Coffee is among the most consumed beverages in the world, falling just short of tea and water. Most adults drink it, most teenagers do as well. It is produced by more than 70 countries worldwide, and coffee beans industry is valued over $100,000,000,000. In this post, I will guide you through the process of how coffee beans start in countries like Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia, and end up in landfills and composters.

Coffee beans have been a part of culture in African and Asian countries for hundreds of years. There is a legend dating back 1300 years about a goat herder in Ethiopia. The legend claims that the herder kept his male goats in one pen, and his female goats in the other. After his separation of the goats, he noticed that the male goats had more energy than the female goats. After inspection, he discovered the existence of the first coffee plant. This legend does not make perfect sense, as the plant which would have been found in Ethiopia is called coffea arabica, and this plant does not give an extreme change in energy until its fruit is roasted or cooked. In the 1500s, villages in the Middle East began boiling a bitter drink with this coffea arabica, and that was the first coffee. In the 1600s, the methodologies of boiling this bitter plant spread as far east as India and the mountainous Himalayas, and was then cultivated in Europe. In the 1700s, the non-native plant was cultivated in South America, where it now prospers. 5 out of 10 of the countries which produce the most coffee beans are located in the Americas. After that, coffee became a more popular drink, and it evolved into a sweeter drink. Now, coffee has as many variations as there are seasons of The Simpsons.

Coffee can be prepared in many different ways, and each culture and species of coffee plant has its own specifications. The most common coffee, Arabica, is prepared with these instructions. The process begins by obtaining roasted coffee beans. These beans are harvested from the center of the plant. After the beans are roasted, they should normally be grinded right before use. If they are grinded by the packaging company, then the coffee will definitely lose its flavor. After you grind the beans, simmer them in a small amount of water. This is also when you can add different spices, such as cardamom and saffron. After the grinded beans are simmered, you need to boil it in a full pot. You pour the beans into the pot, along with all the water from the simmer. Then, you add the rest of your water, until it is a bit more than your desired amount. Boil the coffee for five minutes while stirring, as the excess water evaporates. Finally, you strain the coffee. For the flavor to be strong, let the coffee sit for 20 minutes before adding any foam or milk to it.

Now, it is time to talk about all the waste that comes from coffee. I’m not talking about landfill waste, I’m talking about health waste. People add lots of toppings to their coffee, making it unhealthy. They add many grams of sugar, fatty milks and creams, and some specialties are just plain junk food. The purpose of this blog was to show the harsh reality about how our modern world takes any food and makes it unhealthy. Coffee could have been a staple of the world even without cream and sugar. But our society could not let that be.