Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Coffee Anyone?

We sip, we slurp, we rely on its warmth and pick me up, we drink coffee socially, but, does anyone know when it became a permanent fixture in our lifestyles? According to www.wikipedia.com, coffee has been traced to the thirteenth century, although its origins are still unclear. The first credible history of drinking coffee showed up in the fifteenth century. Www.coffeecakes.com states coffee came to America in the seventeen hundreds by way of the British and by the nineteen hundreds American were consuming one half of all coffee produced in the world. Guess that's what happens when you tax and dump tea.

Coffee at that time was prepared similar to Ethiopian styles. Green beans were roasted over a stove, ground in a pestle and mortar, and boiled on a stove until done. The ceremonies that go about serving it were different, yet the adoption method of preparation was general.

James Mason patented the first coffee Percolator in 1865. Years later, the first electric Percolator in 1910 came about, and then the drip coffee maker in 1960. The drip coffee maker was a huge breakthrough, it didn't re-circulate the grounds like the prior methods leading to an improved taste. House wives favored these new inventions as they led to increased ease of preparation on their part.

The term "Cuppa Joe," refers back to World War I when no G.I. Joe was without his cup of coffee. The soldiers had a dehydrated version in their rations or assembled in halls around a large Percolator. Coffee houses were the place to be after the war. The soldiers were so used to having their coffee that it became accustomed socially to gather and drink. When they needed a meal with the drink, soda fountains and lunch counters sprang into existence.

So as I sit here with my beverage, a steaming mug filled with coffee that has my senses alert, I rapidly type out the posting for today hoping to share with you the rather large contribution coffee has made to Bryony. Without this beverage that has kept me running and up at all hours typing, the much anticipated novel (so my family claims) might not have ever made it to editing. As you sip, slurp, and savor your "Cuppa Joe,"think what coffee has added to your day.

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