What associations does coffee cause you? The beginning of a new day, a coffee break with colleagues in the office, a romantic date in a cafe, a business meeting, pleasant communication with friends ... This list can be continued indefinitely: coffee has long been an integral part of our lives. It is believed that according to its popularity, it yields only to water. Useful properties of black coffee have a considerable amount of essential micronutrients and antioxidants.
Coffee from time immemorial was considered a favorite drink of musicians, poets and thinkers. For example, Honore de Balzac could calmly drink up to 60 cups of coffee a day. Equally fanatical was the predilection of Voltaire, who drained 50 cups a day. Of course, such extremes did not pass without a trace for their health ...
In our buyer's guide, we tried to gather a variety of information about this drink: where and when for the first time coffee was discovered, how to drink it, not to do harm to health, what methods of its preparation exist, and so on.
A drink of happiness
To this day, disputes are being made about the effect of coffee on the human body. Inside the coffee bean contains more than two thousand chemicals, of which only half have been studied. So there are many new discoveries ahead. What is known for certain: caffeine has an exciting effect on the central nervous system (dilates the vessels of the brain, stimulates brain activity). That is why a cup of fragrant nectar with ease can cope with drowsiness and headache, besides it is an excellent antidepressant (thanks to the hormone of happiness contained serotonin).
The useful properties of black coffee deserved reputation of aphrodisiac: caffeine stimulates the brain area responsible for sexual arousal. So do not be lazy in the mornings to spoil your favorite coffee in bed.
Recent studies have shown that a cup of coffee makes it easier to exercise and relieves muscle pain after exhausting workouts at the gym.
Espresso is usually served with a glass of cold drinking water, the sip of which helps to feel all the subtleties of taste.
Coffeemaker's Guide
The taste of a drink depends on many factors: coffee grades, roasting intensity and grain grinding.
Variety of varieties
Industrial importance has two main types of coffee trees: Arabica and Robusta. Arabica has a mild flavor and a delicate, rich aroma. This variety of shrubs is very sensitive to temperature changes and various pests. It accounts for three quarters of the world's coffee production.
Robusta is less dependent on growth conditions. However, it is inferior to Arabica by its taste qualities: its taste is stronger, slightly bitter and astringent. In addition, this variety contains twice as much caffeine.
As a rule, in Ukrainian shops mixes of both varieties in different proportions are presented, which causes a wide range of taste and aroma.
Degree of roasting the grains
From the same grains in the process of frying, you can get coffee of different tastes. There are several degrees of roasting: light (Scandinavian), medium (Viennese), strong (French) and, finally, the most intense (Italian). It is believed that the longer the heat treatment of grains lasts, the more active are the essential oils. Accordingly, and the taste becomes more saturated, with pronounced bitterness.
Method and degree of grinding
At first coffee beans were cooked entirely, then crushed in a mortar. Only when coffee got to Turkey, it began to grind in a hand mill.
True connoisseurs of useful properties of black coffee recommend using a grinder with a millstone for making a drink. If you have a rotary device (with knives), try not to allow a strong overheating of steel: the taste and aroma of coffee lose so much.
There are several degrees of grinding of grains: into dust, thin, medium and coarse grinding. The history of coffee began many years before Christ in the province of Kafa (Ethiopia, East Africa). According to one of the many legends, the Ethiopian shepherd Caldi was surprised by the active behavior of his goats after chewing the bright red coffee tree fruit. Then the inquisitive shepherd decided himself to try the berries that resemble cherries. Apparently, they suited him to taste, because soon coffee became the favorite beverage of the Arabs. Until the 17th century, coffee was grown mainly on the Arabian Peninsula. For a long time, the export of fertile (unroasted) grains was banned - to prevent their cultivation in other territories. However, in 1616 the Dutch managed to smuggle out several "live" grains. Later they started to grow coffee in their colonies in India and Indonesia (today this area is the fourth largest exporter of coffee in the world). The first to bring coffee to Europe was Venetian merchants (at the beginning of the 17th century). First, the extract from coffee beans was used exclusively for medicinal purposes, but already in 1646 the first coffee house was opened in Venice. Soon such institutions appeared all over Europe. In Russia, coffee came through the emperor Peter I, who was addicted to a fragrant drink while in Holland. Today, coffee beans are one of the most valuable commodities in world trade, which in its value is second only to oil.
