Imbotyi Eyakhenketha Ihlabathi Lonke

Xa ithetha ngebali lendoda ethile eyayilithanda gqitha igatya lomthi wekofu, incwadi ethi “All About Coffee” ilichaza njengelona “xesha libangel’ umdla kwimbali yokusasazwa kwesityalo sekofu.” Ngokutsho kolindixesha iScientific American, esi sityalo sinye sincinane siye savula ishishini elenza imali engangee-R455 amawaka ezigidi ngonyaka, imali egqweswa yeyepetroli kuphela ethengiswa ehlabathini lonke.

IBALI elibangel’ umdla lekofu laqala kwimimandla yeentaba zase-Ethiopia, apho sisuka khona isityalo sekofu. Isibini kwisithathu sekofu eyimveliso yomhlaba isuka kwisityalo ekuthiwa yiCoffea arabica. Noko ke, akuqinisekwanga ukuba kwaqala nini ukwaziwa oko kunokwenziwa ngale mbotyi igcadiweyo. Kodwa ke, ikofu eyiarabica yayilinywa kuSingasiqithi waseArabhiya kwinkulungwane ye-15 C.E. Nangona kwakungavumelekanga ukuba iimbotyi zekofu zithunyelwe kwamanye amazwe, amaDatshi afumana imithi yekofu okanye imbewu yayo ngonyaka we-1616. Ngokukhawuleza azilimela amasimi eCeylon, ngoku eyiSri Lanka, naseJava ngoku ekummandla waseIndonesia.

Ngowe-1706 amaDatshi athabatha umthi omncinane kumasimi aseJava awusa kumyezo waseAmsterdam, eNetherlands. Umthi wakhula. Iimbewu zalo mthi zathunyelwa ngenqanawa kumathanga amaDatshi eSuriname naseCaribbean. Ngowe-1714 usibonda wedolophu yaseAmsterdam wanika uKumkani uLouis XIV omnye wale mithi. Lo kumkani wawulima kwindlu yezityalo eJardin des Plantes kwiRoyal Garden eParis.

AmaFrentshi ayejonge phambili ekuthengiseni ikofu. Athenga imbewu nemithi aza ayithumela kwisiqithi saseRéunion. Loo mbewu ayizange ikhule, yaye ngokutsho kwezinye iincwadi, yonke eminye imithi yafa kwasala wamnye. Kodwa ke, iimbotyi ezingama-15 000 ezazifumaneke kulo mthi mnye zalinywa ngowe-1720 yaye ekugqibeleni kwabakho amasimi. Kangangendlela eyayixatyiswe ngayo le mithi, nabani na owayebhaqwa eyitshabalalisa wayegwetyelwa ukufa! Kwakhona amaFrentshi ayenethemba lokuba ayeza kuzenzela amasimi kwiCaribbean, kodwa azama kabini aza akaphumelela.

Igosa leenqanawa lamaFrentshi uGabriel de Clieu nowayekhe wahlala eParis, wazimisela ukuba uza kuthabatha umthi awuse kwilizwe lakhe eMartinique xa ehamba ngenqanawa ebuyela eFransi. NgoMeyi 1723 wahamba ngenqanawa esiya kweso siqithi nembewu yomthi waseParis.

Incwadi ethi All About Coffee ithi ebudeni bohambo u-de Clieu wafaka umthi wakhe oxabisekileyo kwibhokisi, inxalenye yale bhokisi yenziwe ngeglasi ukuze umthi ufumane ilanga nobushushu xa kusibekele. Enye indoda eyayikhwele naye kule nqanawa, esenokuba yayinomona ngo-de Clieu neyayingafuni ukuba aphumelele, yazama ukuwuhlutha lo mthi kodwa ayizange ikwazi. Lo mthi wasinda. Kwakhona wasinda xa inqanawa yafikelwa ngabaphangi baselwandle baseTunisia, xa kwavela isaqhwithi naxa wawungafumani manzi acocekileyo aneleyo xa inqanawa yema ndawonye kummandla ongenamoya (Doldrums), nto leyo eyayiyingozi yokwenene. Lo ka-de Clieu wabhala wathi: “Amanzi ayenqabe kangangokuba kangangenyanga kwanyanzeleka ukuba kulawo mancinane ndandiwafumana amanye ndandiwasebenzisa ndize amanye ndinkcenkceshele ngawo esi sityalo esasilithemba lam, nto leyo eyayindivuyisa ngokwenene.”

Uthando u-de Clieu awayenalo ngesi tyalo lwavuzwa. Isityalo sakhe sekofu safika eMartinique singafanga, yaye sachuma ngakumbi xa sasiphakathi kwezinye izityalo. Kwincwadi yakhe ethi Coffee uGordon Wrigley uthi: “Ngesi sityalo sinye, iMartinique yawabonelela ngembewu onke amazwe aseMerika ngaphandle kweBrazil, iFrench Guiana neSurinam[e].”

Kusenjalo, iBrazil neFrench Guiana nazo zazifuna imithi yekofu. ESuriname, amaDatshi ayenazo izithole zemithi yaseAmsterdam yaye ayengafuni nakancinane ukuphulukana nazo. Noko ke, ngowe-1722 iFrench Guiana yafumana imbewu kwisela elalibalekele eSuriname laza leba imbewu khona. Amagosa aseFrench Guiana avuma ukulikhulula eli sela ukuba nje lalinokuwanika loo mbewu aza alibuyisela elizweni lalo.

