The coffee plant is a woody perennial evergreen belonging to the Rubiaceae family. There are two types of coffee, arabica (Coffea arabica ) and robusta (Coffea canephora ). Arabica, which accounts for about two-thirds of global output, is grown at high altitudes in Latin America and northeastern Africa. It has more aroma and less caffeine than robusta, which is grown in humid areas at low altitudes in Asia and western and southern sub-Saharan Africa. The coffee plant can grow up to 10 meters high, but it is usually kept at about 3 meters. It takes two to three years for the coffee plant to produce cherries. Scientific evidence indicates that arabica is indigenous to Ethiopia, while robusta is indigenous to Uganda. It appears that coffee was produced in Ethiopia at a larger scale and then spread to other parts of Africa. Coffee cultivation was introduced to Java by Dutch traders in 1699. A few years later the French introduced coffee to Martinique. Coffee was first cultivated in Brazil in 1727. Although the origins of the coffee drink are unknown, the usefulness of coffee beans was probably recognized as early as 1000 CE by Arab traders who chewed coffee beans in order to suppress their appetite and stay awake, thus helping them cross large distances in the desert. The world’s first coffee shop reportedly opened five centuries later in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey). Coffee was introduced to the West by Italian traders in the early seventeenth century, with the first coffee shops opening in London and Paris later in that century. The processing of coffee involves several steps. After harvesting, the skin of the cherry is removed, and the bean is cleaned to become a green bean, the internationally traded commodity. The green beans are roasted, giving them a dark brown color. Following the grinding of roasted beans, consumers use various brewing techniques to convert the ground beans into a beverage. In Europe, most coffee is consumed in espresso-like form, whereas in North America coffee is mostly consumed in drip form (although that practice has been changing since the beginning of the “Starbucks revolution” during the 1990s). In Asia, most people drink instant coffee. Scandinavian countries lead the world with per capita consumption of almost 10 kilograms of coffee per year from 2000 to 2005. The European Union average during this period was 5.0 kilograms, followed by the United States (4.1 kilograms), and Japan (3.2 kilograms), according to U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates (USDA 2006). Most tropical countries produce coffee. Latin America accounts for 60 percent of global output, followed by Asia (24%) and Africa (16%). From 2001 to 2006, more than half of world output was produced in three countries: Brazil (35%), Vietnam (11%), and Colombia (10%). Other significant producers were Indonesia (5%) and Ethiopia, India, and Mexico (4% each). Coffee in some countries, notably Brazil, is produced on large farms with modern equipment, including irrigation, tractors, and even coffee harvesters. In other regions, especially Central America, Africa, and Asia, coffee is produced by smallholders. In some Africa countries, smallholders own as little as one-quarter of a hectare of land. In this setting, the key input is labor and, to a limited extent, chemicals. In some East African countries there are also coffee estates that use large numbers of permanent workers. More than 80 percent of coffee is traded internationally and consumed mainly by high-income countries. In some years, coffee is the second most-traded commodity after crude oil, generating about $15 billion in export revenue. The United States accounts for about 18 percent of global consumption, followed by Brazil (13%), Germany (9%), Japan (6%), and France and Italy (5% each). Coffee is traded in green bean form. Although there are numerous coffee trading companies, most coffee trade is handled by five or six large multinationals. Coffee prices are determined in futures exchanges. Highly-liquid coffee futures contracts are traded at the New York Board of Trade for arabica and at the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange for robusta. Less-liquid contracts are traded at the Commodity Exchanges of São Paulo, Singapore, and Bangalore. Coffee prices are generally highly volatile (much more so than other commodity prices). This volatility reflects the fact that Brazil, the dominant supplier, suffers occasional frosts, thus subjecting its coffee output to considerable fluctuations. Hedge funds also play a role in price volatility, especially in the short term. Beginning in 2000, coffee experienced one of the most dramatic price declines in the history of the industry (an episode referred to as the coffee crisis ). In October 2001 arabica averaged $1.24 per kilogram, a nine-year low, while in January 2002 robusta dropped to $0.50 per kilogram (the lowest nominal level since the price of $0.49 per kilogram set in May 1965). The main factor behind the price collapse was oversupply, especially in Brazil, which averaged a record output of thirty-three million bags of coffee during the previous four seasons, and in Vietnam, which emerged as the dominant robusta producer, overtaking Colombia as the world’s second-largest coffee producer. The oversupply, caused by lower-cost producers, led some to argue, convincingly, that the coffee crisis was a market-driven outcome of the coffee industry adjusting to new global market realities (Lindsey 2003). The coffee market has been subject to considerable policy interventions both at national and international levels. Takamasa Akiyama (2001) reported that only fifteen of the world’s fifty-one coffee-producing countries had private marketing systems in 1985. Twenty-five countries sold coffee through state-owned enterprises, while another eleven had mixed state- and private-sector marketing bodies. By 2007 the coffee sectors of most countries were operating with private-sector marketing arrangements. The coffee market has also been subject to a series of coffee agreements administered by the International Coffee Organization (ICO), which was established in 1962 to stabilize coffee prices by dictating how much coffee each producer