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When sharing some delicious Folgers coffee you’ll probably end up sharing some good conversation, too. But
should the topics waver, try offering up some of these interesting tidbits about your favourite beverage.
Tell a history as rich as the brew
For centuries, people have enjoyed the taste and invigorating effects of coffee. |
And this unique beverage has come a long way from its humble beginnings in Ethiopia, Africa about 1,000 years ago. Today it
is the second most traded product in the world after petroleum - and the world's second most popular drink (after water of course).
Did you know?
Coffee beans were originally taken as a food and not as a beverage, giving African warriors much-needed energy for battle.
In 1607, coffee was introduced to North America by Captain John Smith who helped found the colony of Virginia at Jamestown.
In 1668, coffee replaced beer as New York's City's favorite breakfast drink.
In 1690, the Dutch became the first to transport and cultivate coffee commercially.
Coffee travels from mountain trees to your cup
Coffee beans are not beans. What we call the beans are actually the pits of coffee cherries that grow on trees in tropical
and subtropical climates. Every year in November and December, coffee farmers all over the world harvest the cherries and
extract the "beans" in the middle.
Did you know?
Coffee trees are indigenous to Ethiopia and the Arabian Peninsula. They were transplanted to other parts of the world by Dutch merchants and other explorers.
The soil, climate, altitude, and surrounding plants that a coffee tree is exposed to during growth affect the flavour of the beans it produces.
Arabica coffee (about 60 percent of world production) grows best at high altitudes, has a much more refined flavor than other species, and contains about 1 percent caffeine by weight.
Let's raise a toast to the roast
Beans must be roasted to bring out their flavour. Roasting transforms them from the green pit of the coffee fruit, into the
source of this wondrous drink. The way coffee beans are roasted affects their flavour.
Did you know?
Roasting time is different for each coffee, but usually somewhere between 11 and 15 minutes.
During roasting the beans double in size, cracking as they expand.
Beans pop (like popcorn) when roasting, twice in fact.
Oil appears on the surface of the beans when they are almost finished roasting.
So, what is Natural Decaffeination?
Folgers Decaffeination process removes the caffeine from beans while maintaining the rich flavour. The beans are first steamed.
Next, a substance called ethyl acetate-commonly found in fruit-is poured over the beans to extract the caffeine. After the
caffeine is removed, the beans are steamed again.
A trace amount of ethyl acetate may remain. But don't worry, you'd have to drink 500 cups of coffee to get the same
amount as found in one very ripe banana.
Do more with your daily grinds
Gardeners take note! Dilute your leftover coffee, and make your very own homemade plant food. A solution of one part
coffee to four parts cool water, poured at your plants' roots once every other week, will serve as a great plant
food. The grounds themselves make great compost. |
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