Too Much Coffee

Traditionally Ethiopians roast their coffee beans with different spices and herbs and grind all together to make their drink.

In the country where all seems to have started, in Africa, America and Asia, everywhere coffee is used as a drink and mostly a sweet one.

Did you ever think of WHY?
Why is Coffee a drink and not simply a spice? Is it just the result of a cultural path by chance, or is it the only logical way in terms of alchemy?



*Just some coffee for your thoughts*

Do they roast their coffee with spices etc.?

All of the two Ethiopians I've met who have roasted coffee (in that traditional ceremony) haven't said anything about spices or herbs....Are you sure you're not thinking of Turkish coffee methods which brew coffee with cardamom and cinnamon et al.?

If your coffee isn't sweet, perhaps it is you who should be asking why..

(my coffee tastes fine, thank you very much....)

Well. Coffee roasted and brewed like we know it today stems from Yemen not Ethiopia. The trees and the fruit has it's origin from Ethiopia, but not necessarily the roasting and brewing.

As for it not being used as a herb or spice, well I guess some genius found out that the infusion of it tasted better.


Ola

Hmmm...Malabar Vindaloo

Yes, they roast direct with the spices and grind them then together. With this i am however referring to tradition. Turks is a different story. If the ones you spoke with do it or not, i cannot judge that.
Jason, i am simply sharing a thought. I am not questioning your method.
Other wise, everything is fine.

Olings, i have mentioned the fact, that coffee is known to come from Ethiopia. I did not say the brew method comes from there. This is however no contradiction to the thoughts i am sharing here. is it?

Charmon, yes, in India they have their particular ideas for coffee as well...

Sorry coffee-dramatist. I guess the high-flying philosophical approach to coffee is slightly outside what I'm normally dealing with.

What if coffee was only used for it's laxative properties? Would this lead people into wanting to be constipated? Or maybe it was only used as food dye? I wonder...


Ola

Sorry, Olings, but just because you are enjoying the sand at the beach does not mean that a low flying seagul is flying high.

That is simply my view of things - amongst others - and i thought it could be fine to "discuss" that with some here.

It is - however - not a need of mine. I do think as i do and i experiment as i do, irrelevant of what Baristi and other coffee lovers may do.

to each his own... for example, constipation interests me quite little.

Enjoy!

I guess it's just seems a bit strange to me. Sorry if you felt my pun offensive. There should be room for coffee philosophy and -poetry on this forum. It just seemed like an easy target and I couldn't resist the little red devil on my shoulder...

As for low flying seagulls they are just annoying, so is constipation.


Ola

Amazing "discussion".

Perhaps a corner for annoyed individuals would be more proper.

I haven't yet figured out what this thread is about, but I'm old and intellectually rather frail.

I would think coffee is a drink because it tastes nice as a drink...........it's simply years of experimentation and evolution.

I think coffee-dramatist has a point. It's nice to question the truth and collectively agreed upon points once in a while to freshen up on why we do the things we do.

However I don't know what kind of "discussion" you hoped to get, but it's likely to be heavily biased towards the common current ideas on what coffee is in it's optimal form as this forum is heavy on the coffee-nerd end of the spectrum.

I myself belong heavily in this camp, and have sometimes perhaps a bit to sharp tounge and a rather impulsive way of replying to posts. Again I'm sorry if I offended you coffee-dramatist. I merely offered my two cents, a bit of poorly filtered wise ass jokes and a large bulk of "off-topicness". I might the first you encounter here with this approach to things but surely not the last.

I hope I have not scared you off posting and would merely like to offer a belated welcome to the forum.


Ola

I like CR's explanation...sometimes the simple sounding answers is the right one. Coffee has a rich and varied, sometimes mystical history, shrouded in folk lore and mystique....actually a bit like Bruce.

Don't take offence at any comments Mr Dramatist. There are those here who are pretty blunt but don't mean to sound rude, those who like a luagh and then those like Bruce and George who are just old and easily confused

It was simply a thought to ponder upon... based on my way of thinking, my expectations on quality and taste and my experience with coffee since some 30 years. This evolution *crphillips* mentions is for me more than a good reason to rely upon it but also to allow inspiration when it comes. For me it is not enough to get a perfect coffee, just because many wish to get a perfect coffee. I always go beyond that. I need to go beyond playing piano and making an espresso .... etc.
It is not about questioning the validity of evolution, but nevertheless asking about it.

If it sounds too philosophical, it may be, perhaps not. If i enter a room and feel intellectually frail, i tend to listen to learn more. I figured that most here do not feel at the end of the evolution. Other wise they would not be here.

As i said at the beginning - "did you ever think why?"
It is a simple question.
if you never did and do not wish to, it is fine. But that does not prevent me from stating the thought and the questions, if anyone is interested to go along.

I was obviously wrong in assuming, that many Baristi wish to evolve and experiment outside of the usual. I do it for a simple reason: I find coffee has incredible potential and it is not being used completlly. ANd this i do not see as a problem, but as a challenge.
It is up to me to go at it and perhaps to mention my intention here to go at it.

Nothing philosophical or difficult.


""""However I don't know what kind of "discussion" you hoped to get, but it's likely to be heavily biased towards the common current ideas on what coffee is in it's optimal form as this forum is heavy on the coffee-nerd end of the spectrum.""""


I do not HOPE or expect, Ola. I simply stated my thoughts and everyone may share or not.
Perhaps i am in the wrong place. Perhaps not. I am new here and do not know how people write or think. Besides, i do know well, i see several things differently to others.
However, it was NEVER my intention to come flying philosophicaly high. I am as i am, but much more humble than proud.

So take my comments as those from a person intersted in experimenting and thinking about many things. Also a person who is actually not a Barista to begin with, but a pianist and artist in the first place and playing with coffee with a similar approach - Creativity.

But at the end, i want ONE thing.

Good coffee!
Without compromises.

*