could export. Research has shown that coffee prices were higher under the ICO than they would have been otherwise (Gilbert 1995). There were likely political reasons behind the ICO’s supply measures. According to Robert Bates (1997), the United States, a powerful ICO member, used the organization during the 1960s and 1970s to increase the income of Central American coffee-producing countries in the hope that this action would contain the spread of communism in the region. Similarly, western European countries viewed ICO-induced high coffee prices as a way to provide aid to their former African colonies. Most coffee-producing countries (accounting for 90 percent of global output) and almost all developed coffee-consuming countries were members of the ICO (interestingly, communist countries, which were not members of the ICO, bought coffee under free trading arrangements). The last international coffee agreement was effective from September 1980 to July 1989, after which the ICO was abandoned. A more recent attempt to regulate supplies through another organization, the Association of Coffee Producing Countries, failed. In the absence of new international initiatives or domestic policies by dominant producers, the outlook for the coffee market depends entirely on supply-and-demand forces. Vietnam’s emergence as a major robusta producer is likely to influence robusta prices for many years. In 1980 Vietnam produced 140,000 60-kilogram bags of coffee—less than 0.2 percent of world production. In 2001 Vietnam exceeded 13.3 million bags—more than 11.4 percent of world production. Vietnam is a low-cost producer, and as of 2007 its coffee trees were very young and had yet to reach maximum yields. Brazil has been able to maintain unprecedented output levels, averaging more than 39 million bags during 2003-2006. Extensive mechanization of coffee harvesting has lowered production costs, while better varieties with higher yields have been developed and adopted. Shifting production north, away from frost-prone areas in the south, has reduced the likelihood of weather-related supply disruptions. And the extensive use of irrigation has stabilized and sustained yields. On the demand side, the coffee industry faces growing competition from the soft drink industry. For example, the 1970 annual per capita consumption of soft drinks in the United States was 86 liters; by 1999, annual per capita consumption had exceeded 200 liters, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. Numerous other factors are likely to influence the coffee industry’s long-term outlook. First, new technologies enable roasters to eliminate the harsh taste of some coffees, essentially achieving a higher level of quality from lower-quality beans. Second, roasters have been more flexible in their ability to make short-term switches between coffee types, implying that the premia of certain types of coffee cannot be retained for long. Third, a small segment of the market has emerged that focuses on product differentiation, such as organic, gourmet, and shade coffee. The implication of these developments is that the demand outlook is likely to differ from one coffee producer to another. Specifically, any expansion in coffee demand is likely to occur at the two ends of the spectrum: lower-quality beans (reflecting improved technology) and specialty coffees (reflecting expansion to niche markets). Several new patterns have emerged in coffee promotion and distribution as well. Coffee promotion used to take the form of national brands, represented by the familiar Juan Valdez campaign of the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia. Other types of promotions were undertaken by coffee-trading companies, such as Maxwell House’s “Good to the Last Drop” campaign. The market and trade setting has shifted considerably since the mid-1980s. In 2007 as much as 10 percent of coffee is branded according to such characteristics as subnational origin (e.g., Kilimanjaro coffee rather than Tanzanian coffee, or Harare coffee rather than Ethiopian coffee); social aspects (e.g., fair trade coffee, which ensures a minimum price to growers); and organic, shade, or bird-friendly production (which ensures compliance with certain environmental criteria). A second emerging pattern is the development of direct relationships between major coffee retailers, such as Starbucks, and producer organizations that can ensure that the coffee these retailers sell adheres to certain social criteria. Initially, it was believed that, in addition to offering more choices to consumers, these new marketing and branding mechanisms would provide a boost to the income of small coffee growers. While this was the case initially, research has shown that the premia received by coffee growers have declined and are likely to shrink even more as increasing numbers of producers join the specialty coffee marketing channels (Kilian et al. 2006). SEE ALSO Addiction; Agricultural Industry; Colonialism Akiyama, Takamasa. 2001. Coffee Market Liberalization since 1990. InCommodity Market Reforms: Lessons of Two Decades, eds. Takamasa Akiyama, John Baffes, Donald Larson, and Panos Varangis, 83-120. Washington, DC: World Bank. Baffes, John, Bryan Lewin, and Panos Varangis. 2005. Coffee: Market Setting and Policies. In Global Agricultural Trade and Developing Countries, eds. M. Ataman Aksoy and John C. Beghin, 297-310. Washington, DC: World Bank. Bates, Robert H. 1997. Open-Economy Politics: The Political Economy of the World Coffee Trade. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Gilbert, Christopher L. 1995. International Commodity Control: Retrospect and Prospect. Policy Research Working Paper 1545. Washington, DC: World Bank, International Economics Dept., Commodity Policy and Analysis Unit. Kilian, Bernard, Connie Jones, Lawrence Pratt, and Andrès Villalobos. 2006. Is Sustainable Agriculture a Viable Strategy to Improve Farm Income in Central America? A Case Study on Coffee. Journal of Business Research 59 (3): 322-330.PRODUCTION, TRADE, AND PRICES
THE POLICY ENVIRONMENT
FACTORS INFLUENCING THE INDUSTRY’S LONG-TERM OUTLOOK
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Coffee Industry
Rainforest alliance certifies first coffee farms in Africa.
