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Expediters Online.com Driver Lifestyles
A world without that rich, aromatic brew that provides comfort and stimulates the mind. Or, as one coffee lover puts it, "it takes the edge off of the morning." A world without the beverage that, for many of us, makes it possible to shake off the hangover of the previous night's sleep and to begin our day. A world without coffee. A frightening image, right? For the professional driver, coffee can occupy a special place of importance in the daily routine. It can help him start off the work day, it can keep him awake during those long stretches of night driving and it can provide relaxation when he's winding down before sleep. Many drivers opt for truckstop coffee and consume it in copious quantities, while others prefer to brew (and even grind) their own coffee in the truck's sleeper. But, regardless of how the driver enjoys his java, he's continuing a tradition that dates back over a thousand years. Beginnings From the Muslim world, coffee spread to Europe, where it became popular during the seventeenth century. The Dutch were the first to start the large scale importation of coffee into Europe, and eventually smuggled out some seedlings in 1690, as the Arabs were not allowed to export the plants or unroasted seeds. This led to coffee growing in Java, which was owned by the Dutch. In 1538, a German physician who had returned from a trip to the Middle East gave this description of coffee: “A beverage as black as ink, useful against numerous illnesses, particularly those of the stomach. Its consumers take it in the morning, quite frankly, in a porcelain cup that is passed around and from which each one drinks a cupful. It is composed of water and the fruit from a bush called bunnu.” Raymond Moore When coffee reached the American colonies, it was initially not as successful as it had been in Europe, as colonists found it a poor substitute for alcohol. However, during the Revolutionary War, the demand for coffee increased to such an extent that dealers had to hoard their scarce supplies of it and raise prices dramatically; part of this is due to the reduced availability of tea from British merchants. Americans' taste for coffee grew during the early nineteenth century. The War of 1812 had temporarily cut off access to tea imports and high demand during the American Civil War as well as many advancements in brewing technology cemented the position of coffee as an everyday commodity in America. Snippets of coffee history Prior to 1000 A.D.: Members of the Galla tribe in Ethiopia notice that they get an energy boost when they eat a certain berry, ground up and mixed with animal fat. 1000 A.D.: Arab traders bring coffee back to their homeland and cultivate the plant for the first time on plantations. They also began to boil the beans, creating a drink they call "qahwa" (literally, that which prevents sleep). Greg Geronsin 1453: Coffee is introduced to Constantinople by Ottoman Turks. The world's first coffee shop, Kiva Han, open there in 1475. 1607: Captain John Smith helps to found the colony of Virginia at Jamestown. It's believed that he introduced coffee to North America. 1668: Edward Lloyd's coffeehouse opens in England and is frequented by merchants and maritime insurance agents. Eventually it becomes Lloyd's of London, the best-known insurance company in the world. 1690: With a coffee plant smuggled out of the Arab port of Mocha, the Dutch become the first to transport and cultivate coffee commercially, in Ceylon and in their East Indian colony - Java, source of the brew's nickname. 1773: The Boston Tea Party makes drinking coffee a patriotic duty in America. Colleen and Tod Marmino 1886: Former wholesale grocer Joel Cheek names his popular coffee blend "Maxwell House," after the hotel in Nashville, TN where it's served. 1900: Hills Bros. begins packing roast coffee in vacuum tins, spelling the end of the ubiquitous local roasting shops and coffee mills. 1901: The first soluble "instant" coffee is invented by Japanese-American chemist Satori Kato of Chicago. 1903: German coffee importer Ludwig Roselius turn a batch of ruined coffee beans over to researchers, who perfect the process of removing caffeine from the beans without destroying the flavor. He markets it under the brand name "Sanka." Sanka is introduced to the United States in 1923. 1906: George Constant Washington, an English chemist living in Guatemala, notices a powdery condensation forming on the spout of his silver coffee carafe. After experimentation, he creates the first mass-produced instant coffee (his brand is called Red E Coffee). Cheri Heppner 1920: Prohibition goes into effect in United States. Coffee sales boom. 1938: Having been asked by Brazil to help find a solution to their coffee surpluses, Nestle Company invents freeze-dried coffee. Nestle develops Nescafe and introduces it in Switzerland. 1940: The US imports 70 percent of the world coffee crop. 1942: During W.W.II, American soldiers are issued instant Maxwell House coffee in their ration kits. Back home, widespread hoarding leads to coffee rationing. 1971: Starbucks opens its first store in Seattle's Pike Place public market, creating a frenzy over fresh-roasted whole bean coffee. Coffee facts Did you know... -Coffee, along with tea and water, is one of the most popular beverages world-wide, its volume amounting to about a third that Coffee represents 71% of all the United States caffeine consumption followed by soft drinks and tea. Bob Caffee -Coffee is usually sold in a roasted state, and the roasting process has a considerable degree of influence on the taste of the final product. All coffee is roasted before being consumed. -Coffee roasting is a complicated chemical process that creates the distinctive flavor of coffee from a bland bean. Un-roasted beans contain all of coffee’s acids, protein, and caffeine — but none of its taste. -Decaffeination of coffee is often done by processing companies, who sell the extracted caffeine to the pharmaceutical industry. -Coffee contains caffeine, a mild stimulant. Drinking coffee results in an increase of the heart rate of the drinker, increased blood flow to the muscles, and an increase in blood pressure and it causes a decrease in blood flow to the skin and to the inner organs. Most importantly for many drinkers, the level of dopamine in the brain increases. Depending on the type of coffee and method of preparation the caffeine content of an average cup of coffee can vary greatly. However, on average for a 7oz cup of coffee the following amounts of caffeine can be expected: Drip: 115-175 mg David and Patty Jo Jaynes Copyright 2005 by Expediters Online.com |
