{"id":44808,"date":"2022-10-01T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-01T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omio.co.uk\/window-seat\/discover-en-gb-2\/the-best-of-european-coffee-culture\/"},"modified":"2022-10-04T08:00:29","modified_gmt":"2022-10-04T08:00:29","slug":"the-best-of-european-coffee-culture-omio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omio.co.uk\/window-seat\/en-gb\/food-drink-en-gb\/the-best-of-european-coffee-culture-omio\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best of European Coffee Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The aficionado, the exhausted, the caffeine junkie, and the hipster are all drawn to the roasted scent of coffee. Bitter yet flavorful, robust yet filled with softness, the black grains are patiently grinded and pressed, until the perfect cup manifests. Yesterday\u2019s \u201cFruit of the Devil\u201d is one of today\u2019s most popular beverages, tirelessly consumed by millions around the world in the morning, noon and night. If you\u2019ve ever had to pull an all-nighter or get through a rough work week, coffee has been your helpmate, your pick me up, your friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But true coffee connoisseurs know there is more to the beverage than just a caffeine rush. If you fancy a delicious journey, keep on reading to discover the origins of coffee, from Ethiopia to Italy, through all the thrilling nuances of roasted flavors in France, Spain and more. So, pour yourself a cup of joe, sit back and savor the taste of black gold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the beginning, there was a shepherd, goats, and red berries<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re all fascinated by origin stories, and coffee is not lacking in mysteries. Legend has it that a young Ethiopian shepherd was the first to discover the stimulating effect of the red berries, as his goats started wildly after grazing on them. Other myths say a forest fire burned down a bunch of coffee plants, imbuing the air with the scent of roasted beans. We wish we could have been there for that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Ethiopian
The story of coffee started in prehistoric times, somewhere in the lush Ethiopian mountains. Credit: Erik Hathaway\/Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the rather dubious myths, scientists claim that the history of coffee did begin in Ethiopia, but way earlier than stated above. During prehistoric times, people already consumed coffee as a rejuvenating food, a quality that is reflected in its first name \u201ckahwa,\u201d which means \u201cthat which delights and encourages to soar.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Before they were grounded, coffee beans were boiled and consumed in prehistoric times as a porridge or beverage. Credit: Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the 15th century, coffee beans were already being exported from Moka, Yemen, to the Ottoman Empire, Persia, and North Africa. The drink quickly became the drink of choice in these Muslim nations, offering a sort of sober drunkenness alternative to alcohol\u2014which is prohibited in Islam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The western world got a taste for coffee in the 16th century, when the beans were introduced as a medicinal ingredient in Venice. But it\u2019s only in the 17th and 18th centuries that the drink started spreading in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the plant to the cup<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The two most common coffee plant varieties in the world are the arabica and the robusta, each with its own distinct flavors and nutrition profile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Arabica beans have the typical S-shaped cut, while robusta beans tend to be straight. Credit: Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Coffea arabica plant grows in higher altitudes and delivers a mild brew with a rich, strong, and slightly acidic aroma, with 0.8 to 1.5 percent caffeine levels. While it originated in Ethiopia, the majority of the current cultivation comes from Central and South America, on the East Coast of Africa, and in Asia, making up about 70 percent of the world’s coffee production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Treasured coffee beans are mainly cultivated in Central and South America, and the East Coast of Africa. Credit: Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Coffea canephora (robusta) is a wild variety from Congo, in West Africa, growing at lower altitudes. Compared to arabica coffee, robusta beans offer a bolder, more bitter flavor with twice the caffeine content found in arabica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fun fact:<\/strong> The most expensive arabica coffee in the world is the Kopi Luwak, made from coffee beans collected from\u2026the excrements of the luwak, an Asian civet from Indonesia. Retrieved with the seed unbroken, the digestion process confers a unique taste, with prices from \u20ac500 to \u20ac1000 for two pounds!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Italian coffee: A story of passionate expertise<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Italy, drinking coffee is not a mere solitary pleasure on the go. It\u2019s a social ritual that has existed since the very first coffee shop in Italy opened in St. Mark\u2019s Square in  Venice in 1683. But how did a country that doesn\u2019t even grow beans become the mecca of coffee culture?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Italians not only drank coffee, but they also refined it with their unique know-how, by innovating new extraction processes that differed from the initial Turkish-style brewing method. In 1948, Achille Gaggia designed the final pressure extraction technology, giving birth to the espresso as we know it today, with a higher concentration of aromas and a creamy and dense foam created by the air pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Made from arabica beans, espresso is the backbone of Italian coffee, a brief but intensive delight sipped from small porcelain cups at all times of the day, at the counters of the renowned Italian bars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ground coffee is pressed with precision into the perfect cup of espresso. Credit: Tabitha Turner\/Unsplash <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Italian
Italians mastered coffee brewing with their unique and innovative techniques. Credit: Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The espresso (simply called \u201ccaff\u00e8\u201d) comes in various forms, depending on taste:<\/p>\n\n\n\n