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GOURMET COFFEE & FINE CIGARS
OUR MISSION
TO
BRING TO THE U.S. THE BEST GOURMET COFFEE AND THE BEST FINE CIGARS BY MAKING
DELIVERY DIRECTLY FROM THE PRODUCT SOURCES.
Our coffee selection is so exclusive that you probably won't
find them elsewhere. Believe me, if you are a real gourmet coffee lover, you
must try these. Don't miss what the Royal Courts in Europe used to call
"la crème de la crème".
These coffees are really as good or better than the coffees from the
nations best coffee houses. The difference is that our coffees are very limited
production and are not probably enough to satisfy the entire US market. We in
Gourmet-Fine would like to invite you to experience a world of flavor that was
unknown in the past. We are serious about this, if you are still uncertain
about the integrity of this site and about its product, please sent us an email
expressing your interest in our coffee and please go to our free section and
get your free sampler pack. You will not be disappointed. Don’t wait any
longer, send us an email at: plaza@gourmet-fine.com We will soon have coffee from other places
like Dominican Republic, Colombia and will also have flavored coffees.
With the discovery of the NEW WORLD many new products were
brought to Europe. Soon Europe started receiving the best products from the NEW
WORLD. The best coffee, the favorite of the royal courts of Europe and, the
tradition of The Vatican, used to come from the high mountains of Puerto Rico.
WE NOW WANT YOU TO DISCOVER THAT THE SAME COFFEE STILL EXIST TODAY, AND YOU
WILL FIND IT HERE.
Our cigars are 100% genuine, made by Cuban hands in the
Dominican Republic. They are also made with 100% Cuban tobacco seeds harvested
in Dominican Republic.
With the discovery of the NEW WORLD many new products were
brought to Europe. In addition to drinking the best coffee, Europe started
smoking the best cigars, which use to come from Cuba. But, after the U.S. set
the embargo to Cuba, the Dominican Republic became the new source for the best
fine cigars. Since the Dominican Republic shares the same types of soils,
climate conditions, and the same type of geology as Cuba, it is no amazement
that it can produce cigars with the same quality as Cuba.
Scientific
classification: Coffee
makes up the genus Coffea of the family Rubiaceae. Arabian coffee is
classified as Coffea arabica, robusta coffee as Coffea canephora,
and Liberian coffee as Coffea liberica.
Coffee
beverage
brewed from the roasted and ground seeds of the tropical evergreen coffee plant
of African origin. It is consumed either hot or cold by about one-third of the
people in the world, in amounts larger than those of any other drink. Its
popularity can be attributed to its invigorating effect, which is produced by
caffeine, an alkaloid present in green coffee in amounts between 0.8 and 1.5
percent for the Arabica varieties and 1.6 to 2.5 percent for Robusta.
Two
species of the coffee plant, Coffea arabica and C. canephora,
supply almost all of the world's consumption. Arabica coffee, which is divided
between Brazilians and milds, is considered to brew a more flavourful and
aromatic beverage than Robusta, the main variety of C. canephora.
Arabicas are grown in Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Indonesia,
while Robustas are grown mainly in Africa.
Coffee History
Wild
coffee plants, probably from Kefa (Kaffa), Ethiopia, were taken to southern
Arabia and placed under cultivation in the 15th century. One of many legends
about the discovery of coffee is that of Kaldi, an Arab goatherd, who was
puzzled by the queer antics of his flock. About AD 850, Kaldi supposedly
sampled the berries of the evergreen bush on which the goats were feeding and,
on experiencing a sense of exhilaration, proclaimed his discovery to the world.
Whatever
its historical origin, the stimulating effect of coffee undoubtedly made it
popular, especially in connection with the long religious service of the Muslims.
The orthodox priesthood pronounced it intoxicating and therefore prohibited by
the Qur'an, but despite the threat of severe penalties, coffee drinking
spread rapidly among Arabs and their neighbours.
During
the 16th and 17th centuries, coffee was introduced into one European country
after another; many accounts are recorded of its prohibition or approval as a
religious, political, and medical potion. Coffee gained popularity as a
beverage in the London coffeehouses, which became centres of political, social,
literary, and eventually business influence. The first coffeehouse in London
was established about 1652. In Europe, too, the coffeehouse flourished later in
the 17th century. In such North American cities as Boston, New York City, and
Philadelphia, coffeehouses became popular beginning in the late 1600s.
