Coffee – from plant to popular beverage

Abstract

Coffee, one of the most popular beverages in modern world, is obtained from the beans of perennial bush Coffea. The distinctive aroma and taste of coffee is obtained by thermal treatment (roasting) of raw coffee beans. There are different degrees of roasting that can be divided according to the color of the grain: easy, medium, dark and Italian. The most famous types of coffee used in the production of beverages are Arabica and Robusta. Raw coffee beans contain a certain amount of caffeine, sugar, essential oil, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Roasting the grains leads to the loss of dry matter through formation of carbon dioxide, water and volatile products of pyrolysis. Coffee also has a moderate healing effect, while in overdoses it causes rapid heartbeat, insomnia, even euphoria.