Coffee as a way of life
Since entering the Maltese market during the early 1950s, shortly after World War II, Nescafé has made its way into Maltese homes becoming our country's favourite coffee blend for the last 40 years and more. With its arrival on the island, Nescafé...
Since entering the Maltese market during the early 1950s, shortly after World War II, Nescafé has made its way into Maltese homes becoming our country's favourite coffee blend for the last 40 years and more. With its arrival on the island, Nescafé introduced the concept of instant coffee, becoming a part of our ongoing daily routine and way of life.
Nestlé Malta recently launched a brand new look for its Nescafé Classic Jar. "It is a recognised fact that the Nescafé brand is the most popular brand of instant coffee in the local market and we felt that this fact should not go unnoticed," said a spokesman for the Nescafé brand at Nestlé Malta. "This is what spurred us to launch a new look for what is effectively, one of our flagship products and this new look comes in the form of a sleek, rounded jar, shedding the former square one for a more contemporary feel."
The central theme in this new look, however lies in the newly designed label that has been customised specifically for the Maltese islands, which includes a quality seal with the colours of the Maltese flag. This quality seal specifies and guarantees that although the jar carries a new look, the Nescafé Classic blend remains of the same and untouched quality thus guaranteeing that consumers will keep getting the consistent and great tasting blend they are so accustomed to and which they love and trust.
Where did it all start?
When in 1930, the Brazilian Coffee Institute decided that a good instant coffee that retained its flavour would stimulate demand and help reduce Brazil's huge coffee surplus, few people knew that this move would trigger the birth of one of the biggest brands of instant coffee in the world, Nescafé.
So the Brazilian Coffee Institute approached Nestlé and after seven years, the Nestlé research team under Max Morgenthaler came up with the perfect solution - an instant coffee created by a new spray drying process and called it Nescafé. The brand was officially launched in Switzerland on April 1, 1938.
Within a year, the Nestlé factory in Hayes, West London was producing the new instant coffee. When America entered World War II in 1941, the entire production of Nescafé's US plant, about a million cases a year, was reserved solely for the boys in uniform. During World War II, it became the staple beverage of the US armed forces and, from then on, its popularity really took off. By the 1950s, coffee was the "in" drink for the young rock'n'roll generation who flocked to the new coffee bars.
Nescafé's popularity continued to grow. In the 1950s, with the advent of the coffee bar culture, coffee was the "in" drink. In 1955, in line with the more adventurous spirit of the times, Nescafé launched the distinctively continental taste of Blend 37.
Since then, the Nescafé range has continued to grow. The milder Fine Blend appeared in 1972, followed in 1984 by Gold Blend, the world's first premium freeze-dried coffee. The "ultra premium" Nescafé Alta Rica followed, a full-bodied after-dinner coffee from grade A Latin American beans, along with Cap Colombie which owes its mild and smooth aroma to the exclusive use of Colombian beans.
Over the years, Nescafé continued to innovate, launching decaffeinated and reduced-caffeine varieties as well as other variants such as the popular Nescafé Cappuccinos.
Today, Nescafé is the world's favourite coffee: the British alone drink a massive 15,000 cups of Nescafé every minute (Source IRI 52 w/e March 24, 2007). All thanks to Mr Morgenthaler.
The first tastes of coffee
We will never really know where and when coffee really started being consumed. The earliest known mention of coffee dates from the 10th century in the works of the Persian physician Rhazes, but the circumstances of its discovery are lost in the mists of time and legend. According to one story, an Ethiopian goatherd named Kaldi noticed that his goats seemed livelier than usual after eating red berries from a wild bush. Curious, he tried them for himself and felt strangely energised.
Certainly, by the 15th century, a beverage brewed from these dried berries was drunk widely in the Muslim world, and was particularly valued by the Sufi mystics as a stimulus to wakefulness during late night vigils. Before long, the fashion for drinking coffee reached Europe and, by the 17th century, there were coffee houses in Austria, France, Germany, Holland and Britain.
The cultivation of coffee spread as well. The Dutch began to grow it in the Far East, and Britain and France introduced the crop in their colonies. Coffee reached central and South America in the wake of missionaries, traders and colonists and found its ideal environment. Coffee is now the world's second most traded commodity with the majority of beans grown in South and Central America, Asia and Africa.
Today, coffee is the world's second most popular beverage, after water. All thanks, perhaps, to one, curious goatherd.
Coffee and health - 100 per cent pure, 100 per cent natural
Things we enjoy surely can't be good for us? You may think so but, with coffee, it's a different story. Not only is it something you can enjoy without feeling guilty but, drunk in moderation, it may even confer health benefits.
Instant coffee is a 100 per cent pure, natural product with nothing added. That's great news for anyone who loves coffee.
Coffee is also a great natural source of antioxidants, even more than green tea or fruit juices. Antioxidants matter because they "soak up" free radicals, the nasty waste products of exposure to tobacco smoke, radiation and other pollution. Free radicals are also a major contributor to aging.
