International holidays - International Coffee Day (Espresso Day)

The ancestors of the Slavs drank fireweed tea from angustifolia fireweed, the leaves of which do not contain caffeine Before the 1917 revolution, it was exported to many countries around the world The Bolsheviks destroyed the Russian tea industry, consigning a healthy and unique drink to oblivion Foreign companies came to the USSR market with products from China and India After a while, tea from the Georgian SSR competed with them In terms of the richness of its chemical composition and taste, it was very far from a drink made from leaves of the fireweed family However, mate, green and black teas contain caffeine, as do the beans of the evergreen tree plant Coffea This alkaloid invigorates, increases mental concentration and physical performance, but in large dosages it causes psycho-emotional instability and tremors of the limbs, and negatively affects the functioning of the cardiovascular system Today, the average Russian cannot imagine life without a cup of strong and aromatic coffee, the birthplace of which is Ethiopia From there it migrated to the Middle East, and in the 19th century became very popular in America, Indonesia and Europe The Italians, big fans of espresso and cappuccino, masters of blending Arabica and Robusta beans, established a holiday in honor of their favorite drink On April 17, the Apennine Peninsula and other regions of the world celebrate Coffee Day, also known as Giorno espresso Baristas, specialists in preparing the drink, use a single origin, Single Origin, or blend In the first case, espresso is made from beans grown on one farm, region or country To prepare the blend, a mixture of coffee from different growing areas is used The beans are selected according to the degree of acidity and shades of taste - fruity, nutty, berry, etc In restaurants with Michelin stars, Specialty coffee is served at the table It is prepared from high-quality grains of limited volume, which were grown in unique microclimatic conditions by small manufacturing companies Coffee came to Russia in two ways - from Europe and Asia As the Caucasus and Crimea became part of the empire, the Kuban and Don Cossacks, who served on the border with Turkey, learned about it Bags of black coffee and cezves were one of the trophies they brought back from the war Cossack women with their relatives and friends drank the drink every day at exactly noon, adding spices or kaymak to it - thick and fatty cream Most often they say that the fashion for drinking coffee was brought to Russia from Holland by Peter I Since 1718, not a single noble ball was complete without drinking this drink The upper strata of society accepted the king's innovations without enthusiasm The coffee tasted bitter and quite expensive Therefore, in order to save money, chicory was added to it In 1724, the drink began to be served by decree of Peter I in tractors for foreigners The first coffee shop opened in the capital of the Russian Empire in 1740 Gradually, the tradition of drinking the strange drink took root According to Western custom, ground beans were brewed in copper and tin coffee pots In the 1820s began to produce two-section samovars with two separate containers for coffee and tea The drink was flavored with honey, chocolate or sugar, and decorated with whipped cream Poor townspeople, wanting to follow the fashion, brewed coffee from roasted barley flour, acorn powder, watermelon rinds and dandelion roots As the plant's growing area expanded, the cost of grains decreased Today, people with different income levels in any country in the world can afford to drink coffee No matter how intricate the recipes for making cappuccino, latte, glace and mocha are, they all pale in comparison to classic espresso Its strength, rich taste and aroma are inferior to other drinks made from coffee beans Therefore, the National Institute of Italian Espresso established an unusual holiday in 2008 On his initiative, all gourmets and connoisseurs celebrate Coffee Day on April 17