Noun

Singular coffee

Plural countable and uncountable; plural coffees

coffee (countable and uncountable; plural coffees)

1. A beverage made by infusing the beans of the coffee plant in hot water.
2. A serving of the beverage coffee

   We’d like three coffees on this table please

3. The seeds of the plant used to make coffee, misnamed ‘beans’ due to their shape.
4. A tropical plant of the genus Coffea.
5. (color/colour) A pale brown colour, like that of milk coffee.

   coffee colour:

Synonyms

• Wikisaurus:coffee
• Wikisaurus:color

Adjective

coffee (not comparable)

Positive coffee

Comparative not comparable

Superlative none (absolute)

1. (color/colour) Of a pale brown colour, like that of milk coffee.

Coffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of "coffee cherries" that grow on trees in over 70 countries. Green coffee is one of the most traded commodities in the world, often described as being second only to crude oil although this often repeated "fact" should be subjected to more careful scrutiny. Due to its caffeine content, coffee can have a stimulating effect in humans. Today, coffee is one of the most popular beverages worldwide.

It is thought that the energizing effect of the coffee bean plant was first recognized in Yemen in Arabia and the south west of Ethiopia, and the cultivation of coffee expanded in the Arab world. The earliest credible evidence of coffee drinking appears in the middle of the fifteenth century, in the Sufi monasteries of the Yemen in southern Arabia. From the Muslim world, coffee spread to Italy, then to the rest of Europe, to Indonesia, and to the Americas.

Coffee berries, which contain the coffee bean, are produced by several species of small evergreen bush of the genus Coffea. The two most commonly grown species are Coffea canephora (also known as Coffea robusta) and Coffea arabica; less popular species are liberica, excelsa, stenophylla, mauritiana, racemosa. These are cultivated primarily in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Once ripe, coffee berries are picked, processed, and dried. The seeds are then roasted, undergoing several physical and chemical changes. They are roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavour. They are then ground and brewed to create coffee. Coffee can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways.

Coffee has played an important role in many societies throughout history. In Africa and Yemen, it was used in religious ceremonies. As a result, the Ethiopian Church banned its secular consumption until the reign of Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia. It was banned in Ottoman Turkey in the 17th century for political reasons, and was associated with rebellious political activities in Europe.

Coffee is an important export commodity. In 2004, coffee was the top agricultural export for 12 countries, and in 2005, it was the world's seventh-largest legal agricultural export by value.

Some controversy is associated with coffee cultivation and its impact on the environment. Many studies have examined the relationship between coffee consumption and certain medical conditions; whether the overall effects of coffee are positive or negative has been widely disputed. However, more recently it was determined that the method of brewing coffee is important.

Coffee

• "Coffee should be black as hell, strong as death, and sweet as love." - Turkish proverbs
• "I have measured out my life with coffee spoons" - T.S. Eliot
• "No one can understand the truth until he drinks of coffee's frothy goodness." - Sheik Abd al-Qadir
• "Coffee leads men to trifle away their time, scald their chops, and spend their money, all for a little base, black, thick, nasty, bitter, stinking nauseous puddle water." -The Women's Petition Against Coffee (1674)
• "Is it impossible to get a cup of coffee-flavoured coffee, anymore, in this country? What happened with the coffee? Did I miss a fucking meeting with the coffee, huh? You can get every other flavour except coffee-flavoured coffee!" - Denis Leary
• "I like my coffee like I like my women- Black and Strong." - Paul Howell (2005)
• "I like my coffee the way I like my women -- in a plastic cup." - Eddie Izzard
• "I like my coffee the way I like my women -- covered in beeeeeeeeeeeees!" - Eddie Izzard again a couple of minutes later
• "I believe humans get a lot done, not because we're smart, but because we have thumbs so we can make coffee." -Flash Rosenberg
• "Decaffeinated coffee is kind of like kissing your sister." -Bob Irwin
• "Coffee is a beverage that puts one to sleep when not drank." -Alphonse Allais
• "Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and fat." -Alex Levine

From Wikiquote under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Wed Jan 6 18:26:35 2010