If you're on a diet or like to keep an eye on your weight, you'll be glad to learn that black coffee contains virtually no calories. That's one less thing to worry about.
We all need to stay hydrated and most people think that means drinking lots of water. In fact, coffee is just as good and counts towards your six to eight glasses a day.
It's no surprise that the caffeine in a couple of cups of coffee can help you stay alert and sharpen your concentration. That can be really helpful in situations when you need to stay awake. If you're driving and feel drowsy, stop, have a couple of cups of coffee and take a short nap. And if you find yourself flagging at the gym, try drinking a cup of coffee 20 minutes before your session. It could help increase your stamina and let you work out for longer.
However, as with all consumables, authorities recommend that coffee is consumed in moderation.
Some coffee trivia
• It takes four to six years for a coffee tree to produce its first coffee cherries containing the beans.
• 4,000 coffee beans go into every pound of ground coffee.
• The word "coffee" comes from words used both in Arabic - kahweh, meaning 'invigorating' - and in Turkish - kahveh meaning that which gives strength or vigour.
• By the 10th century, coffee was being widely drunk in Persia, and throughout the Muslim world by the 15th century.
• In 1453, Turkish law made it legal for a woman to divorce her husband if he failed to provide her daily coffee quota.
• Coffee reached Europe early in the 17th century. Louis XIV and Pope Clement VIII were early converts.
• The first coffee-house in England opened in Oxford, in 1650, and in London a year later. By 1700, there were some 2,000 coffee houses in the capital.
• The first known advertisement for coffee dates to 1652.
• The Dutch began growing coffee on the island of Java, now part of Indonesia, in 1696.
• In 1720, Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu, a French naval officer on leave in Paris, stole a cutting from the King's coffee tree in the Jardin des Plantes. He took it to Martinique. 50 years later, this Caribbean island had an estimated 18 million coffee trees.
• London's 17th century coffee houses were known as "Penny Universities" where it was possible to converse with artists, merchants and poets for the price of a coffee. In 1676, Charles II attempted to close them down, as he considered them hotbeds of political intrigue.
• Bach composed the Coffee Cantata in honour of the drink.
• By 1800, Brazil was the world's largest coffee producer.
• Honoré de Balzac, the father of French realism fuelled his novel writing with upwards of 60 cups of coffee a day.
• During World War II, Nescafé became so popular that the entire production of its US plant, about a million cases a year, was reserved for military use.
For more information about the Nescafé Classic range, consumers are requested to call the Nestlé Malta Freephone number on 8007 2209 or drop an e-mail to nutrition.support@mt.nestle.com
Nestlé Malta recently launched a brand new look for its Nescafé Classic Jar. "It is a recognised fact that the Nescafé brand is the most popular brand of instant coffee in the local market and we felt that this fact should not go unnoticed," said a spokesman for the Nescafé brand at Nestlé Malta. "This is what spurred us to launch a new look for what is effectively, one of our flagship products and this new look comes in the form of a sleek, rounded jar, shedding the former square one for a more contemporary feel."
The central theme in this new look, however lies in the newly designed label that has been customised specifically for the Maltese islands, which includes a quality seal with the colours of the Maltese flag. This quality seal specifies and guarantees that although the jar carries a new look, the Nescafé Classic blend remains of the same and untouched quality thus guaranteeing that consumers will keep getting the consistent and great tasting blend they are so accustomed to and which they love and trust.
Where did it all start?
When in 1930, the Brazilian Coffee Institute decided that a good instant coffee that retained its flavour would stimulate demand and help reduce Brazil's huge coffee surplus, few people knew that this move would trigger the birth of one of the biggest brands of instant coffee in the world, Nescafé.
So the Brazilian Coffee Institute approached Nestlé and after seven years, the Nestlé research team under Max Morgenthaler came up with the perfect solution - an instant coffee created by a new spray drying process and called it Nescafé. The brand was officially launched in Switzerland on April 1, 1938.
Within a year, the Nestlé factory in Hayes, West London was producing the new instant coffee. When America entered World War II in 1941, the entire production of Nescafé's US plant, about a million cases a year, was reserved solely for the boys in uniform. During World War II, it became the staple beverage of the US armed forces and, from then on, its popularity really took off. By the 1950s, coffee was the "in" drink for the young rock'n'roll generation who flocked to the new coffee bars.
Nescafé's popularity continued to grow. In the 1950s, with the advent of the coffee bar culture, coffee was the "in" drink. In 1955, in line with the more adventurous spirit of the times, Nescafé launched the distinctively continental taste of Blend 37.
