Day of coffee The healthy drink

Coffee Day: We celebrate the healthy favorite drink of the Germans.

(24.09.2010) Today is the "day of coffee" - a good occasion to sit back and enjoy a cup of the favorite German drink. A nation of beer drinkers - that was once. Today, coffee here is by far the number one drink consumed by far. For every taste and occasion there is a corresponding preparation.

On average, the Germans drink almost four cups of coffee every day. We appreciate not only the taste but especially in the morning the invigorating and concentration-promoting effect. Who has not sat up at work completely sleepy and felt the urgent need for a cup of coffee? And also in the afternoon becomes the „coffee and cake“ Also like to serve the popular hot drink, as the name implies.

Coffee enjoyment has been highly controversial in the past. It is not without reason that Carl Gottlieb Hering (1766-1853) has the well-known canon around 200 years ago „C-a-f-f-e-e, do not drink so much coffee!“ composed, warning of the negative effects of coffee consumption. Some physicians still believe that coffee is harmful to health because it increases insulin levels, blood pressure and blood sugar, deprives the body of water and damages the entire cardiovascular system. New studies show, however, that a large number of the negative effects can not be proven scientifically and, on the contrary, coffee can also have a thoroughly positive effect on the organism.

„Several studies have come to the conclusion that the risk of diabetes is lowest in people who drank up to seven cups of coffee a day ", explains Prof. Dr. Stephan Martin from the West German Diabetes Center in Düsseldorf. II-diabetes for men who drink more than six cups of coffee a day is reduced by about 50 percent, for women who drink a lot of coffee by about 30 percent, and Prof. Jürgen Vormann, head of the Institute for Prevention and Nutrition (IPEV) in Ismaning adds: "A recent Finnish study has observed coffee consumption among middle-aged people for many years. The researchers found that coffee drinkers were less likely than coffee abstainers. People who drank between three and five cups per day had a 65 percent reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. "The stimulating, mood-enhancing, and circulation-enhancing effects are already well known today and need no further explanation Coffee consumption, for example, also reduces the risk of heart attacks, diabetes, colon and kidney cancer, dementia and Parkinson's, will delight most coffee drinkers and make the daily dose seem a little more necessary.

According to legend, coffee was discovered as a drink in Ethiopia as early as the ninth century. At that time a shepherd from the city of Kaffa is said to have noticed how some of his herd of goats rode happily about the night after the animals ate the cherry-like fruits of the coffee tree. The shepherd consulted the local monks, who examined the tropical plant and observed the same invigorating effect after consumption. The coffee bean was probably brought to Arabia by slave traders in the 14th century, and from there began its triumphal march with the spread of the Ottoman Empire. From the 15th century, coffee was widely used as a hot drink in Persia and the Ottoman Empire, reaching Europe despite some temporary bans on coffeehouses and consumption in the 17th century.

At the end of the 18th century, coffee was already one of the most widespread crops in the tropics and has since developed into one of the world's most important commodities as consumption continues to grow. By the time the coffee lands in our cup, he has come a long way. The ripening phase of the coffee plant alone can take up to a year, depending on the variety. Afterwards, the beans have to be cut out of the pulp in laborious detail and roasted at around 200 degrees to develop their typical aroma. In order to maintain the taste desired for their product, the coffee makers mix various coffees of different types (eg Arabica, Robusta), origin and quality in the final stage of fine-tuning.

The original Ethiopian preparation and coffee tradition, with roasting the beans in an iron pan, then coarse grinding and boil the ground with about 90 degrees hot water and sugar in the so-called. Jabana (bulbous clay jug) has been extended to countless variants. Espresso, cappuccino, latte macchiato, Frappuccino, mocha are commonplace in the world-wide coffee shops. With the coffee machines, the fresh grinding and brewing of various coffee variants in their own homes has also increased significantly. So it is no wonder that every German today drinks on average around 150 liters of coffee every year.

Increasing consumption in Europe, however, also raised the question of the growing conditions and the situation of the plantation workers. Fairtrade coffee is enjoying increasing popularity as many industrialized countries are trying to fulfill their social responsibilities related to coffee consumption. Many coffee shops offer exclusively today „fair“ traded coffee. If you would like to know more about coffee and feel like taking part in one of the special events on the occasion of the „Day of coffee“ to participate, finds all the information needed at www.tag-des-kaffees.de. (Fp)

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