Cultural Studies

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Etymology traces back the word “coffee” to the Arabic  word “qahwah” which interestingly enough, is said to have originally meant “wine” or “some kind of wine” (Kaye, 557). It’s Turkish form kahfeh reached Europe in 1600.

Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee—coffee arabica is native to Ethiopia’s (southwestern?) highlands. Therefore the people of Ethiopia were the first to have recognized it’s energizing affects, by eating the coffee cherries. It was spread from Ethiopia to the Middle East by Sufi pioneers. Coffee has been called the ‘wine of Islam’ – the Sufi used coffee during spiritual rituals.

My favorite coffee drink, the mocha, originates from a specific variety of coffee arabica from Mocha, Yemen. Mocha was a major coffee marketplace from the 15th-18th centuries. The mocha variety of coffee was prized for it’s chocolate-like flavor, or terroir. Attempts were made to imitate the chocolate flavor, but the esteemed flavor came from the land of Yemen.

Specialty coffee emerged in 1990 — Primary initiator was Starbucks in Seattle, naming Seattle the capital of coffee culture. (Lyons)

 

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Physiology of Coffee: 5th Perspective

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The main physiological effects of coffee come from the caffeine, which is made desirable by subtle flavor notes. Caffeine is a bitter substance, and accounts for 10-30% of bitterness detected in coffee. Coffee has physiologically beneficial qualities attributed to its variety of lipids, alkaloids, minerals, acids, and other substances, but most of what we physiologically desire is the caffeine. As well as caffeine, minute amounts of related purine alkaloids, theobromine, and theophylline are present in the coffee bean. Various other alkaloids have been recently found particularly in arabica and robusta species. Among these alkaloids is theacrine, which has been studied and found to be an efficient solubilising agent for many carcinogenic substances. Chlorogenic acids are found in relatively high amounts in coffee, and differences in taste and pharmacological activity have been recorded. Ingestion of 200mg of chlorogenic was found to stimulate stomach secretion and enhance hydrochloric acid production. “This effect has also been attributed to an irritation of the stomach mucosa produced by chlorogenic acid or by its phenolic derivatives formed during roasting, and explained by there tannin-like nature.” (Coffee Physiology Volume 3)

“Caffeine is the most commonly used psychoactive substance in the USA (James 1991). It is estimated the more then 80% of children and adults in North America habitually consume caffeine and that average daily consumption is 280mg (Barone and Roberts 1996).”  (Subjective, behavioral, and physiological effects of acute caffeine in light, nondependent caffeine users. Volume 185, Issue 4). For those who are not regular coffee drinkers, as little as 30mg of caffeine can alter mood and alertness, improve reaction times, and vigilance performance. There are controversial studies surrounding the direct effect of consuming caffeine. Some researches argue that there is no benefit of consumption of caffeine on nondependent humans, but that the apparent effects of caffeine that occur reflect withdrawal reversal. Regular caffeine consumers experience altered mood and behavior that is reversed by caffeine consumption, and that the caffeine just restores normal functioning. Studies show that observed affects of caffeine could be a combination of withdrawal alleviation and direct pharmacological effects.

Subjective, behavioral, and physiological effects of acute caffeine in light, nondependent caffeine users. May 2006, Volume 185, Issue 4, pp 514-523. Emma Childs, Harriet de Wit. University of Chicago.

 

side affects of caffeine

side affects of caffeine

 

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Integrative Question

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Earth Care: by Yarden

One of the major problems in the coffee farming industry is mono cropping, which may lead to soil depletion, as well as destroys the biodiversity of a given region. A counteract to the agricultural mono cropping system is growing shade grown coffee, which presents trees of various native species, that creates an environment that attracts birds which are facing extinction. Shade grown coffee addresses environmental issues by insuring biodiversity, as well as local developmental issues.(Selling Forest Environmental Services, Market Based Mechanisms for Conservation and Development)

Fair Share:

What is a fair share? Coffee as it stands today is traded as a commodity on the New York stock exchange. When its price goes down, farmers suffer the cost of selling tonnage at a lower rate. This reality is virtually a non-factor in the health of relative currency and commodity traders, because if a good drops in price, it can be bought in larger quantities, and when its price rises it can be sold at a profit. The volatility of the market is a comfortable, diverse, economic jungle for the day trade explorer. Fair trade seeks to amend this system by systematically paying farmers more than the trading price, but the benefit of the price differential is questionable at best. Direct trade seeks to put even more money in to the farmers pockets. This could be revolutionary if all large coffee operations were dismantled and replaced with millions of small farms, or if the common coffee business model were small special coffee roasters, this however is not the case. The impact of direct trade today means a little more money for dozens of farmers. Macro economic issues seem to hold the key to improving the livelihoods of the larger demographic of coffee growers. If mono cropping is a major source of economic fragility then the diversification of agriculture in these nations can create economic security for the agriculture demographic. Diverse crop cycles would mean different seasonal intervals of income ; as well as the creation of subsidiary industries from fiber manufacturing to food production and export. Either local governments or the nations responsible for the colonization need to take the lead to invest in infrastructure training and the establishment of a variety of different industries to leverage crop failure, fluctuating labor markets which may limit the viability of mono crop GDPs.

People Care Alli

Mono cropping is not only a problem for soils and biodiversity, but also for coffee farming communities at large. Many coffee farming communities, in mostly poverty stricken areas, rely solely on coffee farming as income during peak seasons. Then, when coffee is not in season farmers must live on very little money and resources until the next crop. An ideal coffee production system would support farmers year round. Olympia Coffee Roasters are attempting to remedy some of these problems in the industry with their direct trade method. They visit coffee farms themselves, handpicking the best quality beans, and work with the farmers to improve the potential of the crops. Another very unique way that OCR is combatting the coffee industry standards is by paying the farmers 300% of the market value of that coffee, in respect to their “Quality of Life Company” motto. While there is still a lot of room for change and critiques to be made about first world consumption of third world goods, Olympia Coffee is paving a new path to ethical coffee production and trade.
People Care

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