Farmers in Ethiopia have recently announced the birth of a sustainable coffee movement. A group of 678 farms in the Djimmah region are the first in Africa to win a Rainforest Alliance
certification. The Ethiopian farmers were certified under the administration of ASK International Trading, PLC, and Jihad Mohammed, owner of a washing and buying station in Haro, Manna. Auditors from The Rainforest Alliance and Fundacion Natura, its partner conservation group in Colombia, performed the certification audit.
The news marks The Rainforest Alliance's first coffee partnership outside Latin America, where more than 3,400 farms in 10 countries already promote socially responsible and environmentally sustainable agriculture
. "We are proud to be recognized as the first holder of Rainforest Alliance certification in Africa," said Suffian Mahdi, managing director of private exporter ASK International Trading and the project leader in Ethiopia. "The support for sustainable coffee farmers is an honorable step and an encouragement for the people of our country. Rainforest Alliance certification is a means for the farmers to generate a better price and helps our company to remain competitive."
standards. The standards verify that workers have access to healthcare, education, and dignified housing. Farms that meet the standards are awarded The Rainforest Alliance Certified seal.
"This achievement means the empowerment of a local African community in one of the poorest countries in the world," noted Patrick F. Installe, managing director of EFICO
. "Rainforest Alliance certification enables the farmers to sell their coffee as a specialty product. "The Rainforest Alliance started its work in Ethiopia at the request of coffee buyers, suppliers and farmers. We are involving local stakeholders to make sure that our certification standards are properly adapted to the local realities. We will also start training auditors because we believe that local professionals are the best experts in environmental and social issues."
Today, Ethiopia is an important producer of high-quality coffee. Shade-grown Arabica
beans are cultivated throughout the country: Small farms produce some 95% of the Ethiopian coffee production--around five million 60-kg bags.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Darjeeling Tea Gardens
It is the suitable climate of Darjeeling with moisture laden mists, intermittent rainfalls, along with the rich soil of its hilly terrains, which is favourable in production of excellent tea leaves. Tea cultivation in Darjeeling fetches largest revenue by providing employment to a sizable local population, apart from tourism industry.
History of Tea Cultivation in Darjeeling
Cultivation of tea in Darjeeling started way back in 19th century, somewhere in 1840s, when tea seeds were imported from Kumeon in China, during the British era in India by Dr. Campbell, a civil surgeon. Darjeeling was the summer headquarters of Bengal Government at that time. Initially, tea plantations were cultivated in Darjeeling, Kurseong and Pankkhbari areas. Aloobari, Steinthal and Tukvar were the first commercial tea estates in Darjeeling area.
In the initial period of tea cultivation in Darjeeling, cattle dung was used as manure as there was no availability of artificial fertilizers. It was a tough task in clearing of forests, making of roads and erecting of factories. After some time, Government also took initiative to promote tea cultivation in Darjeeling by distributing 725 kgs of tea to the localites. Before this, people in Himalayan terrains used to have tea which was imported from Tibet.
Production of Tea in Darjeeling
There are more than 90 tea estates in Darjeeling and surrounding areas with the capacity of yielding 10 million kilograms of tea in a year. Tea cultivation in Darjeeling is carried out in an area of around 19,000 hectares. It is believed that the flavour and price of tea differs from season to season. Where the first produce of tea after winters gives astringent flavour and is highly priced in outside countries, at the same time, the second growth produces a much lasting and mature flavour.
