International Coffee Day of 1st October

International Coffee Day is an occasion that is used to promote and celebrate Coffee as a beverage, with events now occurring in places across the world. The first official date was 1st October 2015, as agreed by then International Coffee Organization and was launched in Milan, Italy. This day is also used to promote fair trade Coffee and raise awareness for the plight of the Coffee growers. This day marks, making the daily journey from tropical Africa to the breakfast mugs of households all over the world. Coffee beans scattered all over the world for more than 600years and their preparation for consuming is a great example of metamorphosis. Humanity has been preparing Coffee for many presentations: drinks, candies, medicine and some ancient civilization even used it as currency. No matter, how you take it, Coffee can energize you, warm you up, refresh you, keep you awake and even catch you up with your loved ones.
According to historical records, Coffee is originally from Ethiopia and its discovery in Africa comes with an interesting story. Around 700sAD, a herd of goats started acting strongly, almost as if they were dancing. Their owner Kaladi discovered that they were eating a sort of red bean and concluded that was the cause of their behavior. Kaladi decided to share his finding with a monk who required something that could awake all night as he prayed; but another story claims that the monk refuse and threw the beans into the fires and the pleasing aroma that came from it was just wonderful. Suddenly, coffee made its way through the north into Yemenin the 15th century where the beans arrived by the name Mocha. Shortly after, they became well known in Egypt, Persia and Turkey as Wine of Arabyand coffee house startedto open by the name of Schools of Wise. Next Arabia became the gatekeeper for coffee and these beans began a large-scale coffee farming in Southern India. The history and origin of coffee in India dates back to around 1600 AD, when the Indian Sufi Saint, Baba Budan, went on a pilgrimage to Mecca. He made his legendary journey from Mocha, a port city of Yemen that overlooks the Red Sea to his homeland. Baba Budan, discovered coffee in the form of dark and sweet liquid called Qahwa on the way. He found the drink refreshing and secretly brought back seven coffee beans from Mocha by strapping them to his chest since the Arabs were extremely protective of their coffee industry. After returning from his pilgrimage, Baba Budan planted the seven seeds of Mocha in the courtyard of his hermitage in Chikmagalur, Karnataka- the birth place and origin of coffee in India. The coffee plants gradually spread as backyard plantings and later on to the hills of what is now known as Baba Budan hills.In 1560, coffee made its way through Europe and quickly became popular, until Pope Clement VIIIdecided that the drink must be satanic. Under inspection, he gave into the glory of beverage by baptism and declared it a Christian drink. As the 1600s rolled on and coffee houses sprung up all over Europe, the bean followed the wave of colonization in America. Finally, after a long time among humanity in 2014, The International Coffee Organization declared 1st October as International Coffee Day, an occasion to celebrate coffee as a beverage and raise awareness for the plight of coffee growers and know more about coffee culture.
Coffee has been part of human civilization since ancient times, so it’s the perfect day to get to know more about coffee culture. Did you know there are tons of traditions and rituals those ancient civilizations to do with coffee? You can use it as beauty treatment, as an insect repeller, a compost or fertilizer, to spice your steaks and flavor your food and much more. Coffee can lead to burn fat as it can increase the metabolic rate by 11%. The coffee also contains variety of nutrients, including niacin (Vitamin B), magnesium, potassium, manganese, Vitamin B5 and riboflavin (vitaminB2). The physical efficiency of coffee has also significantly improved. Coffee plays a vital for your skin as the influence of cellulite on the skin, the abundance of caffeine in coffee plays a crucial role. Using coffee scrubs to exfoliate the cellulite-prone areas such as the thighs, arms and tummy will get you fast result. The coffee industry is huge and thanks to our love for coffee, there are many different ways to prepare the drink. Turn yourself into barista and learn how to make that complicated drink that you usually go out to order. According to a Harvard’s Health publishing study, coffee drinkers tend to live longer plus they have a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Coffee is the second largest traded commodity right after crude oil and the most consumed beverage after water. Even Beethoven was a coffee lover. It is well known that he used to count his beans before making the brew, mostly 60 per cup. Coffee beans are called beans because of the resemblance with bean, but they’re actually berries.
This year, the international Coffee Organization will emphasize on the plight of coffee farmers, their livelihood, challenges and the need for concerted action. Whilst a cup of coffee has never been more expensive in your local café, there is still a very small charge for coffee farmers for their beans. Farmers don’t earn enough to provide themselves and their families and may have to switch away from coffee production, which endangers the coffee you drink. The Covid-19 pandemic has intensified the coffee price crisis and as such there is not only a major threat to the livelihood of coffee farmers today, but also a drastic danger to the future of coffee tomorrow with a growing number of young people in coffee farming households shifting from family market to other places and jobs, they see as more egalitarian and lucrative. In addition, these challenges, particularly in producing countries, have disproportionately affected female entrepreneurs. Considering the number of sectors and workers involved, the coffee day is not only observed to cherish the beverage but also to voice out for the injustices suffered by the sector and the people associated with it. The day also aims to promote the fair trade of coffee and bring the plight of coffee growers across the globe to the limelight. From cappuccino, Frappuccino to Double-shot Espresso, a true coffee lover knows that list of the variety of coffees endless. Therefore the ideal way to celebrate the day is by gaining knowledge about this aromatic crop and trying various types of coffees and dishes made out of them.
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