Many coffee lovers prefer to add a variety of spices to coffee, which give the drink a pleasant spicy flavor and additional tints of taste. Try cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and sweet pepper.
For every taste
Ways of preparation
Coffee in the east (in Turkish)
1 tsp. finely ground coffee to fall asleep in dzhez (Turk) and pour half a glass of cold water. Cook over low heat without mixing. As soon as the coffee foam starts to rise, remove from the heat and, without filtering, pour the coffee on the cups. French Press (piston method) Coarse coffee to fall asleep on the bottom of a high glass vessel, then pour boiling water. Allow the drink to brew for 5 minutes, then separate the thick with a piston attached to the lid. Drip method (filtration) The easiest way to brew coffee. The coffee of medium grind is covered in a cone-shaped filter. Top hot water is supplied drop by drop, which after extraction is sent to the coffee pot. Geyser-type coffee machine. Geyser coffee makers are very popular. The device consists of three sections. In the lower water is poured, in the middle one put coarse coffee, on top the condensed drink condenses. Hot steam rises through the geyser and passes through the coffee layer into the upper tank. Coffee turns out strong and full. Compression coffee machine in the espresso coffee machine is prepared less than a minute - just press one button. The principle of operation is based on the passage of steam under high pressure through compacted fine coffee.
Coffee drinks
From foreign words in the menu of modern coffee houses, eyes run up. Let's go through the main cooking recipes. Espresso is the "king" in the legion of coffee drinks: it is on its basis that all other varieties are prepared. For one serving, 7 grams of ground coffee (1 teaspoon) and 40 ml of hot water are needed. American - espresso with the addition of boiling water. The usual volume is -120 ml. Cappuccino - espresso with whipped milk foam (served with cinnamon). Milk is beaten in an espresso machine with a steam generator. Ristretto is the most concentrated and invigorating coffee (7 g of coffee for 20-25 ml of water). Portion is designed for 1-2 sips. It is used, as a rule, without sugar. Serve with a glass of cold water. Latte is a cocktail consisting of three parts: milk, espresso and milk foam. The drink is served in a special high glass with a tube.
Only two cups of coffee a day will help you lose those extra pounds. In this case, the drenched thick can be used for home procedures.
Natural coffee contains so many useful substances that leading cosmetic companies increasingly include it in creams and lotions for skin care of face and body. Experimentally established: an espresso cup activates the metabolism by almost 4%. In addition, caffeine accelerates the breakdown of fat, reduces appetite and prevents overeating.
Coffee can also be used as an external means. Drizzle the coffee grounds with a lotion for the body. Scratch it with problem areas (hips, stomach, buttocks) and wrap them with food film. After an hour, wash it and apply moisturizing milk. During coffee wraps, caffeine penetrates into the subcutaneous adipose tissue. And the particles themselves massage the skin, improve blood supply and lymph flow.
Deep cleansing will help your skin to shine! In the evening, after you wash off the makeup, take a couple of pinch of finely ground coffee and mix it thoroughly with your usual nutritious cream. The resulting mixture within 2-3 minutes gently rub into the skin of the face in the direction of massage lines, then wash away with warm water. Do it once a week.
To clean the skin of the body from dead cells, take a handful of ground coffee (you can drunk) and sodium them body (for 5 minutes). This procedure takes care of the problem skin on the legs and abdomen, perfectly soothes and cleanses the skin, and also removes toxins.
Less caffeine
For many people, for one reason or another, natural coffee is contraindicated. The solution was found: since the beginning of the 20th century, decaffeinated coffee began to be produced in the USA. However, this product can hardly be considered useful, because chemical methods are used to extract caffeine from grains. For example, methylene chloride and ethyl acetate are used, the residues of which can enter the final product. In 1979, the Swiss invented a method in which only water and filters from charcoal are used. However, it is expensive, as a result of which it did not receive mass distribution. In the near future, scientists plan to use genetic engineering techniques to block the gene responsible for the synthesis of caffeine in grains. Needless to say, that the safety of GMOs under a big question ?!