Happy National Coffee Day to you all! Today marks the celebration of that most precious of beverages, extracted from the amazing coffee bean. One popular legend has it that coffee beans were discovered by a 9th century goatherd, but we are all indebted to whoever figured out the hard stony pit of a cherry-like fruit could be washed and dried, roasted to a dark brown, ground into a powder, and extracted with hot water to provide a beverage so essential to so many. I myself have previously mentioned how important coffee is in my life. Accordingly, I roast my own green coffee beans, then brew them using several different methods, from conventional drip maker to French press to moka pot to elaborate, high-end Italian espresso machine. While many people will today enjoy the coffee that they obtain from some shop or other, I always make my own at home. It's the only way to obtain the best quality product. And while I sip my daily brew, I often contemplate the economic, social, and geopolitical roles that coffee has had over history. Much of this is well documented in the excellent book "Uncommon Grounds" by Mark Pendergrast. (This book also taught me a different important lesson: Decades ago, I lent my author-signed copy to an acquaintance who never returned it. I don't lend books anymore.) So today make a point of remembering while you enjoy coffee in whatever form you prefer the amazing impact the humble bean has had on mankind.
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