happened upon a strange new plant that was growing upon the slopes of lonely
hillside. Before the shepherd could intervene some of his herd had started to
chomp away at this newly discovered delicacy. After about a quarter of an hour
the shepherd began to notice that the entire flock were acting in an extremely
lively manner. They appeared to be not only very alert but even hyperactive. Now
the shepherd being slightly weary and more than a little tired decided that he
also should sample the berries and see what, if any effect they would have on
him. He secretly hoped that the dramatic effect that he had observed the berries
to have on his greedy flock of sheep would also be his experience. Just as had
happened with his herd, he too started to feel the benefits and in a matter of
minutes he also [pardon the pun] was “extremely full of beans”. A few hours
passed and along came a wandering monk. The herder proceeded to tell him of the
plants amazing qualities but he was immediately scolded for his outlandish ways
and foolhardy behaviour. After he had finished telling the shepherd just what a
sinner he had been the monk went on his way but not before he had hidden a
little something in his bottom of his backpack.
Back at the monastery the monks decided to try this new and exciting substance.
Soon the endless hours of praying were endured with the greatest of ease.
Coffee, the drink had been revealed to the world. Its widespread use then took a
grip in the Ethiopian lands before then migrating on to the Arabian outlands.
Here it was to be held for many years as a sacred substance but was eventually
to be unlawfully exported by a merchant called Baba Budan. Word of its qualities
were soon to spread and within a few years coffee was to emerge as one of the
most valued commodities of all time. Now would you believe that each year we
drink an amazing four billion cups and there are those among us who would cry at
the thought of starting their day without it.
Although coffee is mainly known as a sleep suppressant there are those who
consider coffee to have many health benefits. It is thought that people who
suffer from asthma and partake of the beverage have at least 25% less symptoms
which may be due to a substance in coffee called theophylline. This is known as
a bronchodilator and quite simply it is thought to help those who suffer with
the disease to breath with a little more ease. Drinking coffee on a daily basis
is also thought to help lower your chances of developing colon cancer by a
figure also in the region of about 25%. This may be due to the fact that coffee
helps to keep you regular. Coffee can do more than just help you get through
your day!
Its curious that the vast majority of folk have no idea of the different tastes
and delights that this king of all drinks has to offer us. One of the swiftest
growing trends of the last few years has to be the rising popularity of buying
coffee via the internet. Never before have we been able to so easily get hold of
such a large and voluptuous variety of blends, tastes and tantalising aromas
from all over the world. With the aid of the wonderful web, trekking around the
local neighbourhood to try and find some new exciting coffee blends has became a
thing of the past. Sitting at home I can now search out an almost infinite
variety of coffees from all over the world and order them at the click of a
mouse. I tend to place numerous orders via the web and I always make a point of
recording blend, country, and from exactly whom I purchased.
Now you know the history of this magical bean I hope that if in the days to come
you are thinking of visiting your local coffee shop you recall the information
you have read on this website and make the most of this wonderful drink. Go on
and try some new varieties. Not only will you impress your friends, your
tastebuds will be thrilled as well.
Latte or Cappuccino?