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      Myths about coffee

      There are some legends about the origin of coffee. One says that shepherds from the kingdom of Kaffa, located in the southwest of today's Ethiopia, noticed that a part of their herd of goats from a bush with white flowers ate the red fruits. The part of the herd jumped around lively and as if raised until the night. While the other animals fell asleep tired. At a nearby monastery the shepherds complained to the monks about the observation. But when an Abyssinian shepherd himself tasted these fruits, he noticed a stimulating and invigorating effect. The monks found dark green plants with cherry-like fruits at the pasture and prepared an infusion from them and drank it. They then stayed awake until deep into the night and had stimulating conversations. This was described in 1671 by Antonius Faustus Naironus (1636 - 1707) in his book "De saluberrima potione cahve".

      There are also other sources that say that the shepherd wanted to eat the raw fruit. Disgusted by the inedible taste, he spat it all into fire. The scents from the fire were sweet, which gave rise to the idea of roasting.

      Today, coffee is grown in over 50 countries worldwide. The different quality grades are determined by variety and growing location.

      In April 2013, the German Coffee Association announced in Hamburg that Germans drink 149 litres of bean coffee per capita. This means that we drink considerably more coffee than mineral water or beer. In 2012, 402,000 tonnes of roasted coffee and 12,800 tonnes of soluble coffee were consumed in our country. There are nevertheless some myths about this stimulating drink.

      Coffee is harmful to the heart and leads to high blood pressure

      Wrong! The drink has caffeine and therefore has a stimulating effect. One cup of 200 ml brings it to 160 mg caffeine. The same amount of cola is only 20 milligrams. Many studies could not prove that the hot drink has an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases like heart attack or stroke. Coffee in moderation is even said to reduce the risk of stroke. So there is no evidence of an increased risk of type 2 diabetes or cancer. However, people who have pre-existing conditions such as high blood pressure or who suffer from cardiac arrhythmia should be careful. There are also people who are sensitive to caffeine, and the same applies to them. Here, too, the motto is: "It depends on the dose!"

      Coffee is harmful to the stomach

      Wrong! It is not the coffee itself that is harmful to the stomach, but the way it is roasted. Some coffee producers roast the beans in a very short time (1.5 minutes) at very high temperatures. During this process, various bitter substances are formed which are unfriendly to the stomach and are not easily digestible. Stomach-friendly (gentle coffee) coffee has a much, much longer roasting time behind it. With short-roasted coffee, simply add milk and it is no longer so aggressive to the stomach lining.

      Coffee dehydrates the body

      Wrong! This legend is very persistent. Whoever orders coffee in a Viennese coffee house is served the same amount of water. The coffee itself consists only of water. Caffeine has a diuretic effect through certain mechanisms in the body. But only in people who rarely consume caffeine. The alleged loss of fluid is compensated for by other drinks or food.