Some of the famous tea estates in Darjeeling include Samabeong Tea Estate, Mission Hill Tea Estate, Kumai Tea Estate and Ambiok Tea Estate. Tea cultivation in Darjeeling has provided employment opportunities to more than 50 thousand people, whereas during plucking season there is more need of workers.
Marketing of duplicate tea on the name of 'Darjeeling Tea' has been reported in the past, which is produced in Sri Lanka and Kenya. This tea is sold by the name of Hamburg Darjeeling or Lanka Darjeeling. But the original Darjeeling tea can be distinguished easily from other tea as after brewing this tea it gives a distinctive natural taste and aroma with light tea liquor colour.
History of Beginning of Tea Industry in India, British India
India tea prices firming up.
INDIA--According to a report published on India News, India's recession in the tea industry is showing signs of resurgence
with prices firming up during weekly auctions, although rains have led to a slump
in production in the first five months of the year as compared to 2006. "We are achieving average prices in the weekly auctions with a kilogram
of tea being sold at Rs.60 which is about Rs.2.5 higher then what we got last year," stated Dhiraj Kakaty, secretary of the Assam chapter of the Indian Tea Association.
. The northeastern state of Assam is considered the heart of India's tea industry with the state accounting for about 55% of the country's total annual tea production.
India aims to boost the overall exports with the industry body already setting up marketing bureaus in Cairo and Tehran. "We are getting queries from many countries and hope to do some good business this year," Kakaty said. The union commerce ministry will organize an international tea festival in November. The central government will also implement a $1.1 billion package to help the industry replant
tea bushes and boost quality.
SHIZUOKA / Black tea for Belgians.
SHIZUOKA / Black tea for Belgians Yomiuri People around the world are accustomed to drinking black teas from such countries as India and Sri Lanka, but most associate Japan with green tea. A grower, however, hopes global tea quaffers will enjoy black tea produced at his tea farm in Suruga Ward, Shizuoka, with a slice of cake or a waffle. In November, Niroku Muramatsu exported 30 kilograms of two types of black tea fermented from benifuki and honyama tea leaves to Belgium. The tea brands are expected to appear on shop shelves there soon. With only a tiny quantity of black tea produced domestically and even less exported, the tea…
China's tea industry in transition. (state role diminishes)
Like the rest of the economy, which has been transformed at great speed from a sluggish command-style system to one where market forces and international competition play an increasingly greater role in its operation, the Chinese tea industry has experienced great changes over the past decade. Ten years ago, the tea industry was subject to a variety of price and production controls by the ministries and departments which were responsible for its operation. That the administrative management of the industry was not totally ineffective can be seen by the enormous advances made since the early 1970's in the expansion of area, and increases in national output, and export volumes. However, by the mid 1980's the Chinese authorities decreed that productivity increases in land and labor were no longer possible under the old collective system, and that personal incentives were necessary to take the agricultural sector out of the rut into which it had appeared to fall. The fact that the problems of the sector as a whole were not necessarily experienced by the tea industry was either not appreciated or overlooked. Since 1978, the production and marketing systems of the tea industry have been overhauled, the role of the state greatly reduced particularly in the purchase and sales of tea, and tea farmers left more to their own devices in contriving strategies to grow and market the crop. This is not to say the Chinese government has withdrawn completely from the industry. In terms of the provision of production inputs, the supply of funds to purchase and sell the crop, management of processing factories, and the purchase and sale of exports, the authorities, whether at the national, provincial, or lower levels in the administrative hierarchy, still play a powerful and sometimes crucial role in the operation of the tea industry. In fact, government intervention in the tea industry rates high by the current standards of an increasingly deregulated Chinese economy. Because of the importance of hard currency earnings…
Friday, January 29, 2010
The Arabica and Robusta Coffee Plant
Coffee Plant Overview
The coffee plant is a woody perennial evergreen dicotyledon that belongs to the Rubiaceae family. Because it grows to a relatively large height, it is more accurately described as a coffee tree. It has a main vertical trunk (orthotropic) and primary, secondary, and tertiary horizontal branches (plagiotropic).
The Difference Between Arabica and Robusta Coffee Beans
While there are several different coffee species, two main species are cultivated today. Coffea arabica, known as Arabica coffee, accounts for 75-80 percent of the world's production. Coffea canephora, known as Robusta coffee, accounts for about 20 percent and differs from the Arabica coffees in terms of taste. While Robusta coffee beans are more robust than the Arabica plants, but produces an inferior tasting beverage with a higher caffeine content. Both the Robusta and Arabica coffee plant can grow to heights of 10 meters if not pruned, but producing countries will maintain the coffee plant at a height reasonable for easy harvesting.
