According to legend, an Ethiopian goat herder, by the name of Kaldi, observed that his goats were a lot more energized after eating berries from a nearby tree. This occurred around the 9th century. Kaldi began to try these berries himself so he made a drink from the berries in which he noticed that he felt more alert. After sharing this discovery, word traveled east to the Arabian Peninsula where cultivation of the first coffee tree was done.
Arabs then created a drink, that they named âqahwaâ, by roasting and boiling the coffee. Trade of coffee also began in the Arabian Peninsula. This made it possible for coffee to spread to several different countries such as Egypt, Persia and the Yemini district. Since Muslims were not allowed to drink alcoholic beverages, they enjoyed the effects of this new drink. Coffee was a drink consumed in homes as well as in public. People enjoyed conversing over coffee as well as playing games or watching live entertainment.
Coffee found its way to Europe around the 17th century. There were people who were against the mysterious beverage. The clergy disapproved coffee after believing it was an evil drink. The Pope eventually tried the drink and approved it for consumption. The first coffee houses were started in the European region. These were places where people came together to engage in social activity while drinking coffee. These houses were called âpenny universitiesâ. Back in the time, one was able to buy a cup of coffee for only a penny.
Coffee eventually found its way to the New World in the middle of the 1th century. Around this time, colonists drank tea as their main beverage. Once the Boston Tea Party occurred, which was the revolt against tea tax, coffee became the main beverage of the colonists.
Back in the Arabian Peninsula, Arabs tried to keep rights to the cultivations of coffee. The Dutch were able to transplant the coffee plant from the Arabs to a place called Java (Indonesia) in the 17th century.
After the Dutch transplanted the coffee plant, some shops were opened in Berlin and then cultivation began in the Americas. Following this, coffee spread to Brazil. Between the 18th and 19th century, coffee was cultivated throughout South America and Central America.
Coffee is a well known beverage that has made its way across the world. There are many variations and forms of coffee that have developed over the years. Coffee is available in many shops, grocery stores, restaurants, and coffee vending machines. It will continue to be a favorite drink of people from all over.
We’d like to thank Mr Mark Paton on this great contribution to our website.