It is unclear the exact date or how coffee was discovered, even though there are numerous legends regarding its history.
An Ethiopian Legend
The coffee grown all over the world can trace its origins back hundreds of years to the coffee forests of the past in the Ethiopian plateau. According to legend, Kaldi, the herder of goats Kaldi first realized the value of these prized beans.
According to legend, Kaldi discovered coffee when he observed that after eating the berries of one particular trees, his animals got so active that they didn’t want to rest at night.
Kaldi shared his findings with his abbot from the monastery nearby who prepared a drink using the berries. He found it helped keep him awake during all the hours spent in night prayer. The abbot shared the discovery with other monks of the monastery and the knowledge of the powerful berries started to spread.
As the word spread to the to the east, and coffee made its way to the Arabian peninsula the coffee began a journey that would take coffee beans to all corners of the world.
The Arabian Peninsula
The cultivation of coffee and the trade in it began in the Arabian Peninsula. The 15th century was the time when coffee was growing throughout the Yemeni district of Arabia and in the 16th century, coffee was widely known to be grown Persia, Egypt, Syria and Turkey.
The coffee was not just consumed at home however, it was also enjoyed in the numerous coffee shops that were publicalso known as the qahveh khaneh — that started to pop up in cities throughout in the Near East. The popularity of cafes was unparalleled and many people flocked to them for any kind of social event.
In addition to being able to enjoy coffee and converse as well, but they also enjoyed performances, listened to music playing chess, and were up to date with the latest news. Coffee houses soon became an important venue to exchange information that they were frequently called “Schools of the Wise.”
As pilgrims from all over the world began coming to this holy city Mecca every year from across the globe the knowledge of the “wine that is Araby” was beginning to become widely known.
Coffee comes to Europe
European travellers traveling to Near East brought back stories of a mysterious dark, dark beverage. In the 17th century, coffee was making its way across Europe and was rapidly becoming popular throughout the continent.
Certain people reacted to this beverage with fear or suspicion they called coffee an “bitter invented by Satan.” A local church slammed coffee when it arrived in Venice in 1615. The debate was so intense that the Pope Clement VIII was asked to intervene. He decided to test the beverage himself prior to making a decision. He was so impressed by the drink that he decided to give the papal blessing.
Despite this coffee houses soon becoming hubs of social interaction and interaction in the main towns of England, Austria, France, Germany and Holland. There was a time when in England “penny university” were born, they were named for the fact that for the price of one penny, you could buy a cup coffee and have a stimulating conversations.
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Coffee was able to replace typical breakfast drinks that were popular at the time such as wine and beer. The people who took coffee in place of alcohol would start their day energized and focused in a way, and, unsurprisingly they found that the quality of their work was significantly improved. (We would like to consider this as the precursor to the modern office cafe service.)
In the late 17th the century, it was possible to find more than 300 coffee shops in London Many of them attracted patrons who were like-minded, such as brokers, shippers, traders and even artists.
Numerous businesses emerged from these coffee houses that were specialized. Lloyd’s of London, for instance, was founded within the Edward Lloyd’s Coffee House.
The New World
In the late 1600’s coffee was introduced in the mid-1600’s to New Amsterdam, later called New York by the British.
Although coffee shops quickly started to pop up in the city, tea remained the most popular beverage throughout the New World until 1773, when colonists rebelled against an imposing tax on tea, imposed by the King George III. The uprising, dubbed”the” Boston Tea Party, would forever alter the American drinking habits to coffee.
Plantations All Around the World
As the demand for coffee increased and grow, there was a fierce competition for coffee to be grown out of Arabia.
The Dutch finally had seedlings the latter half of 17th century. The first attempt to plant seeds in India did not work however, they did succeed through their efforts at Batavia in Java, the main island in Java located in the present-day Indonesia.
The coffee plants flourished and the Dutch were able to sustain a expanding trade in coffee. The Dutch then extended cultivating coffee plants to the island of Sumatra as well as Celebes.
The Coming to the Americas
In 1714 the Mayor of Amsterdam gave coffee plants that were just beginning to grow to the King Louis XIV of France. The King requested that it plant in the Royal Botanical Garden in Paris. The year 1723 was when a new naval officer named Gabriel de Clieu received seeds from the King’s garden. Despite a long and difficult journeythat included terrible weather as well as a saboteur who attempted to destroy the seedling and even a pirate attackthe officer was able to get it in a safe manner to Martinique.
When it was planted the seedling flourished, but was also believed to have facilitated the spread of more than 18 million trees of coffee on Martinique. Martinique within the following 50 years. What’s more remarkable is the fact that it was the mother of all coffee trees in all of the Caribbean, South and Central America.
The renowned Brazilian coffee owes its origins in part to Francisco de Mello Palheta, who was sent by the Emperor in French Guiana to get coffee seeds. The French did not want to give away their beans, but it was the French Governor’s wife, impressed by his attractive appearance and regal appearance, presented him with a huge bouquet of blooms before he left. In the sand were the seeds of coffee to start what has become an industry worth billions of dollars.
Travelers, missionaries traders, colonists and missionaries continue to transport coffee seeds to new regions as well as coffee tree plantings were established throughout the world. Plantations were planted in beautiful tropical forests as well as on the rugged mountains. Certain crops prospered, whereas others were not as successful. New nations were founded through the coffee economy. Fortunes were created and lost. In the 17th century, the coffee was one of the most lucrative export crop. Coffee, after crude oil, is the most sought-after commodity in the world.