All about Coffee
No one knows exactly how or when coffee was discovered, though there are many legends about its origin.
The most popular is the legend of Kaldi the goatherd, reported by William H. Ukers in his book All About Coffee. (Ukers, William Harrison, All About Coffee, New York The Tea and Coffee Trade Journal Co., 1922.)
“Once upon a time in Ethiopia there was a shepherd named Kaldi. One day he noticed that his usually “irreproachable” goats were behaving very strangely. They were prancing and dancing around full of energy and delight. Even his very dignified buck had abandoned his solemn stance to leap about on his hind legs.
“What’s going on?” Kaldi wondered and upon investigating, he discovered that this extravagant behavior was due to some red berries the goats had been gobbling up. Kaldi didn’t hesitate much before munching on a mouthful of berries to cheer himself up as well and it worked wonderfully!
His exhilaration prompted him to bring the berries to a monk in a nearby monastery, but the monk disapproved of their use and threw them into the fire of a chimney, from which very soon an enticing aroma billowed. Rapidly, the monk raked the roasted beans from the embers, ground them and dissolved in hot water, yielding the world’s first cup of coffee.
Coffee grown worldwide can trace its heritage back to the 9th century, to the ancient coffee forests on the Ethiopian plateau.
In the 15th century coffee had spread from Ethiopia to Yemen on the Arabian peninsula. From the Arabian peninsula it began its journey across the globe. By the 16th century coffee was known in Persia, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey.
Coffee Comes to Europe.
European travelers to the Near East brought back stories of an unusual dark black beverage. By the 17th century, coffee had made its way to Europe and was becoming popular across the continent.
Some people reacted to this new beverage with suspicion or fear, calling it the “bitter invention of Satan.” The local clergy condemned coffee when it came to Venice in 1615. The controversy was so great that Pope Clement VIII was asked to intervene. He decided to taste the beverage for himself before making a decision, and found the drink so satisfying that he gave it papal approval.
Despite such controversy, coffee houses were quickly becoming centers of social activity and communication in the major cities of England, Austria, France, Germany and Holland. In England “penny universities” sprang up, so called because for the price of a penny one could purchase a cup of coffee and engage in stimulating conversation.
Coffee began to replace the common breakfast drink beverages of the time — beer and wine. Those who drank coffee instead of alcohol began the day alert and energized, and not surprisingly, the quality of their work was greatly improved.
The New World
In the mid-1600’s, coffee was brought to New Amsterdam, later called New York by the British.
Though coffee houses rapidly began to appear, tea continued to be the favored drink in the New World until 1773, when the colonists revolted against a heavy tax on tea imposed by King George III. The revolt, known as the Boston Tea Party, would forever change the American drinking preference to coffee.