The coffee and its history.
Nobody can date with precision the apparition of the coffee, but the legend tells us of a shepherd named Kaldi , in the Yemen, he had noticed that its herd was a lot excited after having eaten of the wild berries of coffee. Therefore, he collected a bag in order to carry it to a convent not far away. The head of the religious, after to have tried some berry, told to everybody the dangerousness of these evil coffee berries, and get off on the fire the rest of the coffee. At that point, the aroma that got out was so intense and delicious, that all the congregation came, once withdrawn from the fire the coffee, they put into boiled water.
Such coffee was later their preferred companion of the prayer wakings. That was only a legend, not history. History says to us that the Arabs had monopoly of the coffee during centuries and that they punished anyone tried to sell it as plant or seed ("quahwha" in Arab designates the place where the coffee was drunk as well the place where the men met each others). Only roasted coffee could be a commerce object.
But, to the end of the battle of Vienna when the Turks of the Ottoman empire leaved, on the 12 september 1683, severals plants and seeds of coffee were recover from the Austrians. Moreover, it was in this occasion that it was invented the “kipffels”, the croissant half moon shape cakes, in order to celebrate the victory against the Turks. Few years later in Paris, a sicilian nobleman, such Procopio de' Coltelli opened the first coffee: The Procope in 1686. It still exists and we can say that it is the oldest coffee of Europe. With Louis XIV, the coffee becomes fashionable. It seems that was one of its concubines that invented habits to add sugar in it.
Today, the first world-wide producer is Brasil. Among a hundred of known varieties, only two cover an important trade value. The “coffea canephora” or Robusta and the" Coffea Arabica" or Arabica.
The world of the coffee and its methods of preparation:
Espresso - Moka - Neapolitan - Filter
Variable common to all the preparations: the water.
In order to prepare the coffee there are two ingredients: the coffee and the water. This last one must be perfectly neutral in relationship to the coffee. We will prefer therefore a light water in sodio and minerals. Never use water already heated. One of the reasons for which the coffee it is not good in some places, although very good equips in material, is that the coffee consumption is insufficient regarding the boiler of the machine. The water remains too much time in the boiler and it develops bad tastes. The coffee maker needs to be put on over a long time, it should be better to use one small machine in order to succeed to extract an optimal espresso, when the consumption is limited.
Espresso
Coffee Machine :
As I said, the choice of the professional express coffee machine is important. It will not have the same characteristics for domestic use, for professionals, restaurants, lodge. The machine must control various variables such as temperature, the pressure of the water, its volume, the surface of extraction, etc.
The grinder:
If the espresso is prepared from the coffee beans, it does not have to be improvised. Too much often, after having eaten in well-known places for their gastronomy, we drink a bad coffee. A non sense for professionals that, after to have advised about dishes, wines, sometimes also about different oils in order to make a good choice, they advise only one preparation method, whose success it is relegated only to good will of the staff. Therefore, to control the different aspects of the coffee are not more difficult that the controling other aspects that will make of your meal an unforgettable experience.
The grinder is justified in those places making hundreds of coffee daily. Coffee does not have to remain over a long time span to the air. Some minute is sufficient to lose great part of the aromas. professional coffee machine and the grinder havo to be an instrument for the staff formation.
The Blend:
The art of roaster has always been the control of the time of roasting green coffee, the temperature level, how to cooling, but also of the blending. As natural product, the coffee is subject to sensitive variations from a vintage year to the other. The ability of the roaster is to dose the different origins so to offer one balanced blend with a constant taste in the time.
The hand:
As we have seen, the hand of the barman is important if we chose professional coffee machine and grinder. The grinding will never be the same one. Grinding have to be adapted to the coffee that we want to prepare, according to the ambient humidity and to the characteristics of the material that we have. The practised pressure in the coffee arm of the machine will not be the same from one person to the other.
If we chose to use use pods, barman must only control that the parameters of the machine are corrected. I would like to suggest espresso method to fast drinking, when we are not at home, hurried, when we meet a friend or during a work stop. A good cup of espresso maintains the concentration to work better. The espresso is also the method with little content in caffein. To these variable, we will go to add others in order of the type of espresso that we want to prepare.
The Italian espresso:
It consist at an extraction of 1 fl oz, to obtain in one warm china cup with 0,24 oz of milled coffee. The foam will be of brown tawny color. In order to obtain italian espresso we will use mixtures to prevalence of Arabica until 100%. The temperature of the water in escape from the machine it will be at 133,6 F, the time of extraction will have to be of 25 seconds.
