A History

      There are varying thoughts on where and how coffee was discovered.  Coffee is one of the most profitable exported crops and has been that way since the late 18th century.  Most of the information that you'll find indicates that coffee berries were first discovered in Ethiopia by a goatherd named Kaldi.  Some believe the story of Kaldi to be myth, especially since he lived during the 9th century but wasn't acknowledged in writing until the late 1600's.
     It's believed that coffee was discovered after a few of Kaldi's goats ate some coffee berries, which have the green coffee beans inside.  When his goats became so energetic and remained this way for a period of time that he decided to eat some himself.  After experiencing the effects of these mysterious berries, Kaldi took some to his fellow monks to report the findings to see what the consensus would be.  A beverage was made from these berries and that's supposedly the first recorded "cup of coffee".
     From this point, the word started to spread about coffee and the effects that it carried.  Every country wanted to get their hands on these berries in hopes of turning around their respective economies.  It was the Arabians that really tried to create a monopoly on the market but that can only carry on for so long.  The coffee trees started to make their way all over the planet and became a crop that could not be messed with. 
     As is true for anything that's new, it carried a considerable amount of controversy as well as intrigue.  Religious groups believed coffee to be the product of Satan and it wasn't until the Pope gave this drink his papal approval that it started to lose it's negative reputation. 
     As the business of coffee continues to grow, it will continue to require the attention of the world.  As one of the worlds leading crops, there's always room for more people in the coffee business.  The more you learn about the world of coffee the more you realize how much you don't know.  What could be so difficult and complex about this business?  Think about this question and if you know the answer without having to look it up, leave a comment on this entry.

     What grinding characteristics are important to remember when manual brewing?