Coffee Plant Growth and Development
Three to four years after the coffee is planted, sweetly smelling flowers grow in clusters in the axils of the coffee leaves. Fruit is produced only in the new tissue. The Coffea Arabica coffee plant is self-pollinating, whereas the Robusta coffee plant depends on cross pollination. About 6-8 weeks after each coffee flower is fertilized, cell division occurs and the coffee fruit remains as a pin head for a period that is dependent upon the climate. The ovaries will then develop into drupes in a rapid growth period that takes about 15 weeks after flowering. During this time the integument takes on the shape of the final coffee bean. After the rapid growth period the integument and parchment are fully grown and will not increase in size. The endosperm remains small until about 12 weeks after flowering. At this time it will suppress, consume, and replace the integument. The remnants of the integument are what make up the silverskin. The endosperm will have completely filled the cavity made by the integument nineteen weeks after flowing. The endosperm is now white and moist, but will gain dry matter during the next several months. During this time the endosperm attracts more than seventy percent of the total photsynthesates produced by the tree. The mesocarps will expand to form the sweet pulp that surrounds the coffee bean. The coffee cherry will change color from green to red about thirty to thirty-five weeks after flowing. See Flash movie on Coffee Bean Development.
Coffee Plant Root System
The roots of the coffee tree can extend 20-25 km in total length (Malavolta, 195) and the absorbing surface of a tree ranges from 400 to 500 m2 (Nutman). There are main vertical roots, tap roots, and lateral roots which grow parallel to the ground. The tap roots extend no further than 30-45 cm below the soil surface. Four to eight axial roots may be encountered which often originate horizontally but point downward. The lateral roots can extend 2 m from the trunk. About 80-90% of the feeder root is in the first 20 cm of soil and is 60-90 cm away from the trunk of the coffee tree (Mavolta, 195-196). However, Nutman states that the greatest root concentration is in the 30 to 60 cm depth. The roots systems are heavily affected by the type of soil and the mineral content of the soil. To be thick and strong, the coffee roots need an extensive supply of nitrogen, calcium and magnesium. During planting the main vertical roots are often clipped to promote growth of the the horizontal roots, which then have better access to water and added nutrients in the top soil.
Coffee Leaves
The elliptical leaves of the coffee tree are shiny, dark green, and waxy. The coffee bean leaf area index is between 7 and 8 for a high-yielding coffee (Malavolta, 195). The coffee plant has become a major source of oxygen in much of the world. Each hectare of coffee produces 86 lbs of oxygen per day, which is about half the production of the same area in a rain forest (source: Anacafe).
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
The History of Tea
According to legend, the origins of tea began when Shen Nung, an emperor who ruled China 5,000 years ago, discovered the brew during a visit to a distant region of his realm. Shen Nung had issued an edict in his empire that all drinking water was to be boiled for health precautions. During this trip, the emperor and his retinue stopped to rest. His servants brewed water for the emperor and leaves from a nearby bush drifted into the cup of hot water. Out of curiosity, the emperor drank the resulting dark liquid and found it satisfying.
Whether this legend is true or not, most historians agree that the brew we know as tea today has its origins in ancient China. In 800 A.D., Lu Yu, a Buddhist monk disillusioned with his training, rebelled and subsequently went into seclusion. During this time, Lu Yu extensively wrote down the various methods of tea cultivation and preparation. The emperor during that period was so impressed with Yu's work that the monk was deified as a saint.
Another Buddhist priest, Yeisei, travelled to imperial Japan and introduced the empire to the concept of tea as a vehicle to enhance meditation. Because of this, Yeisei became known in Japan as "The Father of Tea". The popularity of the brewed drink spread throughout the country and became intrinsically associated with Zen Buddhism. Eventually, the drink would be elevated to an art form resulting in the ritual Japanese Tea Ceremony, an art form observed by Irish-Greek historian Patrick Lafcadio Hearn who lived among the Japanese and was re-christened Koizumi Yakumo. The tea ceremonies would eventually evolve into ceremonial tea houses hosted by traditional geishas.
Rumors about the brewed drink began to filter outside Asia, but early travelers were confused as to its value or even its appearance. This confusion cleared up when the Portuguese Jesuit priest Jasper de Cruz wrote about his personal encounter with the drink. The Portuguese established trade routes with China, and then began to export tea leaves to Lisbon. Dutch traders transported the leaves to France and Holland. The drink was particularly popular at The Hague and because of its inflated cost, was initially a luxury that only the rich could afford. The tea craze spread throughout Europe, and as sales expanded, prices decreased to a point where the average citizen could enjoy the brew. Russia's introduction to the Asian drink occurred in 1618 when the Chinese embassy in Moscow presented chests of tea to Czar Alexis. Initially only enjoyed by Russian royalty and the wealthy, the price of tea had decreased significantly by the time of Catherine the Great's death in 1796, and the drink spread throughout Russian society.
