INTRODUCTION OF COFFEE : WHAT IS COFFEE ?

  Coffee is one of the most popular beverage in the world. Its not only a drink, its part of history.

  
  Coffee is part of human history. In the Ethiopian highlands, where the legend of Kaldi, the goatherd, originated, coffee trees grow as they have for centuries. It is said that he discovered coffee after noticing that his goats, upon eating berries from a certain tree, became so spirited that they did not want to sleep at night. Kaldi dutifully reported his findings to the abbot of the local monastery who made drink with the berries and discovered that it kept him alert for long hours of evening prayer. Soon the abbot had shared his discovery with the other monks at the monastery , and ever so slowly knowledge of the energizing effects of the berries began to spread. As word moved east and coffee reached the Arabian peninsula , it began a journey which would spread its reputation across the globe.

  Today coffee is grown in a multitude of countries around the word. Whether it is Asia or Africa Central or South America, the islands of the Caribbean or Pacific, all can trace their heritage to the the trees in the ancient cofee forests on the Ethiopian plateau.

  Coffee had established itself as a commodity crop througout the world. Missionaries and travellers, trader and colonists continued to carry coffee seeds to new lands and coffee trees were planted worldwide. Plantations were established in magnificent tropical forests and on rugged mountain highlands. Some crops flourished, while others were short-lived. New nations were established on coffee economies. Fortunes were made and lost. And by the end of the 18th century, coffee had become one of the world's most profitable export crops.
sources: www.nacusa.org