Monthly Archives:

September 2021

Javaholic/ Musings

Coffee History: From goats to hipster coffeeshops

September 26, 2021
world map coffee history

World map, 17th century, Image courtesy of Ancient World Maps.

• quawah (Yemen, for wine) • kahveh (Turkish) • koffie (Dutch) • coffee (English) •

Years ago, a great power watched humans and decided that the race was sluggish and dissatisfied. So it presented a gift, a steaming flask of brown liquid, and a seed, and showed how to grow and harvest the first coffee plant.

All right, maybe not. Allow me my fantasies for a moment, ok? Coffee may not have been gifted by the gods, but it does have a long and complex history. In fact, the story of how our current cup of java came to be reaches back thousands of years, starting in ancient Africa and the Middle East. If you’ll allow me a moment of coffee history nerdery…

coffee history kaldi

Image courtesy of Coffee Crossroads, adapted from All About Coffee by William H. Ukers.

From goats to Arab coffeehouses

Long before Starbucks, coffee was mixed with animal fat and eaten (think ancient PowerBar). Legend tells of an Ethiopian goatherd named Kaldi who discovered his goats bursting with energy after eating the berries from a coffee shrub. Kaldi took these berries to local monks, and the monks created the first coffee drink, making use of this miracle energy source for stamina during long prayers. Whether or not this tale is true, wild coffee plants were likely used by nomadic tribes in Africa for thousands of years. Around the thirteenth century, Arabs began to roast coffee beans, and the public coffeehouse, known as qahveh khaneh, boomed not only as a drinking spot but also, crucially, as a hub for social interaction, business, and exchange of ideas. Word of the popular beverage, sometimes known as “wine of Araby,” spread quickly.

Though Arab nations kept a closely guarded monopoly on the coffee trade for many years, the trend made its way to Europe in the fifteenth century. A Venetian merchant brought coffee to Europe in 1615, and the Dutch followed with the first coffee plant in Europe in 1616 and the first European-owned plantations in Sri Lanka in 1616 and Java (Indonesia) in 1696. The coffee trade soon boomed with the French in the Caribbean, the Spanish in Central America, and the Portuguese in Brazil.

coffee history new world americas

 Image courtesy of Pixabay.

Voyage to the New World

This path has been far from straight, wrought instead with ambition and subterfuge. For instance, in 1723 a French naval officer named Gabriel de Clieu stole a seedling from a coffee plant gifted to King Louis XIV by the mayor of Amsterdam and smuggled it to Martinique, launching the French coffee trade in the Americas. Brazil joined the fray in 1727 through Colonel Francisco de Mello Palheta, with seeds said to have been smuggled through a bouquet given to Palheta by the wife of the governor of French Guiana. And in the soon-to-be United States, coffee rose as the drink of choice after the Boston Tea Party, when tea came to be considered “unpatriotic.”

Coffee as we know it today came onto the scene in the nineteenth century. John and Charles Arbuckle began selling bags of pre-roasted beans in the 1860s, and it became particularly popular with cowboys in the American West. Other well-known coffee producers also broke ground in the 1800s, including James Folger, Maxwell House, and Hill Brothers. The 1960s saw the spark of the specialty coffee movement, and the first Starbucks was established in Seattle in 1971. And now, of course, there’s a hipster coffee shop on nearly every city block. If Kaldi and his goats could have seen that coming…

coffee history coffeeshop

Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

Miracle brew or dangerous concoction?

Over the years, coffee has run into many a controversy — both as a health risk and as a supposedly “satanic” beverage — from a 1511 ban in Mecca due to health concerns to 17th-century claims in London that it caused impotence. Allegedly, the case was even brought to Pope Clement VIII in the 1600s; upon tasting the beverage, however, the pope enjoyed coffee so much that he gave it official papal approval! It has also long been linked to slavery and colonization, as most of the European coffee trade had its base in colonial plantations worked by slaves (this issue continues today with exploited coffee farmers in many countries, a concern evident in the rising fair trade and equal exchange coffee movement). Yet with an estimated 2.5 billion cups of coffee consumed worldwide each day, it’s clear that there’s something about this brew that we just can’t stay away from.