Tea arrived in the colonies and in Great Britain around the same time. Around 1650, Peter Stuyvesant, the last Dutch Director-General of the colony of The New Netherland (New York) brought the first tea to American shores (although some historians claim that French botanist Andre Michaux was the first one to introduce tea leaves to American when he imported them along with other plants). The first samples of tea reached England between 1652 and 1654 and subsequently replaced ale as the national drink. In America, the exorbitant taxation on tea as well as on other items by the King of England resulted in the famous tea party rebellion in Boston in 1773, where the male citizens, dressed as Native Americans, threw hundreds of pounds of tea into the Boston harbor.
In the 1800's, English and American cookbooks provided recipes on how to serve tea iced cold. Some of the oldest recipes for iced teas, known as punches, were made from green tea instead of the traditional black tea. In certain recipes, various liquors were added. In the South, tea enthusiasts found their iced tea more pleasant to drink when they added sugar and in some cases, lots and lots of sugar.
In the early 20th century, American tea merchant Thomas Sullivan noticed that many restaurants brewed their tea in bags to avoid the messiness of tea leaves. Sullivan took this idea and developed the concept of "bagged tea".
All teas derive from the same basic plant, Camellia Sinesis. The plant is cultivated worldwide in both tropical and non-tropical regions. Although there are over 3,000 varieties, tea is divided in five basic categories:
Black tea is withered which leads to oxidation. Once the water is fully evaporated, the leaves absorb more oxygen. The characteristic brown and black leaves result. The taste is more robust than other brands and when brewed, the tea produces a higher level of caffeine.
Green tea is also allowed to wither. The resulting oxidation is then stopped by rapidly heating the leaves. The taste of this tea is more subtle and is less caffeinated.
Oolong tea (also known as wulong tea) undergoes partial oxidation only. It's caffeine content and flavoring is between that of black and green teas. Many describe the taste as that of fresh fruit.
White tea is the most delicate and most subtle. Unlike the others, it has a natural sweetness. Hand processed using the youngest shoots, the tea goes through no oxidation and produces very low amounts of caffeine.
Puerh is more indigenous to China and has an earthy flavor. More prized for its medicinal properties, the aged black tea was illegal in the U.S. until 1995. It's taste is strong and peaty. The closely guarded process for the tea is unknown outside of China.
Today, tea has evolved into a multimillion dollar industry. Billions of drinkers worldwide continue to appreciate the various flavors and textures of a drink that originated as an "accident" 5,000 years ago.
Green Tea Serves as a Wonder for Bodybuilders
Why are bodybuilders over the world giving green tea more priority than any other beverage? Investigating the process, here is what was found out.
Green tea has been called as one of the most natural and safe products that can cure various diseases like Alzheimer, diabetes and help shed some extra pounds. No field has been left where the wonders of green tea have not touched. Talking about the realm of bodybuilding, a large number of bodybuilders have found increase in their energy levels and strength with the help of this infusion. Whether taken in the pills, capsule, powdered or liquid form, this natural blend offers excellent results to the users.
Green tea is widely consumed in most places not just because of its fresh flavor, but for the excellent antioxidants it contains. It contains a whole family of molecules popularly known as the ECGC or the epigallocatechin gallate that includes anti-oxidants that are approximately 100 times healthier and stronger than the Vitamin C. It has also been highlighted by many studies that in order to reduce the overall level of cholesterol in the body, consuming this is the best choice, with some health benefits that are still not known to the mankind. It is a very popular drink whose regular intake rivals the coffee and water worldwide along with being a superb dietary choice for a lot of people including bodybuilders.
Bodybuilders generally need to drink about a gallon of water every day, according to their dietary formulas. This actually becomes a truly tedious task for some who get tired of drinking water incessantly. There are some who even choose to include Crystal Light or sweetener to the water in order to make it all the more palatable. By using green tea instead of these, an athlete can really avoid the various unknowns that are associated with consuming some drink that contains saccharin or aspartame, artificial sweeteners which adds no nutrition to the body.
So, tea produces a healthy option to people who like to improve themselves and develop their bodies. It increases the overall exercising capability by allowing larger utilization of the fatty acids serving as a great source of energy during intense workouts. Also, this can lead to great weight loss as they enhance fat burning. Consumption of this infusion results in the 24 hour window of raised respiratory capacity that leads to more efficient oxidation performance in the consumer’s body. The recommended dosage is about 100 to 500 mg of green tea every day. For bodybuilders, drinking this product with caffeine is also a beneficial option. In fact, caffeine works to become a great support for a bodybuilder to stay lean and does not hinder the process of weight gain.
