The Truth Behind Coffee
The picture may seem familiar. Tumbling out of bed and stumbling around in the kitchen-you begin your day. But wait. It cannot begin properly without that daily ritual, the morning cup of coffee. The aroma swirls throughout the room. What can compare to the richness and fullness of that first cup of coffee?
Americans lead the world in coffee drinking, consuming an average of 3.4 cups per person per day (Pennybacker 18). Gourmet coffee houses are sprouting up all over the place. But what is the real story behind this dark brown liquid? Is it as innocent as it first seems-just a pleasant morning pick-me-up? Unfortunately it isn't. Much of today's coffee is grown in such a way that it damages the environment, although it has been proven that there are far less harmful methods.
Coffee grows only in the tropics, in Mexico, Central and Latin America, Indonesia, and Africa. The field must be at an altitude between 3000 and 5000 feet with a temperature between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. For optimum growth, coffee must have shade from nearby trees and overhead growth, but it also requires at least two hours of sunlight each day ("Shrinking Shadowland" 60). These are the only requirements nececssary for coffee to grow well.
Coffee comes from small green beans that are really pits of a fruit resembling a cherry. The morning coffee poured into a mug comes from a small tree (or bush) that grew for seven years before it bloomed and grew the fruit that held the beans. After one of these trees produced one pound of coffee, its life was over ("Shrinking" 61).
It was in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that coffee seeds from the Middle East took to the fertile soil of...
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...n one percent of the 6.3 billion pounds of coffee imported into the U.S. each year (Pennybacker 19).
The merits of full-sun coffee plantations don't even begin to measure up to the benefits of shade plantations. Shade plantations benefit both the workers and the environment. The few extra dollars paid for organic coffee might make the difference between seeing that black-throated green warbler in your yard again next spring or not.
Works Cited
Pennybacker, Mindy. "Habitat-Saving Habit." Audubon Nov./Dec. 1997: 18-19.
"Shrinking Shadowland." Utne Reader. Nov/Dec. 1994: 72.
"Why Migratory Birds Are Crazy for Coffee." Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. 1997. Smithsonian Institution. 24 April 2000 <http://www.si.edu/smbc/fxshts/fxsht1a.htm>.
Wille, Chris. "The Birds and the Beans." Audubon Nov./Dec. 1994: 58-64.
David M. Kennedy outlines the effects of the New Deal on society in his piece What the New Deal Did. He begins by pointing out the negative outcomes of the New D...
all the good things that the New Deal has done for the country such as
Essentially, the New Deal did not work to include and employ as many people as it could or should have, even excluding major population types from any possible benefit from the programs. It failed to provide hard-working citizens with a steady job and food to eat. This question of whether or not the New Deal was a success has a substantial significance. If any country goes into a economic collapse like one of the Great Depression, one could use America’s experience as an example as to what steps should or should not be taken though such a time. Afterall, the importance of studying history is to learn from mistakes made in the
...government; it gave the government more control over social issues like welfare and scrutinizing the economy when it saw permissible. The New Deal reforms transformed the government in the long run but failed to accomplish immediate recovery from the Great Depression, it was not until World War 2 that the economy recuperated completely. The reforms were a landmark in US history, for the first time the government interfered, for the prosperity of the people.
The most important part of the cup of coffee, the coffee beans, is typically harvested from South America, mainly because of the fact that Starbucks uses Arabica beans (Weinberg 1), which is dependent on a temperate climate that exists on the majority of the continent. The country that provides the biggest market supply of coffee beans for Starbucks is Brazil ...
The New Deal was a set of U.S. Government programs put into action to help solve the economic decline that was happening during the Great Depression. The New Deal programs are numerous but some examples are: Emergency Relief programs, Work Progress Administration, Civilian Conservation Corps, and Agricultural programs. While all of the New Deal programs helped reform the economy and help people during the great depression one, one of the most successful programs was the Civil Conservation Corps or the CCC.
"Researchers have attempted to find out how much caffeine people consume every day. It was estimated that in the United States, coffee drinkers drink an average of 2.6 cups per day. Total caffeine intake for coffee drinkers was 363.5 mg per day - this includes caffeine from coffee AND other sources like soft drinks, food and drugs. Non-coffee drinkers even get plenty of caffeine: former coffee drinkers get about 107 mg per day and people who have never had coffee get about 91 mg per day." (Schreiber et. Al) It is ironic that with such a large caffeine byproduct industry, ...