*This post was previously published on my earlier blog, Beanopia, in 2014.*

Sources:
How Coffee Influenced History, NPR.org
The Caffeinated History of Coffee, PBS.org
National Coffee Association

5 Historical Attempts to Ban Coffee, Mental Floss

Kansas City/ Musings

Autumn Bucket List

September 22, 2021
autumn bucket list kansas city fall

It still feels like summer in Kansas City, but it’s officially fall, and I’m in full autumn mode (admittedly, I’m pretty much always in autumn mode, but now I can really go unapologetically fall-crazy). Mid-September to November for me is all about burying myself in anything and everything that conjures up that aura of crisp, misty days; brilliant fiery colors; earthy charm; and of course, all the spookiness. Even if it’s not exactly crisp outside yet, I’ll be channeling that October spirit — bring on the autumn bucket list.

 

Explore the fall colors

The stunning reds, yellows, and oranges of fall might be my favorite part of the season. While KC isn’t exactly known for its fall colors, there are a number of spots where the season shows off its hues in spectacular fashion. I’m going to do a full post about finding the best fall foliage around KC, so stay tuned!

 

Cook something pumpkin

What screams autumn more than pumpkins? There are an embarrassing number of pumpkin-related recipes saved on my Pinterest — here are a few I’m eyeing for this season (sorrynotsorry, no PSLs here):

 

Enjoy ye olde English autumn at the Renaissance Festival

Weekends through October 17, Bonner Springs, KS

Huzzah! It’s time for pirates, princesses, mead, jousting, and even a touch of magic. Every fall a Renaissance village comes to life in Bonner Springs, Kansas. And yes, I realize that I’m a history nerd, but honestly, there’s a little something for everyone. Food, artisans selling everything from jewelry to beauty products to real swords, costumed performers, music, games, and yes, a jousting tournament. The village looks like it was transplanted from medieval England, and it’s honestly worth a visit simply to see the colorful characters wandering around. You might even run into the queen and her retinue meandering about.

 

Peruse the Plaza Art Fair

September 24-26, Kansas City, MO

The Plaza Art Fair is essentially a KC institution by now (this is its 90th year!). Every September, artists take over the Country Club Plaza, displaying every type of art you can imagine — painting, sculpture, pottery, illustration, mixed media, jewelry, photography, and more. There’s a taste of everything, from traditional landscape paintings to funky found object sculpture to tongue-in-cheek graphic art. Even if you (like me), can’t afford to buy fine art, it’s worth it to peruse the beautiful array of works, and there’s always a fun crowd, plus live music and food vendors from Plaza restaurants.

fall apples kansas city applefest autumn bucket list

Celebrate Weston Applefest

October 2-3, Weston, MO

I just got a flashback from one of my favorite childhood movies, Prancer: “We got apples. We’ll eat applesauce and apple cider and apple pie, stewed apples and baked apples and dried apples. And apple butter.” While I can’t promise Weston Applefest has all of those applecentric delights, it does offer a quintessential fall fest, with artisan vendors, live music, a parade, and food (including, obviously, lots of apples) along historic Weston Main Street. With its storied old buildings and kitschy little shops, Weston alone oozes fall charm. The town dates all the way back to 1837 and is nestled along the Missouri River, and there’s plenty to explore as you munch your apples.

 

Visit Louisburg Cider Mill

Apple cider donuts. Need I say more? We visit Louisburg Cider Mill every year to pick out pumpkins (usually the lazy way, from the already-picked selection, but you can also venture into the pumpkin patch to pick your own). From a charming general store with tasty local goods to a corn maze to scrumptious homemade cider and donuts, everything about Louisburg screams “fall.” You can even watch the apples going through the cider press (it’s oddly mesmerizing watching hundreds of apples tumble about).

