The coffee we know and enjoy comes from the Coffea evergreen bush, which grows in the tropics. The word "coffee" may come from the Arabic "qahwah" but some connect it with the name "Kaffa", a province in southwestern Ethiopia, and reputedly its birthplace.

Legend claims it originated there in AD 850, when Kaldi, a goatherd observed his goats became frisky when eating the red berries of a certain bush. He then sampled the berries of the evergreen bush and himself experienced a sense of exhilaration.

Coffea arabica is the world's leading quality coffee and supplies three quarters of the world's coffee consumption.Coffea arabica flourishes in areas with moderate rainfall and at altitudes of around four thousand feet and at temperatures close to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. It is susceptible to frost. To facilitate harvesting, the coffee bushes are only allowed to grow to a height of about sixteen feet. The coffee bush carries bouquets of small white flowers with a jasmine-like fragrance. After about six months, the fruit, called berries, ripen, turning from green to yellow then red. These ripe berries are called "cherries". Under the red skin of these cherries is a fleshy pulp that covers two seeds, the "beans".

Most cherries contain two green coffee beans. A thin "parchment" and a "silver skin" cover the beans. At harvesting the berries are picked by hand or shaken from the bush. A bush can produce between one and twelve pounds of beans a year.

Mild coffees are exclusively high-quality varieties of Coffea arabica, mainly from Central and South America, excluding Brazil. High quality coffees also come from Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, India and Indonesia. Brazilian coffees, also varieties of Coffea arabica, have less refined flavor and aroma than those of the mild group.

A second variety of coffee, Coffea robusta, is grown mainly in the less mountainous regions closest to the equator. African varieties of Coffea robusta represent some 25% of all coffees drunk. It produces a more hardy bush which grows and is harvested under more varied climatic conditions. It yields more fruit, grows at lower altitudes and can be picked at the planter's convenience, as its berries do not fall off the bush when ripe.

However, its inferior taste and lower price has made its use popular mainly for lower quality blends and instant coffees. Gourmet coffees are exclusively blended from high-quality, mild varieties of Coffea arabica. It is from such mild arabica coffees that Julius Meinl's coffee blends originate.

With excerpts from "The World of Caffeine" by Bennett Alan Weinberg and Bonnie K. Bealer. Published by Routledge.