Black Coffee 101: A Beginner's Guide to Rich and Robust Flavor

Coffee needs no introduction! A cup of coffee is your morning pick-me-up that can start your day with an instant burst of energy. When you go through a long rough day, only a sip of black coffee can recharge you again. Not to forget, it is a great help when you have to pull an all-nighter for an exam or an unfinished due. 

About Coffee

Roasted coffee beans, which are the seeds of the Coffea plant, are used to make the common beverage known as coffee. To produce various coffee flavours and fragrances, the beans are picked, processed, and roasted to varied degrees. 

Coffee is one of the world’s most sought-after beverages that comes from roasted beans. The roasted beans are the seeds of the coffee plant. Coffee is enjoyed by millions of people all around the world in different forms.

Caffeine Content in Coffee

Caffeine is a bitter substance found in coffee that is responsible for stimulating activity in your brain and nervous system. It can make you feel refreshed or energised. It aids to help you stay awake by connecting to adenosine receptors. 

Depending on the type of coffee, its brewing method, and serving size can affect the amount of caffeine in coffee. Caffeine levels in coffee typically range from 65 to 135 mg per cup. However, if you have a larger serving size, the caffeine content might add up. However, the average caffeine content is 95 mg per cup. 

Here are some caffeine estimations in the different coffee beverages: 

Origin of Black Coffee 

Just like its taste, coffee also has a rich history that dates back to the 15th century in Yemen. Later in Yemen, Qahveh Khaneh, which translates to a coffee house in Farsi. The idea was to gather together and have a political or business conversation over tea. It is believed to be the first coffee house in history. 

Before Yemen, coffee had an enchanting past in the highlands of Ethiopia. Some historians believe that the origin of coffee began in the highlands of Ethiopia. It is said that a goat herder named Kaldi saw his goats becoming more active after consuming the berries of a certain tree. Out of curiosity, he tried the berries for himself and felt a rush of energy within him.

Also, in the 16th century, the popularity of coffee spread like a wildflower in the Mediterranean and Ottoman Empire. Slowly, coffee was famous throughout Europe - especially in Italy. The Italians were the first to brew espresso at the beginning of the 20th century.  

In the 17th century, the Dutch brought it to the Americas, where it quickly became a significant cash crop in nations like Brazil and Colombia. In the 19th and 20th centuries, coffee's popularity grew even further as inventions like the drip coffee maker made it more widely available.

Now, coffee is a staple drink for 7 out of 10 people. Millions of people throughout the world consume coffee every day, making it one of the most widely consumed beverages today.

How Coffee Production Takes Place? 

Coffee is a crop that needs particular growth circumstances to flourish. Many significant variables that influence the development and production of coffee include:

1. Climate: Temperatures between 15°C and 24°C, with enough rainfall, are ideal for coffee plants. The amount of rainfall and temperature changes will have an impact on the coffee crop's quality and productivity.
   
2. Soil: Coffee plants prefer organically rich, well-drained soils. The pH of the soil should range from 6.0 to 6.5. The development of Coffea plants also depends on the availability of specific minerals and nutrients including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
   
3. Altitude: The optimum place for the plants to flourish is between 1,200 and 2,100 metres above sea level. The quality and flavour profile of the coffee beans is impacted by altitude.
   
4. Shade: The plants do best in areas of shade, which can also help to control soil temperature and lessen the effects of direct sunshine.
   
5. Cultivars: The plants come in a variety of cultivars, each with its own special traits and needs for growth. To achieve the highest possible yield and quality of coffee beans, it is crucial to choose the proper cultivar for the particular growing conditions.
   

Producing coffee involves growing and harvesting the seeds of the Coffee Plant called Coffee Beans. Following are the steps for Cultivating it: 

• Planting: Seeds are typically planted in nurseries where they are nurtured until they sprout into seedlings. To ensure the effective growth and development of the coffee plants, choose a location with the right topography, soil, and climate. Use fertilisers per the results of a soil test and the particular needs of the plant. To avoid competing with coffee plants for nutrients and water, weed control is crucial. To manage weeds, use cultural techniques like mulching and intercropping with chemical control strategies.
• Transplanting: Coffee transplanting is the process of removing young coffee plants from their original place and moving them to a new area. When the coffee plants outgrow their nursery beds, transplanting is done. 
• Harvesting: In harvesting, the farmers pluck out the berries by hand. After several months, when the beans fully mature, they harvest them. For harvesting, you should look for a suitable time and location. Check the coffee plants for ripe cherries. Ripe cherries are bright red or golden and hefty. Don't pick cherries that are too ripe or too unripe. You can either pick coffee cherries by hand or with a machine. The best way for speciality coffee is handpicking since it enables careful cherry harvesting of only the ripe ones. While machine harvesting is more effective, it could produce coffee of poorer quality.
• Processing: There are two ways to process coffee cherries: dry and wet. The wet process entails utilizing a pulping machine to remove the cherry's outer layers and fermenting the beans to get rid of the mucilage. ‘The cherries are dried in the sun using the dry method, and once they are completely dry, the skin is scraped off.
  
• Drying: You can dry the beans after processing to get the moisture content down to about 10-12%. You can use Either a mechanical dryer or solar for drying. After drying, sort the beans to remove any damaged or impure beans. For sorting, you can use either a grading machine or manual grading.
• Roasting: Roasting is one of the important steps in producing coffee. The step includes heating green coffee beans to a particular temperature to produce the ideal flavour and aroma.

How to Brew Coffee 

There are many ways to brew coffee, however, the main procedures for preparing a straightforward cup with a drip coffee machine are as follows:

1. Add cold water to the coffee maker's water reservoir. Depending on how much coffee you want to create, adjust the amount of water you add.
   