 

Carve pumpkins

Halloween without jack-o-lanterns is just wrong. And to anyone who dare suggest carving pumpkins is only for kids: I’m sorry your life is so bereft of joy. (Kidding, but seriously, you’re never too old for jack-o-lanterns.) Though I don’t exactly have the patience for extremely intricate designs, I love an excuse to fall down a rabbit hole of fun designs on Pinterest (one year I did Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter). I usually pick out pumpkins at Louisburg, but you can also find them at most grocery stores, and then I put on a spooky movie to set the mood while carving my jack-o-lantern masterpiece.

halloween haunted kansas city autumn bucket list

Venture to a (real) haunted house

It’s that time of year again: everything is getting a bit darker, a bit colder, a bit more mysterious and uncertain, and the boundary between the living and the dead is a little hazy. Or at least, it’s the perfect time for a haunted house. I don’t mean a sensationalist horror house where people lunge out at you from the shadows. I mean a real haunted house, in the spirit of gothic horror tales. Old mansions and buildings with bizarre or tragic backstories and an eerie aura that makes you think that — just maybe — some of their residents have never quite moved on. These places probably won’t make your heart pound, but they are likely to make your spine tingle and your imagination run wild.

 

For my ghostly adventures, I’m heading to Vaile Mansion, an opulent Gothic-style 31-room mansion in Independence, Missouri. Built in 1881, the mansion has witnessed a family scandal, a tragic death, and a period as a sanitarium. Ghost tours take place throughout October. Let the chills commence…

 

A few honorable mentions near the KC area: Pythian Castle, an imposing fortress built as an orphanage in 1913 by the fraternal order the Knights of Pythias (does that sound sketchy to anyone else?) with later incarnations as a hospital for WWII veterans, a prison for German and Italian POWs, a social services agency, and a private home. Plenty of scope for ghostly goings-on there. Belvoir Winery in Liberty, MO, which was constructed from 1900 to 1923 by the fraternal organization — and self-proclaimed secret society — the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (don’t ask me how they came up with that name) and served as a residence for the elderly, indigent, and orphans; a hospital; and a school. It now hosts events, including murder mystery dinners and paranormal investigations. And Majors House, a KCMO homestead built in 1856 by entrepreneur Alexander Majors and now apparently home to the ghosts of a restless blacksmith and a caretaker who refuses to leave.

 

Visit a historic cemetery

Gothic spookiness doesn’t get much better than a historic graveyard. Is it a little odd that I love wandering around cemeteries and looking at old gravestones? Maybe, but in this instance it fits the Halloween spirit. One of my favorites is Union Cemetery, a beautiful hilly, tree-filled space built in 1857 and housing many famous Kansas Citians. Laurel Hill Cemetery in Weston (established circa 1840) is also gorgeous, and I might have to check out Elmwood Cemetery (est. 1872) in Northeast Kansas City as well. To really amp up the creepy vibes, the Coterie Theatre is performing live renditions of Edgar Allen Poe‘s The Pit and the Pendulum and The Tomb of Ligeia Thursday/Friday/Saturday nights amid the tombstones of Union Cemetery.

 

Ghost story galore!

To fully set the Halloween atmosphere, I like to go all-out on ghostly tales in October. Disclaimer: horror and gore is not my thing. As with haunted houses, the October/Halloween mood for me is all about spookiness, gothic horror, and eerie mystery. In other words, no slasher flicks or exorcisms (instead, think Dracula and haunted castles). As usual, I went a little overboard in investigating ideas here, so I’m writing a separate post in a couple of weeks with all the books, movies, and podcasts to fill your spooky gothic October.

autumn kansas city bucket list

Image credits: Evgenia Silaeva (pumpkins), Alina Osadchenko (haunted house), Marina Ermakova (Halloween icons), Anna Kuzmina (tombstone), Daria Ustiugova (apples)

Food/ Javaholic

Before the Bean: The story of coffeefruit

September 12, 2021
coffeefruit, coffee fruit, coffee berry

The coffee bean: the universal symbol of java. Logos, coffeeshop names, cheesy puns (ahem, I certainly never make bean puns). But the iconic bean has rather stolen the spotlight from another member of the coffee family: the coffee berry. Yes, coffee is a fruit. Er, sort of. While the health effects of coffee have been debated ad nauseam, the coffee berry has been garnering attention recently as having health creds to rival even the most touted superfoods. Is this news to anyone else? I was casually sipping a Bai (like Gatorade’s Whole-Foods-born sister) when I skimmed the back of the bottle and saw a blurb on the “secret ingredient” of the drink: coffee fruit. Say what? My curiosity was (of course) piqued, and I had to do a bit more research. So what’s the deal? Read on for the 411 on the coffee bean’s neglected sister.