Until
the close of the 17th century, the world's limited supply of coffee was
obtained almost entirely from the province of Yemen in southern Arabia. But,
with the increasing popularity of the beverage, the propagation of the plant
spread rapidly to Java and other islands of the Indonesian archipelago in the
17th century and to the Americas in the 18th century. Coffee cultivation was
started in the Hawaiian Islands in 1825.
By
the 20th century the greatest concentration of production was centred in the
Western Hemisphere--particularly Brazil. In the late 19th and early 20th
centuries, industrial roasting and grinding machines came into use,
vacuum-sealed containers were invented for ground roasts, and decaffeination
methods for green coffee beans were developed. After 1950 the production of
instant coffee was perfected. The popularity of instant coffee led to increased
production of the cheaper Robusta beans in Africa.
Processing
green coffee
Hulling
The
ripened fruits of the coffee shrubs, known as coffee cherries (see photograph),
are processed by disengaging the coffee seeds from their coverings and from the
pulp and by drying the seeds from an original moisture content of 65-70 percent
water by weight to 12-13 percent. Two different techniques are used: a wet
process (used mainly for the mild Arabica coffees) and a dry process (used for
Brazilians and Robustas).
The
wet process
First
the skin and pulp of the fresh fruit is removed by a pulping machine, which
consists of a rotating drum or disk that presses the fruit against a sharp-edged
or slotted plate, disengaging the pulp from the seed. Pulp still clings to the
coffee, however, as a thin, mucilaginous layer. This is eliminated by
fermentation, actually a form of digestion in which naturally occurring pectic
enzymes decompose the pulp while the wetted seeds are held in tanks for one to
three days. Washing clears all remaining traces of pulp from the coffee seeds,
which are then dried either by exposure to sunlight on concrete terraces or by
passing through hot-air driers. The dry skin around the seed, called the
parchment, is then mechanically removed, sometimes with polishing.
The
dry process
In
this process, the fruits are immediately placed to dry either in sunlight or in
hot-air driers. Although mechanical drying is replacing the labour- and
time-consuming sun drying, more time and equipment are required than in drying
pulped seeds in the wet process. When the fruits have been dried to a water
content of 12 percent, they are mechanically hulled to free the seeds from
their coverings.
Grading
and storage
The
practice of grading coffee gives sellers and buyers a guarantee concerning the
origin, nature, and quality of the product to aid their negotiations. Each
country has a certain number of defined types and grades, but there are no
international standards outside the contract market.
The
prolonged storage of coffee in the producing countries presents problems,
especially in the warm and humid coastal regions, where molds and parasites may
develop and cause damage; for this reason coffee from these areas is exported
as quickly as possible. In moderate climates, the conservation of dry lots does
not pose a problem as long as they are stocked in well-ventilated places.
Processing
the bean
Decaffeination
Caffeine
can be removed from the green coffee by a variety of methods. In the most
common, solvent extraction, the beans are steamed to raise the moisture content
and bring the dissolved caffeine to the surface of the beans. They are then
washed by an organic solvent such as methylene chloride, the solution is
removed by steam, and the beans are dried.
Roasting
The
aromatic and gustatory qualities of coffee are developed by the high
temperatures to which they are subjected during roasting or broiling.
Temperatures
are raised progressively to about 220º-230º C (430º-440º F). This releases
steam, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other volatiles from the beans,
resulting in a loss of weight between 14 and 23 percent. Internal pressure of
gas expands the coffee beans by 30 to 100 percent. The beans become a deep,
rich brown, and their texture becomes porous and crumbly under pressure. But
the most important phenomenon of roasting is the appearance of the
characteristic aroma of coffee, which arises from very complex chemical
transformations within the bean. Roasting too long can destroy volatile flavour
and aroma compounds. For this reason, Robusta beans are often over-roasted (as
in the dark French and Italian roasts) to rid the coffee of its natural
harshness.
In
the oldest method of roasting, a metal cylinder, or sphere, containing the
coffee is rotated above a source of heat such as charcoal, gas, or electricity.
In modern roasters, hot air is propelled by a blower into a rotating metal
cylinder containing the coffee. The tumbling action of rotation ensures that
all beans are roasted evenly.
