Coffee

Coffee appears as a dry, usually chocolate-brown powder in its most commonly encountered state, when it is roasted and ground. When brewed into a beverage, it appears as a dark brown, almost black, semi-translucent liquid, usually served warm. However, cold brewed coffee and iced coffee drinks are becoming increasingly popular. Introducing cream, milk, or substitutes, will cause the liquid to appear more opaque, and shift its colour into various shades of brown or beige, depending on how much "creamer" is used and how dense it is.

Coffee plants grow within a defined area between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, known as the "bean belt" or "coffee belt."  

Coffee beans are harvested from the coffea plant, usually from two of the 120 known species: Coffea arabica (commonly known as "Arabica"), which accounts for 60–80% of the world's coffee production, and Coffea canephora (known as "Robusta"), which accounts for about 20–40%. Arabica originates from the highlands of Ethiopia and the Boma Plateau of Sudan, and it tends to be preferred for its sweeter taste, while Robusta has a higher caffeine content.   The trees produce edible red or purple fruits, known as a "coffee cherry," which contains two seeds, known as "coffee beans." Neither of these names are accurate. Not only is a coffee bean, in fact, a seed, but a coffee cherry is actually either a berry or a drupe.   When grown in the tropics, coffee is a bush or small tree that grows to a height of 3–3.5 m. Most commonly cultivated coffee species do best at high elevations, but do not tolerate freezing well.   Coffea arabica's white, star-shaped flowers have a strong, sweet scent that has been described as being not unlike jasmine, or being lightly citrusy, like peaches and cream. It grows fruit after three to five years, and produces for an average of 50 to 60 years, though some have produced for up to 100 years. The fruit takes about nine months to ripen.

The history of coffee is long and complex, and has greatly affected world politics, economics, and the environment. It originated in Ethiopia and Somalia, and appeared soon after in Yemen. Mecca knew of it in the 15th century, and Sufi Muslim monasteries in Yemen used coffee as an aid to concentration during prayers. Coffee later spread to the Levant in the early 16th century, causing some controversy on whether it was halal in Ottoman and Mamluk society.   Coffee arrived in Italy in the late 16th century through commercial Mediterranean trade routes, while Central and Eastern Europeans acquired access to coffee from the Ottomans. By the mid 17th century, it had reached India and the East Indies. Coffee houses were established in Western Europe by the late 17th century, especially in Holland, England, and Germany.   Coffee has a dark history as well, contributing significantly to colonialism and the slave trade. One of the earliest cultivations of coffee in the Americas was when Gabriel de Clieu brought coffee seedlings to Martinique in 1720. These beans later sprouted 18,680 coffee trees which enabled it to spread to other Caribbean islands, such as Saint-Domingue, and also to Mexico. By 1788, Saint-Domingue supplied half the world's coffee.   By 1852, Brazil became the world's largest producer of coffee and has remained so ever since. Since 1950, several other major producers emerged, notably Colombia, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, and Vietnam, which overtook Colombia and became the second-largest producer in 1999.   Today, coffee is one of the world's most popular beverages, with a significant cultural and economic impact globally. It is traded as a world commodity on the stock market, and is one of the most important economic exports of many nations in the so-called "bean belt." Current cultural and political movements include more sustainable coffee production, and fair trade initiatives that are less exploitive to coffee farmers.   House Chiroptera has been actively developing coffee production as a major export to other Great Houses — likely a wise move, considering the relationship between coffee and writers. Recently, House Lapin has begun experimenting with producing coffee in El-Ahrairah's Garden as part of their emergency self-sustainability efforts, which was made possible by their unique Literomantic lighting and Power Plant technology. However, these coffee plants are still too young to produce fruit, so the success of this effort remains in question.

Coffee is a daily staple beverage in many cultures. On average, the Nordic countries drink more coffee per capita than anyone else in the world, with Lapinites in northern climates also being significant consumers.

In addition to its long history in Islamic cultures, coffee was a significant beverage among the intellectual class in Europe, leading to the outlawing of coffee shops on some occasions. Its use has been forbidden by some faiths throughout history due to its stimulating, psychotropic effects.   Among Literomancers, the question is, "Coffee or tea?" This question is more than a mere intellectual one; tea is strongly associated with the Self Care Mafia, while the Chaos Cartel jokes that they have too much blood in their caffeine (coffee) system. Coffee shops are known to be one of the most likely places for writers (and therefore, literomancers) to congregate in. House Chiroptera is known for constantly having "jugs of coffee" ready to hand, and it is also a staple beverage for Lapin Tome Knights. A popular chain of coffee shops called Starbuns can seemingly be found on nearly every city block in the Woodlander Protectorates.  

I need more coffee for this.

