Coffee, Tea, Cigars

Question 1

What are the main categories of tea?

Answer 1

black - fully oxidized
green - avoids oxidation
white - leaves only withered and dried, little oxidation
yellow - slow dried, b/t green & white
oolong - partially oxidized
pu-erh - fermented

Question 2

What are the 4 main steps in tea production?

Answer 2

Withering - leaves are air dried

Rolling - leaves are rolled by hand or machine

Oxidation - leaves warmed to 26 C for 30 min to 2 hours,
color changes from green - beige - brown. darker color = more intense flavor

Drying / Firing - tea passed through hot air dryers

Question 3

What is the tea plant called?

Answer 3

Camellia Sinensis - All tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant, an evergreen shrub that may grow up to sixty feet in the wild. When cultivated for harvest, tea bushes are kept to a height of about three feet.

Question 4

What is mate?

Answer 4

Yerba Mate or maté, also known as chimarrão or cimarrón, is a traditional South American caffeine-rich infused herbal drink. it is NOT tea

Question 5

What is Guayusa?

Answer 5

Guayusa tea is a caffeinated herbal beverage commonly consumed in South America, particularly in Ecuador. The holly tree (Ilex guayusa) used for making the tea is native to the Amazon rainforest.

The extract of guayusa contains caffeine and theobromine. Theobromine, a substance also found in cocoa, is thought to offer mood-enhancing effects

Question 6

What are the two main species of the genus Coffea? Which is most used?

Answer 6

C. arabica - around 80% of production. higher quality

C. canephora - species of Robusta

Question 7

What average annual temperatures and elevation does coffea arabica prefer? How much rainfall does it need?

Answer 7

it prefers average annual temperature of 59-75° F (15-24° C)

and grows best at altitudes of 3000 to 6000 ft

also requires around 60 inches of rainfall

Question 8

Where in the world does c. arabica thrive?

Answer 8

in the tropics! it needs lots of rainfall, and cannot tolerate frost. the plant also doesn’t like extreme heat - it shortens the maturation period of fruit on the tree, and erodes complexity and acidity in the cup. hence, elevation is very important (diurnal swings!)

Question 9

What are some benefits of growing coffee plants in shade?

Answer 9

Shade-grown coffee, which supporters claim is a return to tradition, is not only environmentally friendly—the taller trees preserve habitat for migratory birds and ease the drawbacks of monoculture—but it also may be of superior quality, as the fruit is protected from scorching

Question 10

At what age does an arabica plant begin producing viable berries? Robusta?

Answer 10

at 4-5 years

robusta at 2 years

Question 11

What are the 3 methods of processing coffee beans?

Answer 11

Dry (or natural) - whole berries left to dry in sun up to 4 weeks. Drying can be uneven, and this has risk of fungal problems, but can make rich, dense coffee

Washed (or wet) process - berries are soaked, outsides are removed, beans are washed again then dried. cleaner, more pure cup, but wastes a ton of water

Semi - washed : a hybrid process

Question 12

What are the main states of Ethiopian coffee production?

Answer 12

Sidamo and Harar

Question 13

What are the coffee roasting islands of Indonesia?

Answer 13

Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi (Celebes), Bali, and Timor, as well as the neighboring Papua New Guinea