Regardless
of the method used, the coffee, after leaving the industrial roasters, is
rapidly cooled in a vat, where it is stirred and subjected to cold air
propelled by a blower. Good-quality coffees are then sorted by electronic
sorters to eliminate those seeds, either too light or too dark, that roasted
badly and whose presence depreciates the quality.
Grinding
Some
coffees are left as whole beans to be ground at the time of purchase or by the
consumer at home. But a large part of the coffee is ground, or milled, by the
manufacturer immediately after roasting. In most modern roasting plants,
grinding is accomplished by feeding the coffee through a series of serrated or
scored rollers, set at progressively smaller gaps, that first crack the beans
and then cut them to the desired particle size.
The
degree of fineness is important. If a coffee is too coarse, water filters
through too fast to pick up flavour; if it is too fine, water filters through
too slowly and retains particles that deposit at the bottom of the cup.
Packaging
Effective
packaging prevents air and moisture from reaching the coffee. Ground coffee
alters rapidly and loses its aromatic qualities within a few days if it is not
put into hermetically sealed containers immediately.
The
air, especially in humid atmospheres, causes rancidity through the oxidation of
fatty components. Modern packaging materials, plastic films like polyethylene
and complexes of aluminum and cellulose, are capable of conserving the quality
of coffee for a time. The most satisfactory solution to the problem, however,
is packing under vacuum or in an inert gas, in rigorously impervious
containers.
Brewing
There
are several methods of extracting flavour and aroma from ground coffee. In
steeping or boiling, pulverized coffee is measured into hot water, which is set
or boiled before being poured off the grounds. In percolation, water is brought
to the boil in an urn and fed up a tube to a basket holding the coffee. After
filtering through the coffee, the water drips back to the urn, where it is
forced back up the tube and recirculated until the brew reaches the desired
strength. In the filter, or drip, method, hot water is slowly filtered through
the coffee and dripped into a receptacle; it is not recirculated. The espresso
machine forces boiled water under pressure through finely ground coffee;
because the water has only brief contact with the grounds, it extracts a highly
flavoured brew with little bitterness.
Caffeine
content varies with the variety of bean and method of brewing. One serving
(five fluid ounces) of Arabica instant coffee contains about 70 milligrams of
caffeine, while a serving of brewed Robusta may contain 200 milligrams.
Instant
coffee
In
the manufacture of instant coffee (called soluble coffee in the industry), a
liquid concentration of coffee prepared with hot water is dehydrated. This can
be done by spray drying in hot air, by drying under vacuum, or by
lyophilization (freeze drying). The operations are complex, and methods vary
among manufacturers. The resulting soluble powder, on the addition of hot
water, forms reconstituted coffee. The average yield is 25 to 30 percent by
weight of the ground coffee. Because it picks up moisture readily, instant
coffee needs special vacuum packages.
coffee
Bibliography
On
the history of coffee, see Ralph S. Hattox, Coffee and Coffeehouses: The
Origins of a Social Beverage in the Medieval Near East (1985). William H.
Ukers, All About Coffee, 2nd ed. (1935, reissued 1976), offers an
excellent view of coffee technology and production. Later sources include M.N.
Clifford and K.C. Willson (eds.), Coffee: Botany,
Biochemistry, and Production of Beans and Beverage (1985); R.J.
Clarke and R. Macrae(eds.), Coffee, 2 vol. (1985-87), on
chemistry and technology; Michael Sivetz and Norman W.
Desrosier, Coffee Technology (1979), a comprehensive survey
of roasted, soluble, and extracted coffees; and C.F. Marshall, The World
Coffee Trade: A Guide to the Production, Trading, and Consumption of Coffee
(1983).
More
tropical
evergreen shrub belonging to the genus Coffea of the Rubiaceae, or
madder, family; or its seeds, called beans; or the beverage made by brewing the
roasted and ground beans with water.
Coffee
may derive its name from the Arabic qahwah, but some etymologists
connect it with the name Kaffa, a province in southwestern Ethiopia, reputedly its
birthplace. Most of the 25 or more species of the coffee plant grow wild in the
tropics of the Eastern Hemisphere. The earliest known and cultivated species is
Coffea arabica (see photograph), the coffee shrub of Arabia; it
is now cultivated mostly in Latin America. Coffea robusta, which
originated in East Africa and the Congo River basin, is now widely cultivated
in Africa and Madagascar. Both species are cultivated in Asia.
