Britain's love affair with coffee Flashcards
caffeine hit
the effect of the natural stimulant caffeine on your brain to make you feel more awake & perks you up - gives you more energy, makes you feel more active.
Did you have a cup of coffee this morning?
Oh yes, I can’t start the day without my morning cup of coffee… or two… or three!
And what do you like about coffee so much?
Well, that lovely smell for one thing! And, of course, it wakes me up and gets me ready to face the world.
Ah, you mean the caffeine hit, Do you think, maybe, you’re… addicted to coffee? It’s not just me, Sam. Have you seen how busy coffee shops are nowadays?! Full of people enjoying delicious coffee from all around the world!
perks you up
gives you more energy, makes you feel more active.
Britain’s love affair with coffee started with the opening of London’s first coffee shop in 1652. People loved the effect – coffee made them more talkative and brighter, it kept them awake for longer, and the drink became more and more popular. Within a decade over eighty new coffee shops had opened in the City of London alone. By the 1800s, though, tea had replaced coffee as the most fashionable drink, partly because it was drunk by Queen Victoria.
In the 17th century there was a coffee boom – an increase in its popularity. One of the reasons was that coffee perks you up
wean (somebody) off (something)
make someone gradually stop using something that is bad for them.
Almost same as: Abstain from …
Drinking coffee was also supported by a social group called the Temperance Movement, who campaigned to make alcohol illegal. They used coffee to wean men off alcohol…
It became more of a working-class drink. So, there were coffee shacks and carts like these sort of little street carts that you get still in London, and you get all over New York, that is a cheap, quick drinks to perk you up. And the Temperance Movement sponsored coffee taverns to try to wean working men off going to the pub for lunch. So, it moved. It declined seriously and has never fully recovered even in the current coffee boom.
Fairtrade
a system of certification which ensures that producers receive a fair price and safe working conditions for growing coffee.
Many customers today are turning away from large coffee chains like Starbucks, in search of a more responsibly sourced cup of coffee. One example of this is Fairtrade, an ethical standards scheme which guarantees a fair price for coffee producers in South America, Africa and Asia.
One the other hand you have these microlot estates, Fairtrade coffee, the sort of hipster coffee which is as varied and as interesting as fine wines and is made in an artisanal way.
microlot
small plot of land which grows specialised coffee beans of a very high quality or unique flavour.
One the other hand you have these microlot estates, Fairtrade coffee, the sort of hipster coffee which is as varied and as interesting as fine wines and is made in an artisanal way.
Another recent development is the use of microlots …
artisanal
made in the traditional way by an artisan (someone who is skilled in working with their hands).
Fairtrade and microlot coffee are part of a shift in focus towards quality, artisanal coffee – coffee made by hand, in the traditional way by skilled growers.
It’s artisanal coffee that’s often sold in smaller, independent coffee shops preferred by trendy hipsters.
So, you have that kind of mass coffee market on the one hand. One the other hand you have these microlot estates, Fairtrade coffee, the sort of hipster coffee which is as varied and as interesting as fine wines and is made in an artisanal way.
