There are lots of stories surrounding the history of coffee and where and when it was first discovered.
It could date back as far as 850CE possibly even earlier than that! There is a legend that says it was discovered in Kaffa, Ethiopia by a Goat Herder named Kaldi. He discovered that after eating the berries from a certain tree his goats were so energetic that they couldnt sleep. He reported his findings to the Monastry and the Abbot made a drink using the special beans and he found that it kept him alert to get through his evening prayers. The Abbot shared this information with the monks and it was soon being used more and news began to spread. Soon it was starting to be used in Arabia where coffee cultivation and trade began. By the 16th Century Coffee was being drank in Syria, Turkey Egypt and Persia.
It started to spread across the world. Coffee was drank in peoples homes and coffee houses, which were starting to become very popular and used often for social events which included listening to music or news, chatting and of course all whilst drinking lots of coffee! Thaousands of Pilgrims from around the Globe spread the news of this what they called “Wine of Araby” the dark black drink.
By the 17th Century news had spread into Europe and was becoming more and more popular across the continent. Some people were frightened of this new beverage and said it was Satans drink. When it came to Venice in 1615 the Clergy condemned it, there was such controversy involved that the Pope had to intervene, he decided that before deciding he had to taste it for himself, which he did and found he loved it so much he gave it the seal of approval.
Despite all the controversy, coffee houses were popping up in all the major cities of the UK, Germany, Holland France etc for social activity. They became hubs for Chatting and drinking.
Coffee started to replace Alcohol which had been widely drank at breakfast time. People became more alert and thier work improved, it provided them with much needed energy for the day ahead. By the mid 17th century there was over 300 coffee houses in London, which attracted Merchants, Shippers, Brokers etc and many businesses started to work out of them. Women were excluded from these establishments unless they were prostitutes.
Each nation of the world was begiining to get a taste of the coffee, and along the way they started to add milk and sugar. Plantations would appear in the Carribean and Central and South America starting with small cuttings of Plants and growing in the ideal conditions. Today Brazil grows more coffee than any other country in the world. The United States is the leading importer of coffee and has been for a very long time. It continues to buy more coffee than any other country.
By the 19th Century coffee was a worldwide sensation, It was being shipped and consumed everywhere! and since then there has been innovations in brewing, packaging and roasting, changing it drastically in the last 200 years.
Coffee is now drank in every country of the Planet! grown in over 70 countries and consumed over
2 billion times per day!
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