a coffee history legend, an Arabian shepherd named Kaldi found his goats dancing joyously around a dark green leafed shrub with bright red cherries in the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Kaldi soon determined that it was the bright red cherries on the shrub that were causing the peculiar euphoria and after trying the cherries himself, he learned of their powerful effect. The stimulating effect was then exploited by monks at a local monastery to stay awake during extended hours of prayer and distributed to other monasteries around the world. Coffee was born.

Despite the appeal of such a legend, recent botanical evidence suggests a different coffee bean origin. This evidence indicates that the history of the coffee bean beagan on the plateaus of central Ethiopia and somehow must have been brought to Yemen where it was cultivated since the 6th century. Upon introduction of the first coffee houses in Cairo and Mecca coffee became a passion rather than just a stimulant.

Social aspects:
Coffee was initially used for spiritual reasons. At least 1,000 years ago, traders brought coffee across the Red Sea into Arabia (modern-day Yemen), where Muslim monks began cultivating the shrub in their gardens. At first, the Arabians made wine from the pulp of the fermented coffee berries. This beverage was known as qishr (kisher in modern usage).

HEALTH:

Coffee consumption has been shown to have minimal or no impact, positive or negative, on cancer development; 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." 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 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. It increases the risk of acid reflux and associated diseases. 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. For example, the antioxidants in coffee prevent free radicals from causing cell damage.
Caffeine content


Caffeine molecule
Depending on the type of coffee and method of preparation, the caffeine content of a single serving can vary greatly. On average, a single cup of coffee (about 200 milliliters) or a single shot of espresso (about 30 mL) can be expected to contain the following amounts of caffeine:
• 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

While the amount of caffeine contents in other famous drinks available in Maldives are:

Drink Content of Caffeine
Battery Energy Drink 106 Mg
Red Bull 80 Mg
Shark Energy drink 80 Mg
Blue Storm Energy Drink 0.032 %
Still coffee contents more caffeine.

First coffee shop in the world:

The first record of a public place serving coffee dates back to 1475. Kiva Han was the name of the first coffee shop, located in the Turkish city of Constantinople (now Istanbul). Coffee was such an important item during that time period, that it was legal in Turkey for a woman to divorce her husband if he could not supply her with enough coffee. Turkish coffee was served strong, black and unfiltered, usually brewed in an ibrik.

The idea of doctoring up one's coffee with cream and sweeteners, came into fashion in Europe around 1529, when the first coffee house in Europe was established. Vienna was invaded by the Turkish army, who left many bags of coffee behind when they fled the city.

In 1475 the world’s first coffee shop opened in Constantinople, Turkey. The success of the café prompted two more coffee houses in the same area by 1554.

In 1600 coffee finally reached Europe via the port of Venice.

In 1607 coffee was launched in the New World (America as we know it today) by Captain John Smith, the founder of Virginia at Jamestown.

In 1652 England experienced its first coffeehouse. Coffee shops were once known as ‘penny universities’ because a penny was charged for admission and included a cup of coffee. The now famous Edward Lloyd's coffeehouse began trading in 1688. It eventually became known as Lloyd's of London, the world's best known insurance company. That might also explain why England is known for its tea and not its coffee…somehow coffee machines and coffeehouses never quite replaced the ritual of leaf tea brewed in pots and teahouses.

In 1654 the first coffee house opened in Italy- today a country renowned for its coffee and coffee machines.

In 1672 the first café opened in Paris, beginning a tradition that would change the face of France.
In 1683 the first coffeehouse opened in Vienna. It is said that after the Turks were defeated in battle there they left sacks of coffee behind them.

In 1690 the Dutch established themselves as pioneers in transporting and cultivating coffee commercially. Coffee was apparently smuggled out of the Arabian port of Mocha and transported to Ceylon and East Indies for cultivation.

In 1713, King Louis XIV was presented with a coffee tree. Apparently he was the first to use sugar as an additive to the coffee beverage.

in 1721 Berlin celebrated its first coffeehouse. This was still way before the invention of the first coffee machine.

In 1723 coffee plants were farmed in the Americas. Gabriel de Clieu, a French naval officer, transported the crop as seedlings to Martinique. By 1777, 1920 million coffee plants were grown on the island.