Tea, coffee and diabetes
Where did the story come from?This research was carried out by Dr Rachel Huxley and colleagues from the University of Sydney. It was funded by the National Heart Foundation of Australia. The study was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Archives of Internal Medicine.
The newspapers highlighted the benefits of tea and coffee based on this research, but generally also reported that other factors such as diet and exercise also play a role.
What kind of research was this?This was a systematic review and meta-analysis of a number of studies. The researchers say it has been suggested that coffee may be able to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. To investigate this, they searched scientific databases to look for prospective studies on coffee, decaffeinated coffee and tea that estimated the effect of these drinks on diabetes over time.
What did the research involve?The researchers searched several scientific databases for relevant articles using the keywords ‘tea’, ‘coffee’, ‘decaffeinated coffee’ and ‘diabetes’. These search results were then condensed further, using the abstracts of the articles as guidance. Studies in animals, cross-sectional studies and case series (which did not include a time component to the analysis) were excluded, as were studies of only type 1 diabetes.
To be included, studies had to be prospective cohort studies giving an estimate of the risk of type 2 diabetes over time and the number of cups of tea, coffee and decaffeinated coffee consumed. They also had to take into account age and body mass index (BMI), which are major risk factors for type 2 diabetes.
This resulted in the pooling of data from 18 studies. As there was some variability in what each study tested, for analysis the researchers grouped the participants into two groups, those who drank three to four cups versus less than two or no cups. The researchers also classified tea drinkers as people who drank green, black or oolong tea rather than analysing each type of tea separately.
The study populations were predominantly white with 21% of the data derived from Asian cohorts.
The majority of the studies asked the participants to keep a drinks diary to record their tea or coffee consumption. In one study, participants were asked to estimate their tea and coffee consumption over the past 24 hours. Type 2 diabetes was either determined by the participants reporting their diagnosis or with an oral glucose-tolerance test.
What were the basic results?The 18 studies had a total of 457,922 participants, in which coffee drinkers had a 25% lower risk of developing diabetes than people who drank no coffee or up to two cups of tea a day (relative risk [RR] 0.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.69 to 0.82). As these studies were varied, the authors refined their analysis to 11 studies, which they adjusted for age, sex other confounders and found the same association. The researchers also found that smaller studies tended to show larger effects so decided to include only the six largest studies. This resulted in a smaller, 15% reduced risk of diabetes in people who drank three to four cups of coffee a day.
In six studies that looked at decaffeinated coffee (a total of 225,516 participants) individuals that drank three to four cups of decaffeinated coffee a day had approximately a third less chance of developing diabetes (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.54 to 0.77).
The effect of tea on diabetes was investigated by seven studies with a total 286,701 participants. The pooled results showed the risk of diabetes was about a fifth lower in people who drank more than three to four cups of tea per day compared to people who drank no tea (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.73 to 0.94).
How did the researchers interpret the results?The researchers concluded that “high intake of coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and/or tea is associated with a reduction in the risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes”.
They also say that although they would advise their patients most at risk of diabetes to increase their levels of physical activity and to lose weight, they might also advise patients to increase their tea and coffee consumption.
ConclusionThis research pooled and analysed data from studies of the association between drinking tea and coffee and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and found that these drinks reduced the risk. However, though this type of systematic review is stronger evidence than that from each of its individual components, it still has several limitations that the researchers highlight:
The included studies varied greatly in the length of time the participants were followed up and their ages. Although age and BMI were taken into account, other factors that can increase the risk of diabetes, such as smoking, diet, lifestyle and exercise, were not. The studies varied greatly in the types of coffee and tea consumed and their preparation (for example filtered versus unfiltered coffee, cup size, cup strength, addition of milk or sugar and other variations). However, estimates of the protective effect did not vary greatly despite this meaning that it is difficult to know which component of tea or coffee is responsible for the effect. Most of the studies did not give data on the effects of these beverages or their components on measures of hyperglycaemia and insulin sensitivity (physical signs of diabetes). As such, the research does not provide further evidence on the biological mechanisms involved that may underlie the effects. Only 20% of the cohorts included in the review were from non-white populations. This is an important consideration given that the pattern of beverage consumption and background risk of diabetes may differ across ethnic groups. It may not be possible to generalise these findings to other populations. People should not increase their tea or coffee consumption based on the findings of this review. However, the findings do indicate that further research into the effect of these beverages on diabetes is warranted.
