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Saeco Espresso Machines
When you've created something outstanding, you know it right away. There is nothing more fascinating than great ideas in perfect shape that allow you to celebrate delightful moments at any time. These moments can be as simple as enjoying a real espresso made with the perfect rules.
A Masterpiece in Design and Innovation
For all the coffee lovers who seek coffee perfection let me share my passion for coffee and Saeco espresso machines with you.
The Legend of Coffee
Legend has it that one day, in the Yemen city of Mocha, a shepherd called Kaldi or Kaddi suddenly noticed that his usually obedient goats had transformed into untamed, restless beasts, after voraciously feeding on some inviting red berries.
It is not clear whether it was the shepherd himself who, out of uncontrollable curiosity, tasted the berries, but what we do know is that the miraculous red fruit came into the hands of the abbot Yahya, the owner of the herd. Assuming there was some evil at work, he ordered the red berries to be thrown in a fire. Just imagine the aroma that sprang from the fire after a few moments! It was the same rich invigorating aroma that make coffee the best-loved beverage in the world. Bowled over by the fragrant aroma, the abbot tried to recover the berries by putting them in water, and thus obtained the infusion that today we call coffee.
However, we know that one legend can have a thousand offspring, and some even go to the trouble of calling in the assistance of the Archangel Gabriel and the Prophet Mohammed. In one of these legends, the Prophet was suffering from sleeping sickness, and the Angel administered a hot black potion called “qawha” or “kahweh”. And how can we forget the “roasted grain” that Abigail is said to have given to King David as a token of peace? Or nepenthe, the invigorating beverage which Helen, in Homer’s Odyssey, pours into the wine of the guests of Menelaus.
The word “coffee” probably derives from the classical Arabic word “qawha”, which means “stimulant, that which causes to rise”. The word evolved in time until it became kahweh, in modern Turkish, whose pronunciation is similar to what we now commonly call coffee. Or more simply, every time we order a coffee in our favorite bar of café, we are paying homage to the Abyssinian city of Kaffa and its dark-skinned population which started the plantation in Yemen, and hence world distribution.
The Origins of Coffee
It would be impossible to try to identify all the countries that produce coffee. We can, however, identify a number of typical geographical regions and their peculiarities. Let’s begin with the Americas…
…The Plantations of Brazil are the world’s top producers of coffee, with an incredibly abundant production, characterized by floral aromatic notes. Crossing the Atlantic to Africa, the plantations of Cameroon produce coffee with a hint of liquorices. Kenya produces coffee crops with a fruity and particularly acidic flavor and Ethiopian coffee, the finest of all, is characterized by its spicy flavor. India is another country which produces coffee noted for its chocolaty taste.
Arabica or Robusta?
The two most important and widely known coffee species are Coffea Arabica – sweet, aromatic and easier to digest – and Coffea Canephora, more commonly known as Robusta, which is coarser, bitter, more pungent and contains more caffeine.
Arabica beans are green with blue nuances and have an S-shaped furrow, while the Robusta bean is light green with a straight furrow. The beans enclose a thousand aromas which all reach the cup, and that’s why the harvesting and processing of the cherries requires much attention and care.
Blend & Cru
Blending is the art of mixing different varieties of coffee to make a single palette whose tones combine harmoniously. No type of coffee can single-handedly produce an espresso with numerous nuances, a balance of flavor and a rich full-bodied aroma.
In fact, it takes real teamwork – normally 7 to 13 elements on whose careful choice the future quality of the blend depends. Several batches of coffee can be mixed according to a fixed percentage, or alternatively, it is possible to first choose the desired characteristics and then proceed by tasting.
For this reason, the selection of cru is becoming more and more popular, even in the world of coffee. These are particularly choice qualities of coffee from special cultivations, which, today, are possible to taste even in the comfort of your own home thanks to Saeco automatic coffee machines!
Coffee & Health
An apple a day keeps the doctor away… but what if that was also true for coffee?
A cup of quality coffee has a positive effect on the digestive process, stimulating gastric juices and facilitating the work of the pancreas. Following a heavy meal, coffee is an incontestable remedy, useful for digestion and for preventing post-meal sleepiness in the afternoon. But it is also perfect after an evening meal, to prevent the bothersome feeling of fullness that delays sleep.
How many times, after a sleepless night, have you said “no more after-dinner coffee”? Too often, especially if you consider that the fear of not being able to fall asleep after a cup of coffee is unfounded.
In fact, caffeine acts on the central nervous system, sharpening our sense of alertness, but you would have to drink about one hundred cups of espresso in a row before it truly became dangerous.
And those who think that drinking American-style drip coffee is a lighter alternative are mistaken. In fact, there is far more caffeine in drip coffee than there is in espresso.
A good cup of pure Arabica espresso contains only 100 mg of caffeine, which is easily metabolized in a couple of hours, enabling you to ease into slumber without trouble.
© 2015 Discover the World