KAFFA, COFFEE or MOCHA ?
A
No one knows exactly how coffee was
discovered, but the first coffee plants probably grew in
Kaffa, a province of southwestern Ethiopia which may
have given coffee its name. Persian armies in the 6th
century probably carried coffee seeds to the Arabian
Peninsula where the Arabs made the bitter, but
stimulating, seeds into a drink to make them taste
better. Soon the new beverage spread to Europe and by the end of the 17th
century so much coffee was passing through the Arabian port of Mocha that
mocha became another word for coffee. During the 18th century coffee spread to
Asia and the New World. Indonesia dominated the world market for nearly a
century before Brazil took over the leading position which it has held ever since.
Other important coffee-producing countries are Colombia, Ivory Coast, Mexico,
Uganda and India. The United States is the leading consumer, followed by Brazil,
West Germany, Scandinavia, France, Great Britain and Italy in that order.
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B
Coffee is a beverage made from the
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roasted bean or seed of the coffee plant. Most of
the coffee produced today comes from one kind
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of plant called Coffea arabica, or Arabian coffee
plant, although it is grown in coffee regions all over the world. Arabian coffee
plants are evergreen shrubs or small trees, with dark green, waxy leaves. The
plants grow best in tropical highland areas, where lower temperatures and slow
ripening produce a mild coffee. In areas which have definite wet and dry seasons,
coffee plants begin to flower towards the end of the dry season.
C
It takes five to seven months for the fragrant white flowers to turn
into ripe fruit. The bright red berries are produced in bunches between the leaves,
with about fifteen berries in each bunch. Each berry contains two seeds, which are
protected by layers of sticky pulp and two separate skins. The plants take about
six or seven years to reach full production, and they continue to produce coffee
beans for between 15 and 30 years, depending on the plant type, climate, soil and
care. An annual yield of 450kg per acre is considered a good crop.
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D
A coffee plant produces flowers at
different times, so the berries do not all ripen at the same time and coffee berries
of different ages are found on the same tree at the same time. This makes
mechanical berry collection impossible and all the berries are still picked by hand
as they ripen. However, changing the coffee berries into coffee beans is done by
machines. The pulp and skins are removed, either by the 'dry', or the more
expensive 'wet' method which gives the beans a better flavour, and the beans are
then packed into 60kg bags, where, if stored properly, they can be kept for several
years without affecting their quality.
E
Roasting the coffee beans brings out the characteristic coffee aroma
which makes good cafes smell so pleasant. After roasting, the beans are ground
into different grades, fine, regular and drip (or coarse) which will be used to make
espresso, percolated or drip coffee respectively. Expert tasters then taste samples
to decide the quality. As soon as coffee has been roasted it begins to lose its
flavour unless it is sealed away from the air. Therefore, careful, rapid packaging
is essential and vacuum-sealed foil bags, cans and jars are used to keep the coffee
fresh until it is used.
F
Instant coffee like Nescafe is actually coffee that has been made
twice. The manufacturer first produces, or brews, a strong coffee which is then
dried into a powder in a vacuum. Another type of instant coffee is freeze-dried,
which is made by brewing the coffee and then evaporating the water out of it. The
resulting extract is then frozen and any remaining water is removed in the form of
crystals. Both instant and freeze-dried coffee turn into coffee again when hot
water is added.
G
When coffee was first introduced into Europe in about 1615, some
people though it was alcoholic and others thought it was poisonous. Gradually,
however, it became accepted and 'coffee houses' or cafes became centres of social,
business and political life. A cup of coffee is an essential part of starting the day
for many people and 'coffee break' has become part of the language. Coffee has
come a long way from Kaffa!
Words: 731
Flesch-Kincaid level 9.6
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KAFFA, COFFEE or MOCHA QUESTIONS
Write your answers on the ANSWER SHEET provided
Section 1 (Scanning)
Give SHORT ANSWERS (maximum 3 words) to the following questions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5-8
9
10.
Where does the word 'coffee' probably come from?
Which country produces most coffee now?
Which country drinks most coffee now?
What is the technical or biological name for the coffee plant?
What four factors affect the number of years a coffee plant lives?
'Dry' and 'wet' are both processes that change coffee berries into coffee
beans. Which one produces better coffee?
Which grade of coffee is used to make 'espresso'?
Section 2 (Skimming)
These seven statements are the main ideas of the paragraphs in the passage. Match
the statements to the paragraphs. Write A, B, C, D, E, F or G against the numbers
on your Answer Sheet.
11. How coffee berries are collected and processed into beans.
12. Conclusion about the place of coffee in our lives now.
13. History of coffee and how it got its name.
14. Description of the berry and factors affecting its production.
15. The plant and where it is grown.
16. Different methods of making instant coffee.
17. What happens after the beans have been roasted?
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Section 3. Decide from the information in the text whether the following
statements are True, False or if there is No Information. Write T, F or N.I.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
Coffee came from Persia.
Mocha was a port which exported coffee.
Indonesia has stopped producing coffee.
Italy consumes less coffee than France.
The Arabian coffee plant is only grown on the Arabian Peninsula.
All coffee beans ripen at the same time.
Coffee is good for you.
Coffee was an instant success when it first arrived in Europe.
Section 4 (Reference)
What do the following words in bold refer to?
Example Paragraph A which
A them
Kaffa
26.
Paragraph
______
27.
Paragraph A which
______
28.
Paragraph B where
______
29.
Paragraph E
it
______
30
Paragraph F
which
______
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Section 5 (Vocabulary)
Which word in the paragraphs mentioned is the opposite of the words given
below?
Example Paragraph A approximately
exactly
31.
Paragraph A
sweet
______
32.
Paragraph B
strong
______
33.
Paragraph C
dull
______
34.
Paragraph E
horrible
______
35.
Paragraph F
neither
______
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COFFEE ANSWER SHEET Name ________________Class ____
_____%
Section One SCANNING
Section Three T, F or NI
1. __________________
18. ____
2. __________________
19. ____
3. __________________
20. ____
4. __________________
21. ____
5. __________________
22. ____
6. __________________
23. ____
7. __________________
24. ____
8. __________________
25. ____
9. __________________
Section Four REFERENCE
10. __________________
26. ____________
Section Two SKIMMING
27. ____________
11. _____
28. ____________
12. _____
29. ____________
13. _____
30. ____________
14. _____
Section Five OPPOSITES
15. _____
31. ____________
34. _________
16. _____
32. ____________
35. _________
17. _____
33. ____________
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