Ekuqaleni, imizamo yaseBrazil yokufumana imbewu okanye isithole ayizange iphumelele. ISuriname neFrench Guiana zazinengxwabangxwaba ngomda yaye zacela iBrazil ukuba ize kulamla. IBrazil yathumela uFrancisco de Melo Palheta, igosa lomkhosi eFrench Guiana, yaye wayalelwa ukuba aphelise olo dushe aze eze nezityalo zekofu.

Izinto zahamba kakuhle yaye umlawuli waseFrench Guiana wenza isidlo esithi ndlelantle kuPalheta. Ebonisa umbulelo ngondwendwe olubekekileyo, umfazi womlawuli wapha uPalheta isiqhuma esihle seentyatyambo. Noko ke phakathi kwezo ntyatyambo, wayefihle imbewu nezithole zekofu. Ngoko ke, kunokutshiwo ukuba ngowe-1727 iirandi ezingamawaka ezigidi ezenziwa yiBrazil ngekofu zaqala kulaa mbewu yayikwezaa ntyatyambo.

Ngoko, esi sithole sinye sincinane sasuka eJava sisiya eAmsterdam ngowe-1706 savelisa ezinye izithole eziseParis, ezikuMbindi nakuMzantsi Merika. UWrigley uthi: “Ngenxa yoko ishishini lekofu eyiarabia laqaliswa ngezityalo nje ezimbalwa.”

Namhlanje, iintsapho ezineefama ezingaphezu kwezigidi ezingama-25 kumazwe amalunga nama-80, zikhulisa imithi yekofu emalunga namawaka ezigidi ezili-15. Imveliso yazo ekugqibeleni isetyenziselwa ukwenza iikomityi zekofu ezingamawaka azisisigidi ezisisi-2,25 eziphungwayo suku ngalunye.

Into ehlekisayo kukuba, mvanje ikofu eveliswayo ingaphezu komlinganiselo. Le meko yenziwa nzima ngakumbi zezopolitiko, ezoqoqosho nequmrhu labarhwebi elilawula inkqubo yokurhweba, nto leyo ephumele ekubeni amafama ekofu kumazwe amaninzi abe ngamahlwempu. Le meko iyamangalisa xa ucinga ngo-de Clieu awayesithi kulo manzi mancinane awayewafumana, amanye awasebenzise aze amanye ankcenkceshele ngawo umthi omnye omncinane kwiminyaka ephantse ibe ngama-300 eyadlulayo.

[Ibhokisi/Umfanekiso okwiphepha 20]

EZONA KOFU ZIMBINI ZAZIWAYO

Ulindixesha iScientific American uthi: “Iimbotyi zekofu ekrwada ziyinxalenye yembewu yesityalo iRubiaceae, sona esiziindidi zekofu ezingama-66. Ezona ntlobo zekofu zimbini zithengiswa kakhulu yiCoffea arabica, esisibini kwisithathu sekofu eveliswa ehlabathini lonke, kwaye iC[offea] canephora edla ngokubizwa ngokuba yikofu irobusta esisinye kwisithathu sekofu eveliswa ehlabathini lonke.”

Ikofu yerobusta ishoqolo kwaye inevunjana elinuka ngathi lichiza kwikofu engaphekwayo. Umthi wayo unemveliso kwaye unamandla okuzikhusela kwizifo. Lo mthi ukhula ube ziimitha ezinokuba li-12, nto leyo ebuphinda kabini ubude bomthi wearabica ongathenwanga, umthi oethe-ethe nongenamveliso ingako. Irobusta inomlinganiselo wecaffeine onokuba yi-2,8 ekhulwini, ngoxa iarabica inecaffeine engaphantsi kwi-1,5 ekhulwini. Nakuba iarabica ineechromosomes ezingama-44 yaye irobusta kunye nezinye izityalo zekofu zasendle zinezingama-22, yona iarabica ayinakudityaniswa nezinye izityalo ukuze kuveliswe umxube wekofu.

[Ibhokisi/Umfanekiso okwiphepha 20]

“UKUHLANJULULWA” KWEKOFU

Xa ikofu yaqala ukufika eYurophu ngenkulungwane ye-17, abanye abefundisi bamaKatolika bayibek’ amabala besithi ngumxube kaSathana. Babeyijonga njengethabathel’ indawo iwayini, besithi iwayini yahlanjululwa nguKristu. Kwincwadi ethi Coffee, uPope Clement VIII kuthiwa wangcamla ikofu yaye ngokukhawuleza wazitshintsha izimvo zakhe ngayo. Wayicombulula le ngxaki yonqulo ngokuthi ngokufuziselayo ahlambulule ikofu, ngaloo ndlela eyenza yamkeleke kumaKatolika.

[Isicangca/Imaphu ekwiphepha 18, 19]

(Ukuba ufuna inkcazelo ehlahlelwe kakuhle, yiya kwimpapasho)

INDLELA IKOFU ESASAZEKE NGAYO

2. Ngowe-1616 AmaDatshi afuna imithi yekofu okanye imbewu

5. Ngowe-1718 AmaFrentshi athabatha ikofu ayisa eRéunion

7. Ngeminyaka yee-1800 Ikofu ilinywa eHawaii

[Inkcazelo]

Umthombo: Incwadi ethi “Uncommon Grounds”

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 18, 19]

UGabriel de Clieu wasebenzisa amanzi awayewafumana waza amanye wankcenkceshela ngawo umthi wekofu kuhambo lwakhe olwalusiya eMartinique, ngowe-1723

[Inkcazelo Ngemifanekiso ekwiphepha 19]

Imaphu: © 1996 Visual Language; De Clieu: Tea & Coffee Trade Journal