| Revision as of 23:17, 5 September 2026 by OpenWiki (Imported from the OpenWiki starter corpus) | Revision as of 00:19, 6 September 2026 by OpenWiki (Updated from the starter corpus) | ||
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| {{Infobox | {{Infobox | ||
| | title = Coffee | | title = Coffee | ||
| − | | image = | + | | image = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/A%20small%20cup%20of%20coffee.JPG?width=320 |
| | caption = A cup of brewed coffee | | caption = A cup of brewed coffee | ||
| | label1 = Type | | label1 = Type | ||
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| ''Coffea'' is a genus of flowering shrubs native to tropical Africa. Two species account for nearly all production: | ''Coffea'' is a genus of flowering shrubs native to tropical Africa. Two species account for nearly all production: | ||
| − | * '''''Coffea arabica''''' | + | * '''''Coffea arabica''''' – about 60% of world output. Grown at altitude, more aromatic and less bitter, more susceptible to disease and to warming. |
| − | * '''''Coffea canephora''''' (robusta) | + | * '''''Coffea canephora''''' (robusta) – hardier, higher-yielding, roughly twice the caffeine, and a harsher flavour. Used in instant coffee and in espresso blends for body and crema. |
| The fruit is a small drupe, the "cherry", usually containing two seeds. Coffee grows in the tropical belt between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn; Brazil has been the largest producer since the nineteenth century, followed by Vietnam, Colombia and Indonesia. | The fruit is a small drupe, the "cherry", usually containing two seeds. Coffee grows in the tropical belt between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn; Brazil has been the largest producer since the nineteenth century, followed by Vietnam, Colombia and Indonesia. | ||
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| Coffeehouses followed, and with them repeated official anxiety. Coffee was banned in Mecca in 1511 and in Cairo shortly after; a 1675 English proclamation attempted to suppress coffeehouses as places where "divers false, malitious and scandalous reports" were spread against the government. The ban was withdrawn within days. | Coffeehouses followed, and with them repeated official anxiety. Coffee was banned in Mecca in 1511 and in Cairo shortly after; a 1675 English proclamation attempted to suppress coffeehouses as places where "divers false, malitious and scandalous reports" were spread against the government. The ban was withdrawn within days. | ||
| − | The coffeehouse became an institution of European public life in the seventeenth and eighteenth | + | The coffeehouse became an institution of European public life in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: cheap admission, mixed company, newspapers provided. Lloyd's of London began in a coffeehouse frequented by shipping merchants, and the London Stock Exchange traces its origins to Jonathan's. The drink was also inseparable from colonial plantation agriculture and slavery, particularly in the Caribbean and Brazil. |
| == Economics == | == Economics == | ||
| − | Coffee is grown mostly by smallholders in the tropics and consumed mostly in wealthier temperate countries. Most of the value is added after | + | Coffee is grown mostly by smallholders in the tropics and consumed mostly in wealthier temperate countries. Most of the value is added after export, in roasting, branding and retail, so a small share of the retail price reaches the grower. Prices are set on volatile commodity exchanges, and certification schemes such as fair trade attempt to guarantee a floor. Rising temperatures are expected to reduce the land suitable for arabica substantially over the coming decades. |
| == See also == | == See also == | ||
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