If you ask people what is their favorite drink, a vast majority of them will tell you that it’s coffee. I am absolutely sure about this. Some of them love it because it warms them up early in the morning and prepares them for the upcoming daily tasks.
On the other hand, there are those who love it because it enhances their mood and helps them stay focused throughout the day. And of course, some enjoy it because of its delicious and comforting taste.
Whatever the reason may be, the truth is this widely popular beverage has become a necessity for a lot of people. If you’re interested in learning some interesting things regarding its inception, then stay tuned to uncover more.
How Did It All Begin?
This drink has had a long journey, from Ethiopia to the United States. What’s interesting is the fact that coffee hasn’t always been consumed in the form of a drink. Everything started when a goat herder Kaldi, from Ethiopia, noticed that his goats had a lot more energy than usual.
He concluded that it was because they’d been consuming a plant that had little red berries after trying out the fruit himself. He suddenly felt that energy boost as well. After a while, he introduced these berries to the monks, and then they all started eating the fruit to become more alert and concentrated.
They’ve started collecting the roasted coffee beans from the fire, grounding them into tiny pieces, and tossing them in hot water, and then they’ve tried to brew and this is how it all began.
There were some myths that the God Waqa sprouted the first coffee beans from his eyes after he sentenced his most loyal man to death. This is one of the most common coffee myths, however, this is just one out of many that I found interesting. I just singled out this one in particular because it’s related to the inception of this delicious drink.
Coffee And Its Impact On Other Parts Of The World
By the 15th century, coffee has become very popular in Yemen, and by the 16th century, it spread its influence to Turkey and Persia (Iran). It became so popular, that people even made houses where they could simply gather together and enjoy this tasty beverage.
In the late 16th century, coffee finally entered Europe through trade. First, it reached Italy (that’s probably one of the main reasons why Italians adore coffee), and then it hit other regions of this continent, which was around the 17th century.
In England, professional men and merchants love meeting just to enjoy this beverage, chit-chat and read a newspaper. The first coffee house was established back in 1652, and by the end of the century, there were hundreds of them.
However, what’s strange is the fact that by the mid-18th century coffee houses were no longer high in demand, at least as far as England is concerned. Namely, merchants were doing their business in specialist exchanges, and gentlemen’s clubs have become the epicenters where men gathered to chat and mingle.
It’s Time For America!
It was time for this part of the world to embrace this flavorful drink. It all happened in the 18th century with the French blasting off plantations in the Caribbean and the Spanish cultivating it in Central America.
Then Lieutenant Colonel Palheta, from Brazil acquired clippings of the plant from the French people and started growing coffee in his country. This turned out to be a very smart move, due to the fact that Brazilians loved this beverage, and still to this day, they are one of the biggest makers of coffee.
On the flip side, the USA is one of the major importers of coffee. In 1773, after the Boston Tea Party, Americans replaced tea with coffee and decided that they wanted to consume this drink in the morning.
As coffee became more and more popular, many innovations were introduced, including inventive ways of brewing and some businessmen came up with various methods of distributing it across the country.
Coffee Today
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that precisely this drink is one of the most traded commodities in the world, right after oil. And even people who are not huge fans of it, still love to occasionally treat themselves to this beverage.
Fortunately, coffee is no longer grown by slaves, however, the economic condition of a lot of coffee-producing communities is not at an enviable level.
Even though a lot of people adore drinking coffee, I firmly believe that hardly anyone is familiar with its origins, which was one of the major reasons I decided to create this article. Maybe now, you’ll love it even more!
