insideKENT Magazine Issue 35 - February 2015 | Page 88

FOOD+DRINK

The story of how coffee was discovered is also
a unique blend of myth and fact. It is said that
a goatherd, Kaldi, was wandering in the highlands
of Ethiopia, and noticed that his goats were
particularly restless. They simply wouldn’t settle
to sleep. The same thing happened every time
Kaldi and his flock were up in the highlands, but
not when they were on lower ground. This led
the goatherd to watch his wards closely, and he
realised that the high spirits and sleeplessness
came only after a particularly berry was
consumed.
Intrigued and not a little concerned about this,
Kaldi told the local monastery, so that it could
be investigated further. The monks used the
berries to brew a drink, and when they drank it
they realised they were able to stay awake longer,
and be alert for evening prayers.
News of this ‘miracle’ beverage spread quickly,
as did the berries themselves, being purchased
or stolen by anyone who had a brain for business
and a vague knowledge of plants. Soon the
coffee plants had been re-homed across the
world, including Arabia, South America, the
Caribbean, and the islands around the Pacific.
But each plant has its origins in those on the
Ethiopian mountains.
By the 16th century, coffee was so popular in
Arabia that coffee shops were springing up on
every street corner. These were the places that
people came to drink coffee, of course, but also
to chat, to discuss politics, to listen to music and
watch performers. This is where ideas were

shared and friendships made. They became such
an important part of life that in Turkey that they
were called ‘The Schools of the Wise’.

four years for coffee trees to bear fruit – called
a coffee cherry. Once the crop is ready (when
the cherry turns bright red), the fruit is picked,
usually by hand.

Thanks to the pilgrims visiting Mecca, the idea
of coffee as a social drink – and by extension
coffee shops – was taken back to Europe, and
it wasn’t long before coffee houses began to
open up in the big cities there, including London.
Not everyone was keen on coffee though. Due
to its mysterious qualities and often bitter taste,
opponents described it as the invention of Satan,
and prevailed upon the Pope, Clement VIII, to
ban it. Being a fair man, Pope Clement decided
to taste the drink before making a decision. He
liked it so much that he even gave it Papal
approval!
So the trend for loving coffee continued unabated,
and by the mid 17th century, there were more
than 300 coffee shops i n London alone. These
‘penny universities’ (called so because a cup of
coffee cost one penny, and this would gain you
access to some fascinating discussions, often
with total strangers) were here to stay, in one
form or another.
Getting the coffee from plant to cup is a labour
intensive process – first, the coffee seeds must
be planted. With coffee production so high, the
plants that would normally have been growing
naturally on a hillside are now purpose grown in
large nurseries. This way they can be checked
at every stage, and enough can be grown to
satisfy the world’s thirst for coffee. It takes up to

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There is only a limited time between harvesting
the fruit and processing it, as coffee spoils very
quickly. Using the ‘dry method’ (often used when
there is little water in the area), the cherries are
literally left in the sun to dry. They are turned on
a regular basis throughout the day, and covered
should it rain, and this process takes a good
number of weeks. When they are dry enough,
the coffee fruit is moved into storage.
The alternative method is known as the ‘wet
method’. Once the fruit has been picked, the
pulp is removed (using a machine), and the rest
of the coffee is sent through a complicated system
of drums and barrels to be completely washed.
Once ready, they are then ready for drying.