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Intermediate English
Reading - The Story of
Co!ee
Reading

The Story of Co!ee | 950 Words | Level 7

Read about the history of co!ee

Many people enjoy a cup of co!ee at their

local co!ee shop, but few people know the
story of co!ee and how it is produced. Co!ee
growing is a global industry. Research shows
that as many as a third of the world's
population are co!ee drinkers. Some people
enjoy drinking co!ee for its rich smell and
taste. Others like the awakening e!ect of
ca!eine, a chemical in co!ee.

Co!ee trees are native to eastern Africa and

areas of the Arabian Peninsula. Co!ee was
first grown and traded in the 15th century.
Back then, most co!ee came from the
country we now know as Yemen. Before long,
co!ee was in high demand all over the Middle
East. By the seventeenth century co!ee had
been introduced to Europe. European traders
started bringing co!ee plants to other parts
of the world. The Dutch brought co!ee to the
islands of Indonesia. By the 20th century,
most of the world's production came from
Central and South America. Today, Brazil is
the largest producer of co!ee in the world.

Most people know what a co!ee bean looks

like, but what about the plant? Co!ee trees
can grow up to nine metres high, but they are
cut short for production. These trees have
shiny dark green leaves that grow on opposite
sides of each other on a stem. The plant
produces a fruit that is called a co!ee cherry.

When the co!ee cherries are ripe and ready

to pick, they are bright, red and firm. Inside
the fruits are the green co!ee beans. After
these beans are roasted at high temperatures
they are ready to be made into a drink.

The two most important kinds of co!ee plants

are arabica and robusta. Arabica co!ee
makes up around 70% of the world's
production. These trees produce a fine and
mild co!ee with a rich smell.

Robusta has more ca!eine than arabica. It is

usually mixed with other co!ee beans or used
for instant co!ee. Most of the world's robusta
is grown in Central and Western Africa. It can
also be found in parts of Southeast Asia and
Brazil. Robusta is less costly to grow because
it is more resistant to diseases than the
arabica plant. Also, robusta plants can survive
in a warmer climate.

There may only be two main kinds of co!ee

plants, but geography and climate di!erences
have a big e!ect on how co!ee tastes. For
example, co!ee grown in Ethiopia is known
for its lively, sharp taste and its flowery smell.
Co!ee from the island of Sumatra is full
bodied, with an earthy and intense taste.
Co!ee roasters combine beans from di!erent
areas to make co!ees with di!erent tastes
and qualities.

One popular story about the discovery of

co!ee long ago is about Kaldi, a goat keeper.
Kaldi was looking after his goats in the
highlands of Ethiopia where co!ee trees have
grown for centuries. He noticed that his goats
became very excited and active after eating
small fruits from a tree. Kaldi reported this
discovery to a group of religious workers.
When they made a drink out of the fruit, the
religious workers realized they could stay
awake for long hours of prayer. This
knowledge about co!ee soon spread all over
the world.

In the USA, the number of specialty co!ee

shops has increased greatly over the years. In
1995 there were around 5000 shops and
sellers specializing in co!ee. By 2020, there
were about 37,000 co!ee shops in the United
States. It is hard to walk down a street in an
American city without coming across a co!ee
shop.

The Specialty Co!ee Association of America

holds a yearly competition for the people who
prepare co!ee drinks, known as baristas. The
best baristas from di!erent areas of the
country gather to make three co!ee drinks. A
group of co!ee experts judges them. The
baristas take their job very seriously. They
have fifteen minutes to make three kinds of
co!ee drinks: an espresso, a cappuccino, and
a specialty drink of their own invention. The
best baristas in the country then compete for
the national award.

Co!ee is the second most heavily traded

product in the world after oil. A co!ee bean
goes from a series of producers, exporters,
importers, roasters and sellers. This long
chain of production has major social and
political e!ects. For example, some co!ee
producers and drinkers are concerned about
the Fair Trade movement. The aim of this
movement is to make sure that co!ee
farmers around the world get a fair price for
their harvest. Poor farmers are organized into
groups called cooperatives. They are
guaranteed money under this system. Even if
the market price for co!ee drops, these
farmers can earn enough money to live on.

Some critics of the Fair Trade movement

argue that co!ee farmers still do not receive a
fair amount of money for their work. And
some economists argue that Fair Trade
creates too large a supply of co!ee.

There are also environmental concerns within

the co!ee industry. Industrial co!ee
production can have a bad e!ect on nature.
The chemicals used on large co!ee farms can
hurt soil and water sources. These large farms
also cut down many trees to make room for
co!ee plants. This threatens native plants and
birds. Environmental organizations have
worked to create rules for producing co!ee in
environmentally friendly ways. Many co!ee
drinkers buy this co!ee to support their
e!orts.

So, the next time you enjoy your morning

co!ee, you can think about its rich history
and wide popularity. And you can imagine the
long distances it travelled to end up in your
cup.

Source: VOA - Good to the Last Drop: Co!ee Culture

Is Alive and Well in the US.

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