Drink Coffee, Paint a Picture

Coffee is the roasted seeds of berries of certain Coffea species. The coffee drink is prepared from the roasted ground seed of these beans. The plant of genus Coffea is native to the Tropics of Africa to be more specific the origin can be traced back to Ethiopia and Sudan. As the human population migrated from Africa so did the coffee along with them. The earliest credible evidence of coffee have been discovered in Yemen in Southern Arabia in the 15th century. Gradually by the 16th century coffee reached the shores of Persia, Turkey, North Africa and from there to Europe and then the rest of the world. Today coffee is cultivated over 70 countries worldwide including India. Brazil produces one third of the world's coffee.

There are several health benefits of coffee. It is said that coffee aids in Parkinson's diseases and dementia. It is however, a fact that coffee acts as a stimulant, one of the reasons why coffee since ancient times was used during religious rituals to keep awake.

Slowly over a period of time coffee parlors or cafe's sprung all around the world. These were not just places where people came to drink coffee but became a meeting ground of intellectuals sharing their ideas and also place from where many new ideas flowered. The famous Cafe de Flore of Paris was one place where great intellectuals congregated. Famous writers and philosophers like Georges Bataille, Robert Desnos, Léon-Paul Fargue, Raymond Queneau were all regulars, and so did the famous painter Pablo Picasso.

Though recently we have been hearing more about coffee painting but it actually dates back to ancient times. The first coffee paintings can be traced centuries back from when it began to colonize in Europe. The Chinese painters though used to use tea to give their paintings a sepia look and it thought that that is how others got an idea to use coffee as well.

Pornchai Lerthammasiri, a Thai water colour artist ventured into coffee painting some 15 years ago and is also known as the Impressionist of Coffee art. Karen Eland an American Painter is sought after for her remakes of famous masterpieces using coffee. Her remakes include Michaelangelo's Creation of Adam, Leonardo's Mona Lisa using Coffee.

Well the story does not end just here. The last remains of the coffee after you have finished your cuppa are also used to read your future.

By: Madhuchanda Saxena

Content: https://www.brewed-coffee.com/coffee/the-art-of-coffee-painting/