
ORIGINS OF COFFEE Known since Antiquity, coffee is the fruit of a shrub, the coffee tree. Ethiopia is considered to be its cradle. It grows in tropical and subtropical regions, in an area between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. This shrub produces small flowers with a subtle scent of jasmine and fruits called “cherries”. Protected by the pulp and the parchment, they contain two coffee beans. Four thousand beans are needed to produce a pound of roasted coffee. It…