… for making my mornings a little easier.
My morning doesn’t really get going until I’ve had my first cup of coffee.
I’m easily pleased, black, no sugar, instant or cafetiere.
And it appears we have Kaldi, a goat herder in 9th century Ethiopia to thank.
Legend has he noticed his goats were very energetic after eating the coffee beans that grew all around them.
So, let’s raise a cup to Kaldi, especially today as its the 10th International Coffee Day.
Created to celebrate the coffee bean and raise awareness of the difficulties coffee farmers face in our changing world.
There are over 100 species of coffee grown mainly in the “Coffee Belt” a region of the world between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, as the climate there is perfect for growing coffee.
This includes India and Indonesia in Southeast Asia, Mexico and Costa Rica in Central America, Columbia (my favourite) and Brazil in South America, and Kenya and Ethiopia in Africa.
The levels of caffeine vary depending on the species and how the coffee is brewed, with even decaf having low levels, around 1 – 2% of a regular cup.
So next time you put on the kettle for a brew, you can thank Kaldi, and his excellent powers of observation. Without them, mornings may be just a little harder.