How do you like your coffee?
September 29 is National Coffee Day; a time to celebrate our favourite caffeinated beverage and to raise awareness about sustainable coffee cultivation.
Thought to have been discovered in Ethiopia in the 9th century by a goat herder who noticed the leaves’ stimulating effects on his goats, by the 14th century coffee was grown as a crop in the Middle East, its beans roasted to achieve a unique taste and aroma. Making its way to Europe and the Americas via trade routes, coffee would become one of the most important beverages in the world.
Coffee has single-handedly been the greatest driving force on the Gold Coast café scene in the past ten years. Walk around any urban hub and you’ll realise how much we love coffee. We follow our coffee brands and baristas almost as fervently as we do football teams; sometimes even more so.
There’s always time for coffee, whether it be first thing in the morning, mid-morning or at afternoon tea (read coffee) time, catching up with friends or meeting someone for a first date.
Not only is coffee drinking more widespread, but the way we take coffee has changed as well. No longer just a choice of cappuccino or instant, now we have espresso, americano, latte, short or long black, cold drip, pour over and even ‘nitro’ coffee.
Research has found that coffee has many health benefits when drunk in moderation, such as increasing antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fibre intake, cutting pain and reducing the risk of a number of diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver, heart disease and stroke, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and some types of cancer. Coffee boosts the metabolic rate and improves physical performance. (Healthline)
You can also delve into our latest health coffees: turmeric, beetroot or the magical mermaid latte made on spirulina algae. It’s high in calcium, magnesium and 72 other trace minerals believed to support bone, joint and digestive health.
So, when you drink your cup of coffee today, inhale its aroma, taste its full-bodied flavour, think about its story and those who drank the famous bean before you but, most of all, enjoy your ‘cup of joe’!
NOTE: This article was published in The Sun newspaper on 26 September 2018.