— A common grumble from Queen Sable in the morning

The preparation of coffee is a multi-stage process, and each of those stages has an effect on the overall aroma and flavour.   First, while the coffee plant is essentially the same genetically, regardless of where it is grown, aficionados claim that the soil it is grown in imparts a unique terroir (ie. Sumatran coffee has a different essential flavour and aroma from Indonesian coffee.) Altitude, soil content, sunlight, precipitation, and humidity all have an effect. Some also claim that "shade-grown coffee" (coffee which has been cultivated beneath shade trees, as it naturally is inclined to grow) has a richer flavour than coffee grown in industrial fields under full sun, and it also has a reduced environmental impact.   Traditionally, coffee is selectively harvested by hand. However, that is labour-intensive, so commercial farmers often strip harvest, meaning that coffee cherries are all harvested together, regardless of ripeness. This, too, can have an impact on flavour and aroma.   Green coffee is then subjected to either a dry process method, which is often simpler and less labour-intensive, or a wet process method, which incorporates batch fermentation to remove mucilage still present on the bean, uses larger amounts of water in the process, and often results in a milder coffee.   The best, but least used, method of drying coffee is drying tables. Pulped and fermented coffee is spread thinly on raised beds, which allows the air to pass on all sides of the coffee, and then the coffee is mixed by hand. Drying is more uniform, and fermentation is less likely. Most African coffee is dried in this way and more coffee farms around the world are starting to use this traditional method. Some companies, especially in places with high humidity, use cylinders to pump in heated air to dry the coffee beans.   There are, famously, a few extremely unique ways of processing coffee. Kopi luwak coffee is eaten by the Asian palm civet, and is then harvested from the civet's feces. Kopi luwak coffee is said to have a uniquely rich, slightly smoky aroma and flavour, with hints of chocolate, resulting from the action of digestive enzymes breaking down bean proteins to induce partial fermentation. It is some of the most expensive coffee in the world, with bean prices reaching ₰160 per pound or ₰30 per brewed cup. However, the most expensive coffee in the world is made in Thailand, where black ivory coffee beans are fed to elephants whose digestive enzymes reduce the bitter taste of beans collected from their dung. These beans sell for up to ₰1,100 a kilogram, three times the price of palm civet coffee beans.   House Lapin has begun to experiment with coffee beans processed through the digestive tracts of larger Rabbit species, harvested at the pellet stage, which would make for less breakdown than might be experienced from civet or elephant digestion, the theory being that this might break down more of the acids without destroying as many of the sugars. The results of this experiment are yet to be determined.   Most coffee is sold at the retail level after roasting, although purchasing green coffee to home roast is also possible. The roasting process influences the taste by changing the coffee bean physically and chemically. The bean decreases in weight as moisture is lost, and increases in volume as its density is increased. The density of the bean also influences the strength of the coffee and packaging requirements.   The actual roasting begins when the temperature inside the bean reaches approximately 200 °C. During roasting, caramelization occurs as intense heat breaks down starches, changing them to simple sugars that begin to brown, which darkens the colour of the bean.   Sucrose is lost quickly during the roasting process, and may be lost entirely in darker roasts. During roasting, aromatic oils and acids weaken, which transforms the flavour. At 205 °C, other oils start to develop. One of these oils, caffeol, is created at about 200 °C, and is principally responsible for coffee's aroma and flavour.   Coffee is then graded according to the darkness of the roast. The colour of coffee after brewing is also affected by the degree of roasting. Darker roasts are, in general, bolder because they have less fiber content and a sweeter flavour. Lighter roasts, which have greater amounts of aromatic oils and acids because they have been less broken down in the roasting process, are often perceived as having a stronger or more complex flavour. Roasting does not alter the amount of caffeine in the bean.   Decaffeination can be accomplished while the seeds are still green. All methods involve either soaking the green seeds in hot water (called the "Swiss water process") or steaming them, then using a solvent to dissolve caffeine-containing oils.   Storage also plays a role in the final scent and flavour. Coffee is best stored in airtight containers of glass, ceramic, or non-reactive metal because it has a tendency to pick up ambient aromas. Most commonly, coffee is now sold in vacuum-sealed containers. High quality coffee is often sold in containers that are airtight one way, but allow off-gasses to escape from the coffee. Heat, light and moisture can also damage coffee's flavour, so it is best stored in a cool, dark, and dry place, away from stoves and windows, and unrefrigerated. The fresher the ground, the stronger the flavour, because the grinding process also releases stored gasses and aromatic oils, so connoisseurs often prefer to purchase beans and grind them right before brewing.   Finally, the brew matters. Almost all methods of preparing coffee require the beans to be ground and then mixed with hot water long enough to allow the flavour to emerge, but not long enough to draw out bitter compounds. The liquid is consumed after spent grounds are removed. Factors to consider in the brew include the fineness of the grind, how water is used to extract the flavour, the brew ratio, additions such as sugar, milk, and spices, and the technique to separate spent grounds. Optimal coffee extraction takes place between 91 and 96 °C. Ideal warming temperatures range from 85 to 88 °C to as high as 93 °C and the ideal serving temperature is 68 to 79 °C.   Freeze dried "instant coffee," which can simply be mixed with hot water, is also available. While it is generally believed to have an inferior flavour by coffee fans, newer processes are narrowing that gap.

Caffeine extracted in decaffeination is often sold to the pharmaceutical industry. One may also use the leaves or husks of the plant to make teas, which contain less caffeine than the more commonly preferred bean brew.

The environmental impact of coffee production is considerable, and often highly politicized. Rain forests have been clearcut to make way for coffee production, eliminating the natural ecosystem. Coffee waste water is produced from processing, which is highly acidic and can be difficult to dispose of. Climate shifts can have a significant impact on coffee production in turn. There is a growing movement to produce coffee in more sustainable, and less environmentally destructive, ways.

Currently, coffee as a commodity is priced at roughly 2.88 Woodlander Talons per pound. It is the second most traded commodity on the world market after crude oil.