Since then, the Nescafé range has continued to grow. The milder Fine Blend appeared in 1972, followed in 1984 by Gold Blend, the world's first premium freeze-dried coffee. The "ultra premium" Nescafé Alta Rica followed, a full-bodied after-dinner coffee from grade A Latin American beans, along with Cap Colombie which owes its mild and smooth aroma to the exclusive use of Colombian beans.
Over the years, Nescafé continued to innovate, launching decaffeinated and reduced-caffeine varieties as well as other variants such as the popular Nescafé Cappuccinos.
Today, Nescafé is the world's favourite coffee: the British alone drink a massive 15,000 cups of Nescafé every minute (Source IRI 52 w/e March 24, 2007). All thanks to Mr Morgenthaler.
The first tastes of coffee
We will never really know where and when coffee really started being consumed. The earliest known mention of coffee dates from the 10th century in the works of the Persian physician Rhazes, but the circumstances of its discovery are lost in the mists of time and legend. According to one story, an Ethiopian goatherd named Kaldi noticed that his goats seemed livelier than usual after eating red berries from a wild bush. Curious, he tried them for himself and felt strangely energised.
Certainly, by the 15th century, a beverage brewed from these dried berries was drunk widely in the Muslim world, and was particularly valued by the Sufi mystics as a stimulus to wakefulness during late night vigils. Before long, the fashion for drinking coffee reached Europe and, by the 17th century, there were coffee houses in Austria, France, Germany, Holland and Britain.
The cultivation of coffee spread as well. The Dutch began to grow it in the Far East, and Britain and France introduced the crop in their colonies. Coffee reached central and South America in the wake of missionaries, traders and colonists and found its ideal environment. Coffee is now the world's second most traded commodity with the majority of beans grown in South and Central America, Asia and Africa.
Today, coffee is the world's second most popular beverage, after water. All thanks, perhaps, to one, curious goatherd.
Coffee and health - 100 per cent pure, 100 per cent natural
Things we enjoy surely can't be good for us? You may think so but, with coffee, it's a different story. Not only is it something you can enjoy without feeling guilty but, drunk in moderation, it may even confer health benefits.
Instant coffee is a 100 per cent pure, natural product with nothing added. That's great news for anyone who loves coffee.
Coffee is also a great natural source of antioxidants, even more than green tea or fruit juices. Antioxidants matter because they "soak up" free radicals, the nasty waste products of exposure to tobacco smoke, radiation and other pollution. Free radicals are also a major contributor to aging.
If you're on a diet or like to keep an eye on your weight, you'll be glad to learn that black coffee contains virtually no calories. That's one less thing to worry about.
We all need to stay hydrated and most people think that means drinking lots of water. In fact, coffee is just as good and counts towards your six to eight glasses a day.
It's no surprise that the caffeine in a couple of cups of coffee can help you stay alert and sharpen your concentration. That can be really helpful in situations when you need to stay awake. If you're driving and feel drowsy, stop, have a couple of cups of coffee and take a short nap. And if you find yourself flagging at the gym, try drinking a cup of coffee 20 minutes before your session. It could help increase your stamina and let you work out for longer.
However, as with all consumables, authorities recommend that coffee is consumed in moderation.
Some coffee trivia
• It takes four to six years for a coffee tree to produce its first coffee cherries containing the beans.
• 4,000 coffee beans go into every pound of ground coffee.
• The word "coffee" comes from words used both in Arabic - kahweh, meaning 'invigorating' - and in Turkish - kahveh meaning that which gives strength or vigour.
• By the 10th century, coffee was being widely drunk in Persia, and throughout the Muslim world by the 15th century.
• In 1453, Turkish law made it legal for a woman to divorce her husband if he failed to provide her daily coffee quota.
• Coffee reached Europe early in the 17th century. Louis XIV and Pope Clement VIII were early converts.
• The first coffee-house in England opened in Oxford, in 1650, and in London a year later. By 1700, there were some 2,000 coffee houses in the capital.
• The first known advertisement for coffee dates to 1652.
• The Dutch began growing coffee on the island of Java, now part of Indonesia, in 1696.
• In 1720, Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu, a French naval officer on leave in Paris, stole a cutting from the King's coffee tree in the Jardin des Plantes. He took it to Martinique. 50 years later, this Caribbean island had an estimated 18 million coffee trees.
• London's 17th century coffee houses were known as "Penny Universities" where it was possible to converse with artists, merchants and poets for the price of a coffee. In 1676, Charles II attempted to close them down, as he considered them hotbeds of political intrigue.
• Bach composed the Coffee Cantata in honour of the drink.
• By 1800, Brazil was the world's largest coffee producer.
• Honoré de Balzac, the father of French realism fuelled his novel writing with upwards of 60 cups of coffee a day.
• During World War II, Nescafé became so popular that the entire production of its US plant, about a million cases a year, was reserved for military use.
For more information about the Nescafé Classic range, consumers are requested to call the Nestlé Malta Freephone number on 8007 2209 or drop an e-mail to nutrition.support@mt.nestle.com