# 34 The Coffee Bean

How much coffee does an average American drink? That is, on a yearly basis. If you said, "about 15 pounds," you would be right. Now for a harder question. How many pounds does the United States use each year? The answer: almost 3 billion pounds.

The coffee plant is a shrub. The shrub is pruned to keep it under 12 feet. It was first found growing wild in Ethiopia. The seeds were brought back and planted in South America. Brazil is now by far the biggest producer.

We see the coffee bean. But we don't see the process that makes the clean bean possible. Here's what is needed. First, the berries must be picked by hand. Then they are put into water. The good sink to the bottom. Sticks, leaves, green, and bad berries float on top. The bean is inside a berry that looks like a cherry. This outer skin and pulp must be removed. Each cherrylike berry contains two beans. These beans have to be fermented and washed. The beans themselves have a thin skin. These inner skins must be removed too. Next, the beans are roasted. They're roasted at 900 degrees F. Finally, the beans are ready for sale. They may be sold whole. Or they may be ground for drip, fine, or regular coffee.

Coffee contains caffeine. It is a stimulant. The drink expands the blood vessels. More blood flows to the head and brain. Coffee keeps most people awake. This was first noticed in Ethiopia. Goats that ate the leaves and berries stayed awake all night.

Is coffee safe? Some studies say a cup or two a day is okay. But no one knows for sure.

# 34 咖啡豆

一個普通美國人喝多少咖啡？也就是說，按年計算。如果你說「大約15磅」，你就對了。現在來一個更難的問題。美國每年使用多少磅？答案：近30億磅。

咖啡植物是一種灌木。這種灌木經過修剪，保持在不超過12英尺。它最初被發現野生生長在衣索比亞。種子被帶回並在南美洲種植。巴西是目前為止最大的生產國。

我們看到咖啡豆。但我們看不到使乾淨咖啡豆成為可能的過程。以下是需要的步驟。首先，漿果必須手工採摘。然後它們被放入水中。好的沉到底部。樹枝、樹葉、未成熟和壞的漿果浮在上面。豆子在一個看起來像櫻桃的漿果裡面。這層外皮和果肉必須被去除。每個櫻桃狀的漿果含有兩顆豆子。這些豆子必須經過發酵和清洗。豆子本身有一層薄皮。這些內皮也必須去除。接下來，豆子被烘烤。它們在華氏900度下烘烤。最後，豆子可以銷售了。它們可以整粒出售。或者它們可以被磨成滴濾、細磨或普通咖啡。

咖啡含有咖啡因。它是一種興奮劑。這種飲料會擴張血管。更多的血液流向頭部和大脑。咖啡使大多數人保持清醒。這最初在衣索比亞被注意到。吃了葉子和漿果的山羊整夜不睡。

咖啡安全嗎？一些研究說每天一兩杯沒問題。但沒有人確切知道。