History of Coffee Explained

As you sit and enjoy your morning cup of Joe, did you ever sit and stare into the dark abyss and wonder, where did this drink originate, what is the history of this elixir of morning bliss? How did it end up being sold in millions of coffee shops but the bucket loads every day.

As the fables go, one day a separated (either Ethiopian or Arab, depending on whom is telling the tale) was watching his heard of goats, he noticed that after eating a certain berry the goats appeared more active. The shepherd decided well if its good enough for the goats its good enough for me. After trying some of these magic berries, he himself notice an increase in energy, and thus started humans love of caffeine.

Coffee was first harvested in the Ethiopian highlands by shepherds, farmers and small folk, and there it would have stayed a local product if not for fate. In the 10th century the Arab empire was increasing in influence and size through out the world. To meet the demands on the empire its trade routes were expanded. From Ethiopia the beans were harvested and made its way into Arab markets. At first it was not well received, and in fact in 1511 it was banned because of its stimulating effects on humans. For the next couple hundred years, Coffee struggled to gain acceptance in the Arab culture. Some time in the late 1800s its fate once again changed. It was now accepted in the Muslim world and as alcohol is banned it quickly became the Muslim wine.

As it's foothold in the Arab world was now secure, it was bound to make its way to the European continent, and this it did. First coming to Vince through the Arab trade routes, it was at first sold to the wealthy Vince Nobility. Through their endorsements, it quickly spread through the rest of Europe. The Drink was officially baptized by Pope Clement VII in 1600, thus removing its stigma of being a strictly Muslim drink, causing its popularity to spread like wild fire.

The French man Chevalier Gabriel Mathiew de Clien has the distinction of introducing coffee to North America. In 1720 he brought sprouts of the Nobel Tree across the Atlantic to Haiti. Here he was to discover and ideal climate for the Tree and they reliably took route. Coffee quickly spread across the Caribbean nations and by 1727 the first coffee plantation was being opened in Brazil. The trees adapted so nicely to its new climate that it was quickly turned into a mass produced and marked crop. The high yield of coffee coming from Brazil and the surrounding countries, allowed coffee to be accessed by the masses, no longer was it a drink for the culture elite.