'Coffee - the favorite drink of the civilized world.' - Thomas Jefferson Plantations Around the WorldĪs demand for the beverage continued to spread, there was fierce competition to cultivate coffee outside of Arabia. The revolt, known as the Boston Tea Party, would forever change the American drinking preference to coffee. 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. In the mid-1600's, coffee was brought to New Amsterdam, later called New York by the British. Lloyd's of London, for example, came into existence at the Edward Lloyd's Coffee House. Many businesses grew out of these specialized coffee houses. (We like to think of this a precursor to the modern office coffee service.)īy the mid-17th century, there were over 300 coffee houses in London, many of which attracted like-minded patrons, including merchants, shippers, brokers and artists.

Those who drank coffee instead of alcohol began the day alert and energized, and not surprisingly, the quality of their work was greatly improved. 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.Ĭoffee began to replace the common breakfast drink beverages of the time - beer and wine. He decided to taste the beverage for himself before making a decision, and found the drink so satisfying that he gave it papal approval.ĭespite such controversy, coffee houses were quickly becoming centers of social activity and communication in the major cities of England, Austria, France, Germany and Holland. The controversy was so great that Pope Clement VIII was asked to intervene. 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. By the 17th century, coffee had made its way to Europe and was becoming popular across the continent. Coffee Comes to EuropeĮuropean travelers to the Near East brought back stories of an unusual dark black beverage. With thousands of pilgrims visiting the holy city of Mecca each year from all over the world, knowledge of this “wine of Araby” began to spread. Coffee houses quickly became such an important center for the exchange of information that they were often referred to as “Schools of the Wise.”

Not only did the patrons drink coffee and engage in conversation, but they also listened to music, watched performers, played chess and kept current on the news. The popularity of the coffee houses was unequaled and people frequented them for all kinds of social activity. By the 15th century, coffee was being grown in the Yemeni district of Arabia and by the 16th century it was known in Persia, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey.Ĭoffee was not only enjoyed in homes, but also in the many public coffee houses - called qahveh khaneh - which began to appear in cities across the Near East. The Arabian PeninsulaĬoffee cultivation and trade began on the Arabian Peninsula. The abbot shared his discovery with the other monks at the monastery, and knowledge of the energizing berries began to spread.Īs word moved east and coffee reached the Arabian peninsula, it began a journey which would bring these beans across the globe. Kaldi reported his findings to the abbot of the local monastery, who made a drink with the berries and found that it kept him alert through the long hours of evening prayer. The story goes that that Kaldi discovered coffee after he noticed that after eating the berries from a certain tree, his goats became so energetic that they did not want to sleep at night. There, legend says the goat herder Kaldi first discovered the potential of these beloved beans. An Ethiopian LegendĬoffee grown worldwide can trace its heritage back centuries to the ancient coffee forests on the Ethiopian plateau. No one knows exactly how or when coffee was discovered, though there are many legends about its origin.

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