The History of Coffee 

Coffee appeared in human history over a thousand years ago in the area we now know as Ethiopia. Legend holds that a goat herder named Kaldi, of the nomadic Oromo tribe, observed an increased friskiness among his herd after they had consumed the cherries of a particular plant. Curious about the effect, he tried some himself only to experience the same result. News of the coffee plant spread quickly among his people. Trappist monks became interested in the plant for its assistance in remaining awake for long nights of prayer. The coffee beverage we know today, however, was not “invented” until the 6th century. Prior to that, the virtues of the coffee plant were garnered through a variety of methods. The leaves were made into a tea; the berries and leaves were crushed and rolled in with other ingredients to serve as sustenance in battle; and wine was made from the pulp of the coffee cherry.

As the popularity of the plant grew, so did its geographic scope. Trees were soon growing on the Arabian Peninsula—the place they were first truly cultivated. The Arabs closely guarded the fledgling, lucrative coffee industry such that no cherries or saplings capable of growth were permitted to leave the borders of the land. However, sometime in the early 1600’s coffee was smuggled to India where it was successfully grown. From there coffee spread quickly throughout the south Pacific where it took root as a key export.

As the masters of the sea, the Dutch were quick to deliver coffee to all the major European ports, and by 1645 Venice boasted Europe’s first coffeehouse. For some time, coffee was only consumed by the wealthy in Europe; however, some still viewed coffee as an untrustworthy exotic liquor! The popularity of the dark drink, though, continued to grow, and by 1700 London had over two thousand coffeehouses.

Coffeehouses served more than invigorating beverages. The previously rare mixture of societal casts began in the coffeehouses. Additionally, they served as think-tanks from which many innovative concepts sprung: the Stock Exchange, Lloyd’s of London, early tabloids, and the Bankers Clearing House among them. One of America’s first major coffee serving establishments, The Green Dragon, helped give rise to the American War for Independence, as many of the founding fathers met there for coffee and philosophy. High tea taxes sent the popularity of coffee in America into the stratosphere. In fact, it became the American’s patriotic duty to consume coffee instead of tea.

In 1714 a young coffee plant made the perilous sea journey to the Americas under the watchful eye of the French Naval Officer Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu. The seedling was eventually planted on Martinique, where it became the predecessor of over 19 million plants on that island and an unfathomable number of coffee plants on the South American continent.

Coffee continued to grow in quality and popularity throughout the world. The Italians invented the art of espresso and integrated it deeply into their lifestyles. Many other cultures, including the American, have seen coffee grow to be an essential part of everyday life. With a history as rich as its flavor, and properties as unique as the lands from which it hails, specialty coffee is a beverage best described as Utopian.