Toxic elements of coffee roasting
One of the most critical steps in coffee production is the roasting process. Roasting coffee beans has implications on coffee taste, smell and colour, and therefore has an overall affect upon the quality of the coffee. The length of roasting and the temperature that it is carried out and need to be optimized to produce the highest quality coffee possible from the bean. In addition to the coffee beans one of the major variables in the roosting process is the coffee roaster itself. In addition to the creation of wonderful tastes, colour, aroma and health gaining antioxidants, the roasting coffee beans process may lead to the creation of some undesirable chemicals that have a detrimental effect upon these elements and therefore if roasting is not carried out effectively it will have a marked impact upon the quality of the coffee. One of the main chemical processes that occurs during the roasting of coffee is called the Maillard reaction, this affects free amino groups of peptides, amino acids and proteins, and leads to sugar becoming reduced when it is heated. This process leads to the creation of pyrroles, which give raise to the aroma of coffee. However as mentioned previously the roasting of coffee can also create unwanted elements; when carried out at 250 degrees, trigonelline, one of the components of raw coffee beans, is converted into compounds that are known to have mutagenic capabilities. Another component that has been identified in coffee is acrylamide, once again this is influenced by the Maillard reaction, and the length of roasting. The levels of acrylamide in coffee are lower in darkly roasted than in lightly roasted coffees. It is thought that the higher temperatures involved in creating a darker roasted coffee lead to the degradation or evaporation of acrylamides in the roasted coffee bean. A similar phenomenon is found with 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural, with it being created early in the roasting process and being degraded at later stages of roasting. Other known toxins found in coffee are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; it is thought that these may be found in coffee due to either their presence in raw green coffee beans or as a consequence of the roasting process itself. These polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are known to be both mutagens and carcinogenic in nature. It was therefore thought useful to find out which roasting conditions create different toxins in the diet. With this in mind Houessou and colleagues from Agro Paris Tech in france investigated the phenomenon further. Their findings are reported in the next section of this effect of roasting coffee article. ReferencesWhy roast coffee?
Undesirable elements of roasted coffee
Chemical changes during coffee roasting
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in coffee
Lantz et al (2006) Studies on acrylamide levels in roasting, storage and brewing of coffee. Mol. Nutr. Food Res. 50:1039–1046.
Sharma and Hajaligol (2003). Effect of pyrolysis conditions on the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from polyphenolic compounds. J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis 66: 123–144.
Yanagimoto et al (2002). Antioxidative activity of heterocyclic compounds found in coffee volatiles produced by Maillard reaction. J. Agric. Food Chem. 50: 5480–5484.
Tea antioxidants and their properties
Tea is one of the largest consumed beverages in the world with over 3 billions of tea grown and manufactured every year. This consumption level means that it is important to understand potential health aspects of the beverage; thankfully tea contains many beneficial compounds such as theaflavins and catechins. Many of the compounds that are found in tea have antioxidant properties. This section of coffee and tea takes a detailed look at the antioxidant properties of tea. Both green and black tea contain antioxidants; though these polyphenols are of different forms. Black tea, which is a fermented form of tea, contains oxidised antioxidants such as flavonols and theaflavins, whereas the main antioxidants that are found in green tea are the catechins; these include Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). The consumption of tea has many health benefits due to its antioxidant capabilities. These antioxidants work by interacting reactive oxygens such as free radicals, nitric oxides, peroxynitrite and nitrogen dioxide. These components if left alone have detrimental impacts upon the body and are able to damage DNA, proteins and cell membranes. The chemical structure of dihydroxy or trihydroxy tea antioxidants such as EGCG and other catechins is such that they are able to chelate metal ions; this in turn prevents the creation of free radicals in the body. Additionally the structure of tea antioxidants also allows free radicals that are already present to be erased through a process known as electron delocalisation. As tea antioxidants are able to interact and take up singlet oxygen and other free radicals it stands to reason that they undergo a chemical change. Several products are created in this way, for example the interaction of catechins with peroxyl radicals results in compounds that are similar to anthocyanin compounds; also the interactions of tea antioxidants with their targets leads to the formation of ring fission compounds. Although vegetables such as spinach are known to have high antioxidant activity the antioxidant potential of tea catechins is even higher! Following tea consumption the antioxidant capacity of the plasma increases within 30 minutes in the plasma, reaching a peak at about two hours from the time of drinking the tea. Research has shown that the regular consumption of tea helps to reduce lipid peroxidation, damage to DNA and the amount of free radicals in the body.Antioxidants in tea
How do antioxidants in tea work
Antioxidant potential of tea