 

coffeefruit, coffee berry, coffee, antioxidants

 

What is this?

Just as it sounds, the coffee berry is, well, a berry. The bean part used to make our fav brew is actually the seed at the center of a round red berry known as the coffee fruit, coffee berry, or coffee cherry. Picture a bush with jasmine-like flowers and cranberry-esque berries (can I get a coffee bush in my apartment?). The berry itself has a crisp skin layer, similar to a bell pepper, and a sweet, sticky pulp. Full disclosure: I haven’t actually eaten a coffee cherry (believe me, I would pick some up at Whole Foods if I could), but the taste apparently varies according to the type of bean and can have notes of berry, watermelon, jasmine, and hibiscus. If you’re curious, cascara — a tea-like drink common in coffee-growing regions that’s made from infusing dried coffee cherry husks in water — has a similar taste.

Anyway, the berry pulp is separated from the bean and used as fertilizer, while the bean begins its journey to your cup. That’s usually the end of the story for the coffee berry, but thanks to recent studies and a few enterprising products, coffee fruit may have a new role as the next big superfood.

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Graphic courtesy of Studentshow.

 

Superfood credentials, please. 

Coffee fruit’s main claim to (health nut) fame is that buzzword: antioxidants. I know, I know, everything is a new antioxidant-hoard superfood. Hear me out and decide for yourself about the hype. So, antioxidants. According to dermatologist Dr. Debbie Palmer, coffee fruit pulp has higher levels of antioxidants than tea, vitamins C & E, raspberries, strawberries, pomegranate, and blueberries, and the US Department of Agriculture states that coffee fruit extract provides 30 to 40 times the antioxidant power of superfood celebs açai and pomegranate. Antioxidants are well-supported by science to have notable health benefits: They help protect against cell damage from free radicals that can lead to memory degeneration, cancer, heart disease, and more. They boost the immune system and have anti-inflammatory properties. They grant eternal life. Ok, maybe not that last one. But good stuff, in any case.

In addition, studies associate coffee fruit extract with increased levels of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), a protein that  aids in nerve growth, cognition and mental processes. Decreased BDNF has been linked to depression, Alzheimer’s, OCD, and dementia. In other words, coffee berry extract could boost BDNF levels, aiding in neurological health.

And to top it off, coffee fruit extract provides a boost of natural energy with only 4.4 mg of caffeine per gram versus the 100-150 mg of caffeine in a typical brewed cup of coffee.

 

coffeefruit, coffee berry, coffee, antioxidants

 

Seeking out the magic berry

So how do you get this stuff? The actual fruit is a bit difficult to find unless you live in a coffee-growing region (and it’s not really a pop-in-your-mouth snack anyway), but extracts and powders are becoming trendy ingredients in skincare products, supplements, juices, and more. A company called FutureCeuticals took the lead here, creating a patented process for preserving coffee fruit, as well as a coffee fruit extract, NeuroFactor, and a line of powders and concentrates, Coffeeberry.

Then you have my introduction to coffee fruit: Bai, a series of coffee fruit-infused drinks in a variety of exotic fruit flavors. The drinks taste like fruit juice or fancy Gatorade (not coffee berry itself), and Bai focuses on the exotic fruit aspect rather than marketing the coffee fruit element, though they embrace the idea of a “secret” ingredient (i.e., coffee fruit).

Playing up the tropical and superfood angles, KonaRed creates juices and drink powders using Coffeeberry’s drying/extraction processes and highlights its Hawaiian origins and health benefits as “Hawaiian Superfruit Antioxidant Juice.”

And finally, departing from the juice-crazy crowd a bit: CoffeeFlour. As you might guess, this is “flour” made from dried and ground coffee fruit. I actually did an entire post on it — check out the deets here.

