Coffee is the fruit of a shrub grown in tropical and sub-tropical areas of Africa, Central and South America and Asia. Once picked the red “cherries” are put through a process where the outer core is washed away, leaving 2 pips –the coffee beans.
There are various legends surrounding the discovery of coffee, this most amusing of which is that of a 5th century Ethiopian shepherd. His flock of goats would stay awake for days on end after feeding on cherries from certain shrubs.
There are 2 main species of coffee shrubs; Arabica and Robusta. Arabica is grown predominantly in East Africa, though over the years it has been widely introduced into South American plantations. Robusta accounts for around 60% of all coffee production, and whilst the term translates as strong, in this case strong is not best. Indeed, Arabica is the coffee of choice, not only for its taste but also consistency and aroma.
In around the 1700s, Italy became the firs European country to import coffee on a commercial scale. Venice in the process developed into the epicentre of the coffee trade, and as was the case in London, a great number of coffee houses mushroomed across the city, particularly around Piazza San Marco. The most famous was Florian’s coffee house where a certain Casanova charmed his conquests!
Coffee bars appeared on the scene much later and owe their success to Signor Bezzera, who took a rudimentary French contraption and by pressurising the steam mechanism he developed the first coffee machine as we know it. The Bezzera as it became affectionately known, enabled the barista to make several individual cups of coffee at speed by using steam pressure, hence l’espresso.
There are over 1,000 coffee roasters in Italy. Lavazza is probably the most recognized brand internationally, followed closely by Segrafredo and Illy.
Initially the term coffee is derived from the Arabica kaffa, and as Italian merchants plied their trade across Europe from the 1590s onwards, the word caffe’ was adopted and adapted into many other languages.