In 1727 the Brazilian coffee industry commenced as a result of the farming of smuggled seeds from Paris.

In 1750 one of Europe's first coffeehouses, Cafe Greco, opened in Rome. By 1763, Venice boasted over 2,000 coffee shops.

In 1822 the prototype of the first percolated coffee maker was created in France by Laurens, who introduced his idea in 1818. It was still a long way away from the first coffee machine.

In 1885 a process combining the use of natural gas and hot air was the most popular method of roasting coffee.

In 1900 Kaffeeklatsch – afternoon coffee – had been established as a popular, sophisticated pastime in Germany.

In 1905 the first commercial espresso machine was manufactured in Italy, as the result of a patent by Luigi Bezzer.

1908 saw the invention of the world’s first drip coffeemaker. Melitta Bentz, a German housewife and now a household name (Melitta), was responsible for discovering coffee filters using blotting paper.

In 1933 Dr. Ernest Illy developed the first automatic coffee machine. Illy Coffee is now found in coffee shops throughout the world.

In 1938 Nescafé instant coffee was invented by Nestlé as a solution to the problem of coffee surplus in Brazil…what a solution!

In 1946 Achilles Gaggia improved Pavoni’s development of the espresso machine with a piston that created a high pressure extraction to produce a thick layer of foam - crema.

By 1995 coffee had become the world’s most popular beverage.

More than 400 billion cups of coffee are consumed each year. It is a world commodity that is second only to oil.
BEST Coffee ranking:

Do you know!

An internal electrical component of the KitchenAid® Coffee Makers can overheat and ignite, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

So far Whirlpool Corp the supplier of this machine has received 13 reports of incidents involving coffee makers overheating resulting in minor property damage. No injuries have been reported.

The Liebeck v. McDonald’s Restaurants case, also known as the “McDonalds coffee case,” has been misinterpreted and misrepresented since it appeared on the public scene in the mid-90’s. The basic facts are not in dispute: Stella Lebeck, 79, spilled a $.49 cup of coffee into her lap just minutes after purchasing it in the drive-through lane. She recieved 3rd degree burns requiring skin grafts, whirlpool treatments, and other extreme medical measures, incurring approximately $11,000 dollars in medical expenses. She asked McDonald’s to pay for her medical bills. When they would offer no more than $800 (less than 1/10 of the total medical expenses), she eventually filed a lawsuit and was eventually awarded $2.86 million by jury. The judge in the trial reduced the amount to $640,000. In the face of an appeal, Liebeck and McDonald’s settled privately for an undisclosed sum.

McDonald’s coffee is served at least 20 degrees hotter than at other restaurants.
Over 700 incidents of coffee burns have been settled by the McDonald’s Corporation, and yet not policy change or consultation to address the problem has been taken.
During the Liebeck case, a quality assurance manager at McDonald’s testified that the company was aware of the risk of serving dangerously hot coffee .

The incredible monetary award initially assigned by the jury in the case was largely punitive - that is, it was meant to punish McDonald’s for “willful, reckless, malicious, or wanton conduct,” rather than to compensate Liebeck for $2.7 million worth of pain and suffering.

Reports indicate that McDonald’s continues to keeps its coffee substantially hotter than other restaurants. At approximately 185 degrees, third degree burns (the most severe type) may occur two to seven seconds.

Continental Airlines Issues a Coffee Safety Update – Flight attendant reported
Incidents of coffee bursting out of the brew tray during the brew cycle has dropped significantly.

An In-flight “Cabin Safety & Regulatory Compliance” Bulletin 09- 79, dated May 7, 2009, summarizes the preliminary results of the investigation, indicating the possibility that CO2 trapped in the coffee may be released during the brew cycle. The company says they may have received a bad batch of coffee with high levels of CO2. Continental says there is a possibility that the excess CO2 may be escaping faster than it can vent through the brew pack and small vents on the brew drawer.

My conclusion about COFFEE:
Still the best drink 

Because More than 400 billion cups of coffee are consumed each year. It is a world commodity that is second only to oil.
Why oil is the first commodity still because we still need gas to go do coffee house and coffee house still need power to light the bulbs and on the coffee machines.