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Coffee (rec.drink.coffee) Discussing coffee. This includes selection of brands, methods of making coffee, etc. Discussion about coffee in other forms (e.g. desserts) is acceptable. |
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Coffee is focus of new exhibit at Burke Museum
Link: http://www.greenbean-store.com/Blog/archives/300
Coffee is focus of new exhibit at Burke Museum *by KRISTIN DIZON P-I REPORTER Coffea arabica, you bring us to our knees. You are the little bean that came to world domination, the most popular beverage on the planet behind water. So it must be fate that the first museum exhibit all about you has been created by The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in the city whose residents drink more coffee per capita than any other in the U.S. “Coffee: The World in Your Cup” opens Saturday to explore the history, production, roasting, economics, environmental and social issues, and, of course, the flavor, of coffee. Ruth Pelz, coordinator of the exhibit, said she hatched the idea 15 years ago when she attended a lecture about how shade-grown coffee protects the diversity of migratory bird species. “A light just went off in my head — nobody cares more about coffee than Seattleites,” she said. “We love coffee but there are so many interesting facts behind it that we don’t know.” And, though coffee’s origins are at least 1,000 years old, Pelz said we know little of its early history. “Nobody knows when people first ate the fruit,” she said. “We don’t know when people started grinding and roasting and drinking it.” The beloved brew, which has been alternately praised and condemned as a poison, a medicine, a magical elixir and more, is the second-most traded commodity in the world — bested only by oil. An estimated 20 million to 25 million people are involved in the growing and production of coffee — mostly on tiny subsistence farms, according to the World Resources Institute. It takes a lot of intensive labor to deliver that aromatic caffeine hit. Coffee beans are handpicked when fully ripe and must be depulped the same day. They’re fermented, dried, hulled and graded before being shipped to their ultimate destination, then roasted, blended, ground, brewed and served. As a member of a third generation of Guatemalan coffee farmers, Edwin Martinez says few people understand how coffee gets from seed to cup. “It’s difficult to place a value on coffee. It’s difficult to quantify,” said Martinez, who runs Onyx Coffee, a small consultancy in Bellingham. “I just have coffee in my veins and I want people to experience it so much more than they do.” Produced by more than 50 countries, coffee’s great paradox is the high price paid for the end product (especially in specialty coffee) and mostly low wages for those who grow it. Given that, “Coffee: The World in Your Cup” — created with the support of Starbucks, Boeing, Microsoft and others — is a petite exhibit, using a little more than 2,000 square feet to cover such a complex subject. The exhibit packs a fair amount of information into its space, it’s not likely to satisfy serious coffee aficionados, and it isn’t going to give you a handle on the global complexities of the coffee trade or the numerous health studies and debates over coffee’s effects. But it has plenty to offer most consumers of coffee, and java fiends will be especially interested in tasting and talking with coffee experts who will share their knowledge on weekends at the exhibit, through June 7. After the exhibit ends here, it will become a traveling exhibit at museums around the country. Though local latte and macchiato lovers think of specialty coffee when it comes to java, world coffee markets and American consumption are dominated by brands like Maxwell House (Kraft Foods Inc.) and Folgers (J.M. Smucker Co.) that usually feature the heartier, but less flavorful, robusta bean, which is cheaper than arabica coffee. People think of Starbucks as a monolith, but the company will buy only about 2 percent of the global harvest, or 375 million to 400 million pounds this year, said Major Cohen, a senior specialist in coffee and tea education at Starbucks. Cohen said he was amazed that an exhibit like this hasn’t been put together before. He said one reason might be that, in years past, few people wanted to tell the back story of coffee and its production. Now, specialty coffee companies want to talk about the effects they can have on the sustainability and economics of coffee, and all that it takes to bring it to consumers’ lips. “There are so many places where coffee can be screwed up,” Cohen said. “It’s a miracle that we can get coffee to the consumer that is as good as it is — and that’s for everyone in the business.” Although many in this region probably have more knowledge of fair- trade, shade-grown and organic coffees, all are a proverbial drop in the cup when it comes to volume. Exhibit organizers hope visitors will learn more about the wonder of coffee and their impact on its production. “We hope people realize that our consumer choices connect us with the world,” Pelz said, “and that by making responsible choices we can make a difference for people and the environment.” *Source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/ae/397243_coffee24.html -L.H. The GreenBean coffee Espresso & Tea LLC www.GREENBEAN-STORE.com <---- over 100 coffees and teas! www.GREENBEAN-STORE.com/Blog <------- more articles like this one! |
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Arabica coffee is the most commonly sipped java worldwide. While I enjoy it, my favorite is rich, robust Kona coffee from Hawaii. The flavor is unsurpassed and I don't like it blended with anything else. I purchase from https://konaluna.com to get pure Kona coffee so I can appreciate the full flavor in every sip.
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