Charlottesville Area Masters of Real Ale

   Someone once said “better deprived of food for three days than tea for one.” I definitely appreciate the sentiment but I’m not sure how productive or pleasant I’d be without eating for most of the week, even with a grassy cup of Sencha in hand. I’d most likely be babbling non sequiturs; a glassy-eyed reminder that sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. That being said, let’s not write off the neural nourishment and pure elation offered by our dear friends, camellia sinensis and coffea arabica.
   While caffeine in its many guises has its detractors, let’s not make light of the health benefits that leaves and berries have to offer. Take for example tea’s undisputed ability to lower cholesterol levels, improve cardiovascular health, and its defense against various cancers. Not to mention the fact that tea is actually quite delicious, whereas consuming most ultra-healthy dietary options resembles gnawing on tree bark. With flavors ranging from the subtly floral of a Chinese White to the overtly pungent fermented pu-erh, there’s definitely a leaf that fit for all tastes. Don’t be afraid to step out of your zone and order something other than Earl Grey or a Frappuccino --your taste buds will thank you for coloring outside the lines. For those ready to go out on a limb, head to the Twisted Tea Branch and order up a pot of exquisitely-scented Oolong. Or at least try the Moroccan Mint, its a real crowd pleaser.
   Of course coffee possesses many life-enhancing qualities as well, such as its reputation to make one feel not so hesitant about facing the day, its undeniable ability to “promote wakefullness” (translation: you’ll never sleep), its uncanny ability to make one pee at the most inopportune of times, and its oh so flattering capability of many one feel witty and  intellectual simultaneously. Let’s face it though, we don’t drink coffee only as a toast to our health. We drink for flavor, for pleasure, for stimulation; and sometimes because we’re thirsty--but that’s not too smart because the bean’s not the most rewarding quencher out there. Coffee may not keep the body hydrated, but its got an uncanny knack for making us happier, albeit however briefly.
   A mood-magnifier at its finest, coffee boasts a pretty impressive historical track record. Long ago, the nomadic Oromo of East Africa, the first coffee enthusiasts, drank the original power shake--a potent concoction of coffee berries, leaves, and animal fat chugged (with noses held, I assume) before risking life and limb in battle. Those left standing when the fog of war cleared consoled themselves with wine--in this case, a quite liberal usage of the word--made from fermented coffee pulp. I dare say you’ll be hard pressed to convince Starbucks to market either of the Oromo’s tasty treats although it goes to show how strong a hold coffee has had over humankind since its inception.
   Coffee as we’ve come to know it--a hot water infusion of roasted, ground berries, made its first appearance around the 6th century after crossing the Red Sea into Yemen, where is proved to be an overwhelming success to say the least. Although I don’t advocate this type of behavior, the prophet Mohammed proclaimed that under the influence of coffee he could “...unhorse forty men and possess forty women.” Yikes. I’d hate to see what he’d do with a Mudhouse triple espresso.
   With such a stunning endorsement, it didn’t take long for the Muslim world to embrace the brew. By the end of the15th century, Muslim pilgrims had spread the word through the Islamic world, preaching and pouring pots of coffee throughout Persia, Turkey, Egypt and North Africa. The busiest port in the ancient world, Al-Mokha, became synonymous with coffee, and many simply referred to their new-found friend as Mokha. For most coffee drinkers, mocha means four pumps of Hershey’s syrup. Sad isn’t it? If you actually enjoy drinking coffee, try the world’s most famous blend of beans from Yemen and Indonesian: Mocha-Java. A beguiling fusion of bass and treble, Mocha-Java smacks of cocoa and cabernet. Sip it sweetened with sugar to coax out its richest sparkle.
   To make a really long story a bit shorter, in the 17th century, Dutch traders took the bean world-wide and we’ve never been the same. Most fellow Europeans saw it as a cure-all, confusing a good buzz with medicine although some skeptical English ladies saw the drink as “...Newfangled, Abominable, [a] Heathenish Liquor called Coffee, which has so Eunucht our Husbands...” Chances were these guys were rather ineffectual with or without a cup of coffee. Naysaying had little effect on coffee’s popularity, and by 1700, London had well over two thousand coffeehouses.
   While early American history is dominated by tales of tea, coffee  was taking seed in the new colonies. The Green Dragon Pub introduced Boston to coffee in 1697 and years late at the famous watering hole, John Adams and Paul Revere sat plotting revolution over steaming mugs of black coffee. Not to mention several subsequent tankards of ale. After the infamous Tea Party, it became quite fashionable to indulge in the bean although tea still held a strong grip over the American psyche.
   Jump forward a few centuries, clone a couple thousand Starbucks, and here we are. Enjoying life’s pleasures, struggling with its pains, and sipping our favorite stimulants. As you’re probably knee-deep in mind-boggling fermentation dynamics, this column hopes to have been a momentary diversion from the scholarly although I’m not sure it serves any practical use beyond its blatant praise for the french press and the tea pot. Cheers!

   

This was the perfect post to read with my morning cup of Guatemalan Antigua, thanks for the quick trip through coffee history. I need to buy some Mocha-Java for sure.

Guatemalan Antigua is my favorite bean, though I cannot always find it locally.  Where do you get yours?

I order mine unroasted, but I guess that doesn't help too much. Shenandoah Joe's roasts locally. Of course I'm biased towards DIY set-ups..