In
its wild state the coffee shrub is an evergreen bush 8 to 10 metres (26 to 33
feet) high. Its branches carry bouquets of small white flowers with a
jasmine-like fragrance. The fruit, 15 to 18 millimetres (1/2-3/4 inch)
long and red when mature, is called a cherry;
it consists of a fleshy pulp and two seeds joined with even planes side by
side. Each seed is protected by two coverings: a thin, hard endocarp and a fine
membranous pellicle. The species C. arabica has given rise to a number
of varieties, among which are maragogype, with bulky seeds; bourbon,
appreciated for quality; and caturra, of exceptional quality and
cultivated in Brazil and Colombia. The species C. robusta possesses
greater strength and resistance to disease than C. arabica, yields more
fruit, and adapts to warm, humid climates to which the C. arabica is not
suited.
The
coffee beverage is consumed hot or cold by about one-third of the world's
population, and its total consumption is larger than that of any other beverage
except tea. A coffee beverage may be prepared from the roasted and ground
coffee beans in various ways and using diverse apparatus, sometimes with
filtration: grounds may be steeped in water in a pot or leached with water in a
percolator; espresso coffee is made by forcing steam through powdered coffee in
a special machine; a decoction may be made by boiling the grounds in water in a
pot.
Mild
coffees are exclusively high-quality varieties of C. arabica,
principally from Central and South America, excluding Brazil. The varieties
obtained from Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Cameroon are related to this
group. Brazilian coffees, known for their diversity, are also varieties of C.
arabica, but they are characterized by less refined flavour and aroma than
those of the mild group. Coffees of the C. robusta species are more
neutral in taste and less aromatic than the C. arabica varieties, but
are becoming more appreciated, particularly in the form of soluble coffee. Most
coffee products are mixtures that combine the characteristics of different
species and varieties, professionally blended to satisfy consumers' tastes.
coffee
production
cultivation of
the coffee plant, usually done in large commercial operations. The plant, a
tropical evergreen shrub or small tree of African origin (genus Coffea,
family Rubiaceae), is grown for its seeds, or beans, which are roasted, ground,
and sold for brewing coffee. This section treats the cultivation of the coffee
plant. For information on the processing of coffee and the history of its use,
see the article coffee.
The
Arabica
species of coffee is cultivated mostly in Latin America, while the Robusta
species predominates in Africa. Both coffee species are grown in India,
Indonesia, and other Asian countries. There are many varieties, forms, and
types of each. The effects of environment and cultivation further increase this
diversity.
Climatic
factors most important for coffee growth are temperature and rainfall. No
variety can withstand a temperature in the vicinity of 32ºF (0ºC). Temperatures
between 73º and 82º F (23º and 28º C) are the most favourable. Rainfall
of 60 to 80 inches (1,500 to 2,000 millimetres) per year is required along with
a dry period of two to three months for the Arabica. Irrigation is required
where annual rainfall is less than 40 inches (1,000 millimetres).
Plantations
are usually established in cleared forestland. The young shrubs are planted in
rows spaced so that the density varies between 500 and 750 plants per acre
(1,200 and 1,800 plants per hectare). Seedlings or cuttings raised in nurseries
are carefully planted at the beginning of the rainy season; until they start
producing fruit three to four years later, their care is limited largely to the
trimming required to give them a robust, balanced framework and to stimulate
fruiting.
For
a long time coffee was cultivated in the shade. This is still done in many
areas but is losing popularity because better results can be obtained without
shade or with very light shade if other practices, such as trimming, weeding,
and fertilization are followed. Yields as high as 2,000 to 3,000 pounds per
acre (2,300 to 3,400 kilograms per hectare) can be grown, compared to 450 to
900 pounds per acre (500 to 1,000 kilograms per hectare) by traditional
methods.
Among
the diseases of the coffee shrub are leaf rust caused by the fungus Hemileia
vastatrix, which does considerable damage in the plantations of Arabica,
and the coffee berry disease caused by the fungus Colletotrichum coffeanum,
which also attacks the Arabica. Robusta appears to be resistant, or only
slightly susceptible, to these scourges. Among the numerous parasites that
attack the coffee shrub is the berry borer (Stephanoderes hamjei), which
damages the seeds of both Arabica and Robusta.