2. Now grind the beans to a medium-coarse consistency. Depending on how much coffee you want to make and how strong you want it, you need to grind a certain amount.
3. Add a coffee filter to the coffee maker's filter basket.
4. Fill the coffee filter with ground coffee. Level the coffee grounds with a spoon.
5. To brew, close the lid of the coffee maker and turn on the machine. The coffee maker will heat the water and filter it into the pot after passing through the coffee grounds. 
6. After the brewing session, pour the coffee into a mug and sip it while it's still hot. Enjoy! 

You can modify the quantity of coffee and water to your taste. Additionally, if you don't have a coffee maker, you can make coffee using a French press, a pour-over, or an espresso machine.

What are the Benefits of Black Coffee?

The aromatic beverage is celebrated for its quick energy-boosting qualities. But, there is more to the health benefits of coffee that might surprise you. Some of the potential benefits of coffee are: 

Presence of Antioxidants: Coffee contains a number of antioxidants, including chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, melanoidin, cafestol and kahweol. Antioxidants help to guard against oxidative stress and cell damage. All the antioxidants are believed to be anti-inflammatory and may help prevent some types of cancer. Also, caffeic acid has neuroprotective qualities, which help to fight cancer. Antioxidants can decrease the risks of several diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer's disease. 

Improved alertness: Coffee is well known for enhancing mental clarity and alertness, which is The presence of caffeine enhances mental clarity and alertness because it stimulates the nervous system.  

When you drink coffee, caffeine enters the bloodstream and moves to the brain. When it gets inside the brain, it prevents the function of adenosine. Adenosine is a neurotransmitter that is in charge of promoting sleep and silencing arousal.

Blocking of adenosine can result in an improvement in alertness, concentration, and mental focus. If you feel drowsy in your long and tiring day job, coffee is the solution. 

Increased physical performance: caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, increasing the release of adrenaline, which might enhance physical performance.

According to research, caffeine can boost endurance exercise performance and increase muscular power and strength.

The antioxidant content present can help lessen the inflammation and muscle damage brought on by exercise.

Drinking bullet coffee on an empty stomach might help you to lose fat and give you mental clarity. Take a warm cup of water and mix a tablespoon of coffee, butter, and medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil. 

Reduction in the risk of some diseases: Research has suggested that coffee consumption may be linked to a lower risk of several illnesses, including type 2 diabetes. 

Coffee includes substances known as chlorogenic acids, which have been known to enhance insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism. 

Chlorogenic acids can also prevent the intestines from absorbing glucose, which can assist in controlling blood sugar levels.

Skin Health: Coffee contains an abundance of collagen that helps to improve your skin texture. Collagen is a component of your skin that maintains the elasticity of your skin. As you grow older, your skin stops producing collagen. And, your skin might get wrinkled and loose. 

Therefore, it is necessary to use something that contains natural collagen like coffee itself. Apply coffee and milk to your face. Once it dries off, wash it with a splash of water. You will get an instant glow on your face.

As it contains antioxidant properties, it promotes anti-ageing and reduces puffiness in your skin. Also, it removes dark circles under your eyes. 

For a smoother, more radiant complexion, you can use coffee grounds as a smooth exfoliator. Coffee grounds have a texture that is soft enough not to irritate skin and enough rough to exfoliate dead skin cells.

According to studies, caffeine may provide UV ray protection and might help prevent skin cancer.

Increased mental health: The presence of caffeine can stimulate a positive impact on your mind. According to some research, drinking coffee may lower the risk of depression and suicide. Also, it enhances cognitive function in older people. 

The alertness and increased energy can automatically boost your mental health. But again you should be cautious not to exceed the standard daily intake. 

How Much is too Much Coffee?

There are many rumours surrounding coffee being bad for your health. But, in reality, coffee can positively impact your life. However, you should consume coffee in moderation and also consider your health disorder. 

Depending on your caffeine tolerance, lifestyle, and overall health, the amount of coffee consumption differs. Some studies suggest not drinking more than 400 mg of caffeine i.e. somewhere about 4 cups of coffee a day. 

It is important to note that you should lower your coffee intake if you are also taking caffeine from other sources like tea, chocolate, etc. 

Drinking too much coffee can lead to anxiety, jitter, and poor gut health. Therefore, make sure you only drink coffee in moderation. If you have low caffeine tolerance, try having only 1-2 cups of coffee a day.

Who Should not Consume Coffee? 

Coffee is completely safe to consume, however, a few people should consider it before consuming it, like - 

1. People with a sleeping disorder should avoid drinking coffee as it contains caffeine that might disturb their sleep at night. If your disorder is mild then have coffee before 3 PM in the noon. 
2. People with high blood pressure 
3. People with a stomach ulcer or high acidity flux 
4. Breastfeeding or pregnant women should lower their cups of coffee a day. 

Black Coffee in Nepal 

Due to its favourable climate and soil, Nepal is one of the best countries to produce roasted whole beans, generally known as Arabica coffee beans. As a result, Nepali coffee has become the most well-known brand of coffee, making an impression not only in Nepal but also throughout the world.

These arabica coffee beans, which account for 70% of the global coffee market, are bursting with distinctive flavours and aromas. If you like your coffee mellow, fruity, and smoother, this may be the finest cup for you because of its low caffeine concentration.

To experience the Arabica coffee beans, please visit our store Everest Organic Home. We sell high-end coffee that can maximise the benefits of coffee. At an elevation of 4,400 feet, our coffee beans are cultivated in Dudh Pokhari Village in the Lamjung area. 

The decadent, chocolate-brown coffee beans are loaded with healthy nutrients that are good for both the body and the mind.