Is the Gaggia 8002 Burr Grinder worth the price?

Millions of people all over the world enjoy the hearty aroma and delicious taste of a steaming hot cup of coffee. Of course everyone knows how to make a cup of coffee: grind the beans, add the water, and brew. What many people are not aware of is what a coffee bean actually is.

Coffee is actually the seed of a cherry that is grown on an evergreen tree. These trees can flourish in areas located at sea-level to areas as high as 6,000 feet above sea-level; however they are only grown in a subtropical "ring" around the world. The coffee tree can grow to heights of twenty feet tall, but most are kept pruned to between eight and ten feet for ease of harvesting.

The coffee tree begins bean creation by first producing small clusters of fragrant white blossoms that resemble the look and smell of jasmine. The flowers last only a few short days, before small green "cherries" appear. These cherries ripen to yellow, red, and then an almost black color. The "coffee cherries" ripen at different times, within six to nine months, and are usually picked only by hand. To produce just one pound of coffee, nearly two thousand Arabica cherries are needed. Each cherry contains two beans, which means that one pound of coffee is comprised of approximately four thousand coffee beans. It typically takes four to five years for a coffee tree to produce the first crop of coffee, and an average tree can only produce one to two pounds of roasted coffee each year.

Once the cherries have been picked, it is time to begin processing the beans. The fruit is first removed from the seed (or bean) by one of two possible methods. The natural (or dry) process, dries the cherries in the sun or in a dryer and then the bean is removed by use of a mechanical husker. The soaking method (or wet process) is pretty much self-explanatory and is results in what is known as "washed coffee".

When the beans have been removed from the cherries, they are referred to as "green beans". These green beans are then sized, sorted, graded, dried, and selected; all by hand. The sorted and dried beans are bagged and shipped to local coffee roasters all over the globe.

There are few products available today that require so much time, dedication, and effort from manual labour. The care and skill involved in this intricate process truly makes that delicious cup of coffee a special experience that should always be thoroughly enjoyed.

While most people tend to have a preference for either coffee or tea, usually based upon taste, the differences actually go much deeper. There are many scientific differences, molecular make-up differences, medical differences, and even differences in caffeine levels. Let's begin by taking a look at a few of the main dissimilarities between the bean and the leaf.

Both coffee and tea plants are members of the evergreen family. When left alone in the wild, both types of plants can develop into very large trees, however this is usually not the case as the plants are typically trimmed to shrub height for manageability and harvesting purposes. Growing conditions such as water levels, soil composition, surrounding vegetation, and temperature can drastically affect the taste of both coffee and tea. Coffee and tea both contain a chemical stimulant known as caffeine, and both beverages are prepared by drying a part of the plant and roasting or processing. This, however, is where the similarities end.

Coffee contains the following chemical composition: caffeine, phenolic acid, amino acid, carbohydrates, trigonelline, minerals, chlorogenic acid, keotones, amines, mercaptans, and organic acids. Tea has a chemical composition as follows: tannin, vitamin C, vitamin E, polysaccharides, catechin, and natural fluorine. The tannin and catechin found in tea has been linked to heart disease and cancer prevention. There have been no such links associated with coffee.

Tea (non-herbal) also contains about fifty-five milligrams of caffeine per cup, although different varieties of tea contain varying amounts of caffeine. Green tea contains the lowest amount of caffeine of the non-herbal teas. The type of caffeine in tea has been said to help to enhance the sense of smell and taste, as well as improve concentration. It is also said to be gentler to the system and takes longer to enter the blood stream than the caffeine contained in coffee. Coffee contains anywhere from one hundred and twenty five to one hundred and eighty five milligrams of caffeine per cup. This type of caffeine often causes a person to get an immediate "burst" of energy, followed by a "crash" later in the day. Because the caffeine is more potent in coffee, many people also experience "coffee jitters", or a feeling of anxiety. That being said, there are many types of decaffeinated coffee on the market today.

While tea is believed to have many health benefits such as protecting the body from free radicals, lowering cholesterol levels, preventing disease, preventing cavities, lowering blood pressure, and keeping blood sugar levels in check; coffee's main claim to fame is caffeine. This type of caffeine is the very thing that allows coffee to have some benefits though. It has been shown to help asthma patients by causing the airways in the lungs to relax. It is this very principle that helps relieve congestion from colds, as well. Coffee's caffeine has also been linked to helping with headaches as it constricts blood vessels, and helps boost the pain relieving properties of aspirin.

So, will it be coffee or tea? The choice is ultimately up to you. Whichever you prefer, brew up a steaming hot cup, sit back, sip, and enjoy!