The
time between blooming and maturing of the fruit varies appreciably with the
variety and the climate; for the Arabica it is about seven months, and for the
Robusta, about nine months. The fruit is gathered by hand when it is fully ripe
and red-purple in colour.
More
Coffee's earliest
human use may have been as a food; a ball of the crushed fruit molded with fat was
a day's ration for certain African nomads. Later, wine was made from the
fermented husks and pulps. Coffee was known in 15th-cent. Arabia; from there it
spread to Egypt and Turkey, overcoming religious and political opposition to
become popular among Arabs. At first proscribed by Italian churchmen as a
heathen's drink, it was approved by Pope Clement VIII, and by the mid-17th
cent. coffee had reached most of Europe. Introduced in North America c.1668,
coffee became a favorite American beverage after the Boston Tea Party made tea
unfashionable.
Coffee owes its
popularity in part to the stimulative effect of its caffeine constituent.
Caffeine, a bitter alkaloid, can also contribute to irritability, depression,
diarrhea, insomnia, and other disorders. Decaffeinated coffees, developed in
the early 1900s, account for c.18% of the U.S. market. For those without the
time or the inclination to brew their own, there are instant or soluble
coffees, introduced in 1867, which account for c.17% of U.S. coffee sales.
The coffee plant
prefers the cool, moist, frost-free climate found at higher altitudes in the
tropics and subtropics. Optimum growing conditions include: temperature of
about 75° F (24° C); well-distributed annual rainfall of about 50 in. (127 cm)
with a short dry season; and fertile, deep, well-drained soil, especially of
volcanic origin. While coffee can be grown from sea level to c.6,000 ft (1,830
m), and C. robusta is produced at low elevations in West Africa, the
better arabica grades are generally produced above 1,500 ft (460 m).
Strong winds limit coffee production; coffee is often grown in the shelter of
taller trees. A coffee tree yields its maximum sometime between its fifth and
tenth year and may bear for about 30 years.
After the outer pulp
is removed, coffee seeds are prepared by roasting, which develops the aroma and
flavor of their essential oils. Longer roasting produces darker, stronger
coffee. The variety of recipes and prescriptions for roasting, brewing, and
serving coffee reflects the diversity of consumer tastes and cultural
preferences. All techniques begin with properly roasted, freshly ground coffee;
freshly boiling water; and absolutely clean utensils. Turkish coffee, a strong,
unfiltered brew of finely powdered coffee and sugar, is popular in Greece,
Turkey, and Arabia. Italian-style espresso, or expresso, is brewed by forcing
steam through darkly roasted, finely powdered coffee. Most other coffees are
filtered. Café au lait, coffee mixed with scalded milk, is a traditional French
breakfast drink, as is café con leche in countries where Spanish is spoken.
Coffee flavored with chicory is a specialty of New Orleans. Connoisseurs pay
dearly for Mocha from the Yemen region of Arabia, Blue Mountain from Jamaica,
Kona from Hawaii, or other so-called specialty coffees from Africa, Indonesia,
or Latin America—all premium arabica varieties.
Varieties of C.
arabica are important export crops in many countries, especially in South
America and East Africa. Brazil is the leading producer. The only other species
of commercial importance is C. robusta, a West African native also
widely grown in Central Africa and Asia. Fluctuations in supply and demand have
historically played havoc with world coffee markets and with the economies of
individual growers and exporting countries. Efforts to stabilize the markets
began with a 1940 agreement, administered by the Inter-American Coffee Board,
allocating U.S. coffee imports from Latin America. A global agreement under the
International Coffee Organization, a body of 70 coffee-producing and -consuming
countries, expired in 1989.
In many cultures
throughout its history, coffee has been served in coffeehouses, cafés, and
other places of public refreshment, often as an aid and accompaniment to
political or artistic activity, gambling, or gossip, or to solo rumination.
Coffee's popularity in the United States peaked in 1962, when three-quarters of
people over 10 years of age drank at least a cup a day; in 1992 only about half
did. Beginning about 1990 U.S. consumers became increasingly interested in
premium coffees and stronger, richer brews.
Coffee is classified
in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Rubiales, family
Rubiaceae (madder).
See W. H. Ukers, All about Coffee (1935, reprinted 1975).