Aside from oil, coffee is the most widely traded commodity. We consume about 400 billion cups of coffee every year, and this consumption continues to grow. Like all popular commodities, coffee has its share of controversies.

Over the years, worldwide controversies have arisen over coffee. It has been called many expletives including "the drink of the devil", an evil brew and a beverage that causes men's impotence. On the other hand, literary masterpieces, national testaments and oratories have been created, medical advances have been made and huge business deals have changed the course of history, all over a cup of coffee. Of course, none of these advances were due to the coffee, but may well be indebted to it.

But a coffee isn't just a coffee. The world loves it, for good reason.

Good coffee requires careful preparation, much like wine. Dedication, specialized processes and cultivation are all required, although it is actually the antithesis to wine. Wine can help to relax the body and slow mental process. Coffee, on the other hand, calms the nerves rather than intoxicating the mind. Coffee stimulates the senses, while wine tends to dull them. A famous line says that "It cheers the spirit without making one mad."

And like wine, coffee needs blending, brewing and the various other preparations that go with excellent drinks. Coffee also has its own vocabulary. To be truly familiar with coffee here are some of its more notable terms:

Coffee Acidity

The acidity in coffee contributes to its special liveliness, color and brightness. Carrots and coffee have roughly the same levels of pH.

Arabica Coffee

There are two main types of coffee: Robusta and Arabica. Coffee Arabica contains less caffeine, but grows at altitudes of 3,500 to 7,000 feet, so it's harder to cultivate. This type of coffee is more expensive but has a superior full bodied taste as compared to Robusta.

Bourbon is a variety of Arabica coffee that is grown in Africa. For some time, the cultivation of bourbon Arabica coffee was not seriously pursued, because although it has more character and taste, it does not yield as large a crop as the other Arabica varieties. However, our insatiable love affair with coffee has brought about increased cultivation and a rise in popularity.

Coffee Blends

The art of blending coffee is much like an artist mixing colors on the palette. Coffee blenders use beans from various coffee-growing regions, and then mix them to craft a specialized flavor that cannot be achieved with coffee of single origin.

Full Body

The "body" of the coffee is a term used to describe the way it feels in the mouth. The body may be thin, delicate, light, syrupy or buttery.

Decaf/Decaffeinating

This is the process of minimizing the caffeine content of the coffee beans. Several processes could be utilized to remove the caffeine content. One method uses chemicals; another makes use of different water processes and lastly is the use of carbon dioxide. In all decaffeinating process, the chief concern is to preserve the natural flavor of the coffee bean.

Coffee Grade

This is a classification of the beans by their density and size. The highest grade is known as premium and is sold at a higher price.

Methods of Processing

Processing is the separation of flesh from bean. There are two types of coffee processing: washed and dry. When coffee is processed using the dry method, the cherries are spread across the ground and allowed to dry in the sun. Several times each day, the beans are raked to ensure even drying. After two to three weeks, the dried flesh will crack and falls off of the bean. This method of dry processing gives a syrupy texture and an earthy flavor to the coffee.

The washed processing is a method of cutting the skin off the coffee bean and allowing it to stand so that it ferments until the skin can be easily washed off with water. After that step, the beans are dried. This kind of processing sustains the natural flavors in the coffee.

So now that you have a grasp of some of coffee's vocabulary, don't neglect to get your daily dose!

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Benedict Neel contributes to a variety of popular web sites, on leisure activity and recreational leisure topics.