The rich history of coffee

Ethiopia is widely considered to be the epicentre of where coffee came from. If you’ve ever googled “coffee history”, you will have come across the famous story of how coffee was discovered in Ethiopia by Kaldi, an Ethiopian goat herder, around 800 AD. He wandered over to his goats to see them acting very strangely. They were energised and excited after eating some berries from a tree. So, he tried the berries himself, and after he too felt excitable and alert, Kaldi took these berries to a monk. The monks exclaimed that it was the work of the devil and threw the berries into the fire. In doing so, a beautiful, heavenly aroma was released and the berries were quickly raked from the fire and crushed into embers. Realising their mistake, the monks then placed the berries into a jug and covered them with hot water for preservation. The monks went on to drink this lovely new concoction, only to realise it helped them stay awake during nightly devotions and prayers. Of course, this is probably just a wonderful legend and the history of coffee is more likely to lie with the nomadic Oromo/Galla people of Ethiopia and northern Kenya.

As it’s thought that coffee originated in Ethiopia, it’s also believed it made its way north across the red sea into Yemen in the 15th Century. It then started to be grown in the Yemeni district of Arabia, and by the 16th century it was known in Persia, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey. It was immensely popular for its qualities to help improve alertness and wakefulness, allowing people to devote more time to spiritual matters and praying.

Then the course of coffee history begins to change. This exotic beverage certainly caused a stir for European travellers who were filled with intrigue and fascination. So, by the 17th century, coffee had made its way to Europe and became increasingly popular across the continent. European coffee history begins in Italy, where it was imported from the Ottoman Empire. In particular, Venetian merchants contributed to the widespread popularity of coffee in European regions and in 1645, the first ever European coffee house was opened in Venice. Drinking coffee became a great commodity, especially for wealthy people. Through the Dutch East India Company and British East India Company, coffee also became very popular in England. The first coffee house in England opened in Oxford in 1651 and many others quickly followed, particularly in London. Coffee houses were strictly for men only, where they could discuss business and news, as well as socialise. It is said that many business ventures and ideas started in London coffee houses.

By the 1600’s, most coffee beans came from Yemen. Coffee beans were under strict surveillance and those in power did everything they could to ensure fertile beans could not be grown elsewhere. However, Baba Budan, a Muslim pilgrim, was about to change the path of coffee history forever. He left Mecca to return to India in 1600, smuggling a handful of coffee beans. With the help of British colonisers, these would become the seeds of the world’s first commercial coffee industry outside of Africa and Arabia, which still produces coffee today. Coffee was first introduced to Indonesia in the late 1600’s by Dutch traders, and over the next century it would make its way to dozens of Indonesia’s many islands, such as Sulawesi, Sumatra, Java, and Bali. For a short period, several Indonesian islands were among the top coffee producers in the world. Around the 1800s, coffee was cultivated in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos by French colonisers. The Dutch were finally allowed to grow coffee in the latter half of the 17th century and were successful with their efforts on the island of Java, in what is now known as Indonesia. The plants thrived and the Dutch began to play a significant role in trading coffee.