The French espresso:
It consists to obtain an extraction of 2 fl oz with 0,24 oz of ground coffee. The foam 
color will be hazel nut. We will use free mixtures, from 100% Arabic to 100% Robusta, remembering however, that the Robusta badly support the temperatures to of over 133 F. The time of extraction it will be of 15 seconds. Therefore one more large milling that in the previous preparation.
The Neapolitan espresso:
it consists to obtain in one cup of thick china and much warmth, an extraction of 0,5 fl oz, with 0,24 oz of fine ground coffee. The foam will be of a brown color much dark than before going to the black. We will always use mixtures Arabica-Robusta, spacing from 90% from one variety to the other. The temperatures of the water will be comprised between 115 F and 133 F according of the composition of the mixture( always remember the weakness of Robusta in order to high temperature). The time of extraction will be of 25 seconds.
The Moka.
It is a preparation from the perfect result.
Still much diffused in Italy, it consists to obtain in reason of 0,20 oz of ground coffee for each person, in the filter of small coffee machine in stainless steel, one portion of 3 fl oz of water for each person. At the moment of the coffee spillage we will have one thin and ephemeral foam. The water temperature arrives nearly to 148 F and and immediately going down to 130 F, while escaping from the coffee machine. The color of the coffee will be dark brown tending to the black. Few minutes will pass between the moment of the spillage and the moment of tasting, . Here we actually hear and it will be appreciated, the coffee that comes out in inverse sense to the gravity law. When the inferior part of the moka will be empty, the coffee let go out intenses aromas. Now we can taste the first hot drop.
The Neapolitan preparation:
A cult.
It is similar to the coffee filter that everybody knows, with few small differences that have big importance. In Naples, it was the most used coffee preparation in family. One difference with traditional filter is that there is not an electrical resistance. The water is heated on the fire. The Neapolitan coffee pot is composed of three pieces, more the cover. The piece where the water is filled, the filter where the coffee is put, and the third piece with the small beak. In Naples this method is still a cult thanks also to the putting in scene from Eduardo Di Filippo in “these ghosts”. Once filled up, the Neapolitan pot is on the fire with the three pieces together. The watery vapor that comes out provokes a pre-infusion on the coffee. When the water is hot, the pot is removed from the fire and it is put on the table, without forgetting famous cuppetiello in the small beak in order to prevent excessive spillage of the aromas. 2-3 minutes after, we are ready to taste with all the senses this unforgettable drink that I would suggest to serve in cups of fine china. The color will be clear brown, nearly limpid; milling will be more large that in the previous one preparation. The coffee is less warm here that in preparation moka, because of time during water passes through the filter. All that will render us more attention to the tastes of the different origins that they compose the mixture. A sure skill is necessary, since, reversing the Neapolitan coffee pot, we are not protected from accidental burns.
Filter.
The freedom.
Every so often, filter preparation is treated sufficiently. But, at morning time, nothing is more thrilling that a great cup of coffee filter prepared with cure. We have to remember that the water must be high quality. If it is possible, we will avoid the electrical resistance worker dipped in water. Those boilers have the tendency to cover itself of limestone that it denatures the taste. Nothing is better of our old small pot in steel. The aromas will make dreaming of far lands during ours tasting. In all the cases, we have vith filter coffee absolute freedom of the levels of waters and blend according everyone's tastes.
Other ways of making coffee does exist. We remember those systems called “melior” or that one called Turk. But these are obtained from infusion, and we belong to a thought school that thinks that the coffee must be the result of increased filtration from pressure. In other words, the same coffee must remain outside from our body.
Why the pod ?
On the market we can find different brands that decline theirs offer of their blends through the pods. Unfortunately, this offer, above all on the espresso market, instead constituting a possibility for the consumer to multiply the coffee tastings, to the aim to taste the different roaster's blends, the origins of the green different coffees of the America, of Africa and Asia, it has become one disorientation cause. Every manufacturer would have the monopoly and, instead intensifying the offers of mixtures, the intensification of the offer is about coffee machines with its patented system.
That's the market law, everyone want that its system prevailed on the market. For my pod, i have chosen the most free open system called also  “E.S.E.” “easy serving espresso”.
With this system the mixtures can be discovered some thousand of small and big roasters presents on the market, among which ours “ORLANDO" coffee blend with this origin from the Giamaica: the “Blue Mountain”
Good Coffee…
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