Coffee is a truly a mythological treasure. It serves the dual functions of waking one up and providing one with relaxation. It is both acid and base, bitter and sweet, caustic and comforting. It is used for an array of purposes: to soothe, to give energy, to lend fortitude, to bring people together. Sometimes it is ascribed almost supernatural healing properties. In Mario Puzo’s The Fortunate Pilgrim, coffee takes these roles and more: the drinking of coffee is an immensely important ritual that serves a myriad of social functions and responds to a wide range of human emotions.
In conclusion, the New Deal was successful in giving an ample amount of relief, reform and recovery, even when the economy was not to recover until the Second World War. The New Deal, as hoped for was able to provide countless amounts of people with job and established the legislations needed to prevent future collapses and depression. Under the terrifying and intense conditions and constraints of the Great Depression, President FDR’s New Deal was not perfect but it made the biggest impact than any other form of restoration could have made and wouldn’t have raised as much public morale that the New Deal did.
Coffee is much more than the hot, black liquid that millions of us drink every morning; it is a worldwide commodity that has been keeping us awake for hundreds of years. It seems that a coffee shop can be seen on every shopping center and a coffee pot in every work break room. Our lives today revolve around coffee, regardless if we drink it or not, and ironically it not only stimulates of senses but also our economy. We wouldn’t be able to imagine Bill Gates not with his cup of coffee making Microsoft in his garage, or Henry Ford waking up early to perfect the auto industry and the assembly line. The economics of coffee may not be a simple one to study, but it is one you will be kept up all night learning about.
In the United States, coffee is the second largest import (Roosevelt, 2004). Furthermore, the United States, consumes one-fifth of all the worlds¡¦ coffee (Global Exchange, 2004). The present industry is expanding. It is estimated that North America¡¦s sector will reach saturation levels within 5 year (Datamonitor. n.d.). According to National Coffee Association (NCA), 8 out of 10 Americans consume coffee. In addition, it is estimated that half of the American population drinks coffee daily. The international market remains highly competitive. It is estimated that 3,300 cups of coffee are consumed every second of the day worldwide (Ecomall, n.d.). The latest trends included dual drinkers, an increase in senior citizens...
Americans are obsessed with a lot of things: our smart phones, celebrities, and finding a good bargain. But perhaps the thing we’re most obsessed with is good ol’ coffee. For many of us, our mornings are perfectly diabolical without at least a cup or two or three of the stuff. And, come 2 o’clock, when we know in our heart and bones we’ll never make it ‘til five and we need that pick me up, many of us head to the nearest deli or barista to grab a cup of “second wind.”
Open with Impact: How much coffee do you drink? How is that cup of coffee affecting your brain, thinking skills, alertness, sleep, and overall health?
Coffee is the first thing that people associate with instant energy on a groggy morning. “In the U.S., coffee is king of beverages” (Reinke) Research has been done that has named coffee as an addiction to the people who consume large quantities of it. Coffee was named the top source of antioxidants. This is partly because of the amount consumed each day. Some of the antioxidants that coffee has are quinines and chlorogenic acid. It also contains trigonelline, an antibacterial compound. This is where coffee acquires its delicious aroma. Now let’s step back for a minute and just think about how much caffeine people consume. In an 8oz cup of coffee it has about 85 milligrams of caffeine. This is about double the amount that tea contains. Studies have shown that caffeine stimulates the brain and nervous system. This is where you get that energized feeling. After about the third cup, knees start to bounce, pens are clicking and people start running laps around the office. Caffeine can become addicting if you drink too much. Coffee can become that addictive habit people are unable to shake.
K.C. WILLSON p 4 ). Studies indicate that thanks to the country’s favorable ecological factors such as suitable altitude, optimum temperatures, appropriate planting materials, and fertile soil.). (Alemayehu p 6) , coffee grows in Ethiopia in several places at various altitudes ranging from 550-2750metrs above sea level. More than any other country, Ethiopia has abroad genetic diversity among its coffee verities. It is the center of origin and source of genetic diversity of the Arabica coffee plant to the world. Nine different coffee species are cultivated in the four region of Ethiopia, all with distinctive tastes, size, shapes and colors.