History of Cofee

• 12 Feb 2024
• 27 Oct 2024
• Nutrition & Wеllnеss

12

Feb 2024

History of Coffee

Introduction

The coffee bean has taken an exquisite journey around the globe for ages. In fact, the history of coffee is a rather fascinating tale. Being smuggled out of authoritarian nations and snatched from royalty, even going to the extent of altering the entire economies of nations. It is remarkable that how a single tiny bean plucked from small branches of Ethiopia has now become the secondary largest commodity involved in trade in todays’ world. However, has it struck your mind as to where coffee originated from? Ready yourself for an exciting tour across the globe and through time.

Its origins

What are the origins of coffee? It’s not a hard question. The coffee bean originated in Ethiopia, after a slow discovery in Africa, it travelled west into the European continent. It was later to be discovered and craved by newer civilizations, then moved east into Asia, where it was again planted and harvested. There is quite a bit to cover, so brew a cup of coffee and keep reading.

The most popular tale is of a goat herder in the year 700 A.D., which after stumbling on them realised that they were acting weird. Any guesses? They were dancing. Now definitely it is not normal. He noticed the consuming red coloured berries and came to a conclusion that it was the fruit causing this odd phenomenon. Upon discovery of this mystical fruit, he shared his discovery with a monk, who was keen on finding something to permit him to keep his eyes open during the nights for his prayers. Resulting in a wonderful aroma, which was known as the globe’s first roasted coffee. After some time the beans were crushed and put to a boil to produce coffee.

Across the ocean into the middle-east

There is not enough proof of the story of the goat herder being absolutely true but it is certain that coffee originated from Ethiopia. Another fact is that during the 15th Century the bean travelled up north, sailing across the Red Sea and into Yemen. It reached the port of “Mocha”. Growing in popularity and shipments from the port, Mocha was well acquainted with coffee. Now we know where the term Mocha originated from. After setting its roots in Yemen, it became famous in Egypt, Turkey and Persia. Coffee shops started to be built all across Arabia and were well known for their insights and information. Because of its wide-spread riots broke out but law and order was restored eventually.

Into the European and Asian continents

The course of history takes a turn after its spread East and West. Moving onto India and Indonesia in the east as well as Italy and other parts of Europe. A pilgrim smuggled some beans that were fertile into India and began cultivation in 1670. This led to large-scale farming in Southern India which is present till date. During the late 1600s, coffee was grown by the Dutch. They smuggled plants from Yemen in order to grow them in Holland, unfortunately the cold weather was not suitable and ended in miserable failure. In 1704 as more seedlings were sown growth became a staple in Indonesia.

In 1570 finally coffee arrived in Venice gaining popularity. During the 16th century it spread in England, Germany, France, Austria and Holland. Alike the coffee shops and hubs in Arabia they soon put up places which indulged in interesting conversations and social debates. They were called penny universities in England and its first club was in Oxford. These coffee houses even grew into businesses like Edward Lloyd’s Coffee House, later turned into a large-scale insurance company. From being named the Oxford Coffee Club, the birthplace of ideas and innovation to The Royal Society. At that period of time women were furious at their men since they were never at home. The French were introduced to Coffee during the 17th century, in 1169 to be more specific, by the Turkish ambassador. Soon the Royal Court was even indulging in coffee.

Coffee reached the Americas

After conquering Africa and nations of the Indian Ocean, not forgetting sweeping the European continent, they paved their path further west touching the Atlantic. Amsterdam’s Mayor gifted a young plant to King Louis XIV of France in 1714. Coffee was placed under protection in the Royal Botanical Gardens of Paris. Later, Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu, stationed in Martinique was visiting Paris. He got his hands on the clippings then sailed to the Caribbean, which had the ideal growing conditions for coffee. Once he reached the island, he planted it to keep it safe. In a matter of just three years coffee plants spread across Martinique, St. Dominique, and Guadalupe. These coffee plants eventually populated the entire of Caribbean as well as Central and South America.

Today, Brazil grows more coffee than any other country across the globe. A Brazilian colonel named Francisco de Melo Palheta was sent to settle dispute in Guyana. His top priority was to seize coffee and get it back to Brazil no matter the cost. Once he seized this opportunity he began the biggest coffee empire in the world. In 1822 coffee production was booming on a massive scale, in 1852 it reached its peak and became the world’s largest producer.

America’s journey involving coffee began in the 18th century. I’m sure you are aware of the the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution. In 1773, a squad of patriots, disguised as American Indians, sneaked aboard English Tea ships docked in the Boston harbour. They dumped all the tea into the water in rebellion opposing the English tax on tea.

The first coffee machine was designed out of the Industrial Revolution, invented by a Parisian metalsmith in 1818. The first American-made percolator was patented by James H. Nason in 1865. In 1864, Jabez Burns from New York invented the initial roaster. However, the first espresso machine was crafted in 1905 by Luigi Bezzera in Italy and was designed due to necessity. After 40 years, Achille Gaggia tried taking a leap forward with the espresso machine. Using a piston he tried the extraction of coffee at higher pressure, it produced a layer of crema on the top of each cup of Espreso giving birth to cappuccino.

Conclusion

So, now you have knowledge on how big coffee had grown on its pilgrimage across the globe. Only oil surpasses the amounts of coffee traded in today’s world. Approximately four hundred billion cups are consumed annually. Coffee has changed the world in due course of time through the ages. The world is expecting better coffee tomorrow. There is still so much more space for improvisation when it comes to coffee, so this is not the end.