So there you have it. Personally, I have no idea how much benefit you actually get from Bai juice (I just like the taste). I kind of doubt coffee fruit is a miracle superfood, but it certainly seems to have some good credentials, and I’m interested in checking out CoffeeFlour and cascara tea purely for the sake of experimentation. If I’m ever lucky enough to visit a coffee farm, I’ll certainly be plucking a few ripe coffee cherries. What do you think? Will you give coffee fruit extract a try?

 

*This post was previously published on my former blog, Beanopia, in 2016.

Javaholic/ Kansas City/ Wanderings

Coffee Shop Love: Outta the Blue

September 5, 2021
outta the blue made in Kansas City coffee coffeeshop cafe

Anyone still out there? I am, in fact, still alive (I know, you were dying of suspense wondering).

Obviously unnecessary to state, but it has been A YEAR (or two? What is time anymore?) Everything has been a little topsy-turvy for everyone since about 2019, I think, and between public spaces being closed and life just plain being crazy, I’ve completed neglected my little corner of the web over here. In all honesty, the past couple of years have been very rocky in my personal life — I’m not going to go into detail, because that’s not really the aim of this blog, but suffice it to say, I’ve been out of the loop, and for anyone who has been feeling lost and/or hopeless lately (or ever): I feel you. With that said, I’m trying to get back into the swing of things, and it has been way too long since I’ve done some wandering.

So: I have new coffee shops to check out, new places to explore, yada yada. A lot of life/the world is a chaotic mess, but there’s still coffee and getting lost in colorful city streets and discovering hidden gems of art and humanity. I, for one, could use some of all that. Let’s see if anyone is still around to read about my shenanigans, eh? (If not, at least I have an excuse to drink lots of coffee).

First up: a cheery spot in Leawood to grab a java (or cocktail).

*****

Coffeeshop Love: Outta the Blue

5291 W. 116th Place, Leawood, KS

outta the blue made in Kansas City coffee coffeeshop cafe

Despite the fact that I’m currently bemoaning the hot, sticky weather and longing for fall, I have to admit that I love the beach (who doesn’t?). Of course, there are no (ocean) beaches in Kansas, but I’m all for places that let me pretend I’m in a tropical cabana. Outta the Blue dubs itself “KC’s Lil’ Oasis,” and really, the flip-flop fits. There’s (sadly) no ocean and (probably thankfully) no sand, but they do have palm trees, rattan furniture, and colorful surfboards on the wall. With plenty of windows, light colors, and modernistic furniture, the entire place is hip and cheerful. Did I mention there are swings? Probably not conducive to sipping coffee, but they sure are fun.

A recent addition to Leawood’s Park Place shopping center, Outta the Blue is a Made in KC outpost (though interestingly, I didn’t see anything that said Made in KC in the actual café). It’s usually quietly bustling, busy with everyone from people tapping away on laptops to friends catching up to families corralling kids. While I’ve been there, the soundtrack has ranged from mid-2000s nostalgia (think Hillary Duff) to 1960s-80s oldies. It’s a friendly, fun atmosphere, calm enough to get work done yet active enough for good people-watching and a welcome dose of gaiety. A little bit granola-crunchy, quite a bit hip, the café fits into the clean-cut environment of suburban Leawood, but it also adds a touch of style — and a laid-back beachy vibe — in an area mostly filled with a lot of chain restaurants and shops.

outta the blue made in Kansas City coffee coffeeshop cafe interior

If you’re hungry, they have snacks and breakfast sandwiches from Parisi Coffee, pastries from local Scratch Bakery, and vegan breakfast sandwiches from Mattie’s Foods. (Major points, in my humble opinion, for having almond croissants, which are annoyingly difficult to find and obviously the best.) For sips, there’s the usual lineup of espresso beverages and (quite tasty) drip coffee, as well as a selection of teas and cold-pressed juices. And if you need something a bit stronger — or feel like really leaning into the tropical cabana spirit — they have a full bar menu of cocktails, beer, and natural/organic wine.

All in all, it’s not actually the beach, but Outta the Blue is a fun place to work or hang out. As much as I like offbeat, slightly shabby coffee shops, it’s hard not to fall in love with this bright little café. After all, who doesn’t love palm trees and swings?

outta the blue made in Kansas City coffee coffeeshop cafe interior