Confession of a Home Coffee Roaster

Coffee has an amazing history. It came to Europe via the Arab countries. How the Arabs discovered coffee is not very clear. But the Moors were certainly coffee drinkers when they landed on Spanish shores. They claimed to have bought coffee from African caravans traveling through the Sinai desert. As avid desert voyagers themselves, the Moors appreciated that roast coffee offered them many health benefits. It even helped them to stay awake on long tracks through the desert.

The coffee plant is a native plant of Ethiopia. It was the Ethiopians that first discovered that coffee could give you an energy boost and help you to stay awake for longer. To start with, they did not roast the coffee. Instead the chewed the bean and even the husk.

However, as the Ethiopians were the spice and herb specialists of the ancient world, they soon discovered the coffee bean tasted great when roasted. They poured water on the roast beans and started to drink it as a tea like drink.

From there, coffee became a popular drink in Africa and the Arab world. In Yemen, it was said that coffee was the only drink that could help pious men stay alert during nighttime prayers.

So the answer to the question is no. Coffee was not always roasted. It was used very much in the same way Inca Indians used the coca leaf.

Roast Coffee And Its Amazing History

Roast coffee really does have an amazing history. Thanks to records kept by Arab merchants, we know that coffee was very early on exported right across the world.

Merchant caravans traveling through the desert and along the Silk Road brought coffee to far flung places such as China and India. It is easy to assume that the tradition of coffee houses and drinking roast coffee is something new. Starbucks may not have been around at the time, but what was known as coffee houses, packed small towns along the Silk Road.

Hundreds of years ago, Arab countries had their own version of Star Bucks. Tents were set up and roast coffee was brewed to help travelers to stay awake. It is said that many Arabs considered coffee to be an elixir of life.

Roast Coffee And Its Health Benefits

Today, we know a lot more about coffee. We know that it is not a magic potion as so many ancient merchants claimed. It is rich in caffeine which can give us an energy boost. Coffee will help us to think better and improve our gut health.

Fresh water was a precious commodity for caravans traveling along the Silk Road. Most of the water they came across was full of disease-causing bacteria.

To make coffee you needed to boil the water. That meant the bacteria in the water was killed off and you ended up with a delicious cup of roast coffee instead. Merchants thought it was the color of roast coffee that helped them to stay healthy.

Of course, it helped that they boiled the coffee. But since then, we have also discovered that coffee is rich in antioxidants that help us to stay healthy.

The Swedes drink more coffee than any other nation. Maybe that is a contributing factor when it comes to their low incidence of stomach and digestive system disorders. A cup of coffee can help to reduce inflammation of the bowel.

Perhaps it is time we all drank more coffee. Here’s a super website I use to get smart on what products to buy, especially this article on Home Coffee Roaster – The Best Products.

Coffee is now produced all over the world. Some delicious roast coffee varieties are worth their weight in gold. Coffee connoisseurs appreciate some varieties of coffee over others. They are prepared to pay a small fortune for coffee varieties such as Kopi luwak.

The Future Of Coffee

Coffee will probably never go out of fashion. It will continue to be drunk and enjoyed. The only difference is that we will probably drink it more at home in the future. Coffee shops are great, but there is no reason why you should not brew your own coffee at home. Try different roast coffee varieties and discover your own favorite bean.

Many countries produce their own particular roast coffee blends. The Swedes swear by Gevalia while the Spanish love their super-strength Bonka brand. It is a great drink and will cheer you up on the darkest Scandinavian winter’s day.