How did Coffee find itself in our mugs? 🤔

It’s not a mellow taste. A bit bitter actually. So…

Photo by Javad Esmaeili on Unsplash

How exactly did coffee make its debut?

Well, legend has it that it started in Ethiopia in the 9th century. Would you believe that a herdsman by the name of Kaldi saw his goats sitting around a table in his hut eating the berries and they soon became hyperactive? <I didn’t want to believe it myself. Sounds crazy because… it is not true>.

Actually, while grazing, the goats ate the coffee berries, and became hyperactive. Kaldi reported this to an abbot at a monastery. The abbot made a drink from the berries and found it refreshing, and the drink kept him up late at night. But… other monks did not like the drink and threw the berries into a fire 🤪. Help!!! Kaldi found that the roasted berries gave off a nice aroma and rescued them. Eventually coffee as a drink spread across Arabia and Europe. The story goes something like that. Coffee took off from there. But it wasn’t smooth sailing for coffee at first.

Coffee was outlawed in the 1600s, and the pope had to bless the drink which made it permissible. Some people found the drink too strong, and resented it because they felt it came from the land of “infidels”. <gasp> How dare they speak about coffee like that! Such poor taste. As a result, they called the drink 1. ___________________.

By the 17th century, London had about 300 coffee shops across the city. Coffee spread to the ‘new world’, and today voila! 2.5 cups of coffee are consumed per day on average across the world 🤩. How many coffee shops do you think are there in the world? I’d hazard a guess around one million. People began having it in standard ways and their personal ways.

How do you take your coffee? Hot or ice? With or without a sweetener?

Have you ever had coffee with any of these?

• Honey
• Lemon (& honey)
• Condensed milk
• Coconut milk
• Cinnamon or pumpkin spice

If you haven’t tried these, which would you try?

In addition to enjoying coffee as a drink..

what do you think of the following uses of coffee?

• Ice-cream
• Cake
• Medicine (with rum 😅or lemon 😆. honey is optional)
• Exfoliation
• Plant fertilizer*

Do you know any other ways that people use coffee?

Today, there’s a lot that is going on. I’ve been craving something simple, comforting to my palate. A hot cup of coffee with honey does just fine. It’s more than a cup of coffee. It is 15 minutes relaxing, sipping on a drink I like. Btw, how much does a cup of coffee usually cost? I can get a coffee for *$1.50. But I usually make it at home. Some say it’s healthy and some say it’s not. So I used to add a squeeze of lemon and feel better about having it. Caffeine be gone! 🤣🤣🤣

I can’t control things or change what’s around me, but I am in control of my cup of coffee. So this small cup of a thing matters to me. It’s the feeling of a blanket as I curl up on a sofa. Coffee, thank you for your warmth. Coffee and I have history together.

I probably had one when I was about 9 years old… I really don’t know. But I used to pick the berries, and help roast and grind them. Here I am, many years later, having a cup of coffee. When did you have your first cup of coffee? Coffee certainly has a piece of the heart of our culture. Well earned, pal.

“Let’s chat over coffee”

A familiar phrase, right? This phrase is certainly a symbol of modern culture. Coffee has become symbolic of business; creatives in popular coffee shops; meet up with friends… Or a chat between seniors on a veranda, looking out at the night creeping in. Some seniors usually have a special mug. It may be chipped or stained, but still in service 😂. Do you have a special coffee mug? Don’t you like the cute ones? They add some joy 🤗.

If we didn’t discover the joys of coffee berries, do you think we’d still have had the mood of the coffee culture? I think it’s not just a culture but a kind of soother too. The imporant role of our pal, coffee.

An ode to coffee for being a friend of modern life.

We may not have control of everything, but we can take a moment with a cup of coffee. How can I talk about coffee without some fun facts.

Can you answer these other questions?

2. Which country produces the most coffee in the world? ______________

3. Which country drinks the most coffee? _____________

4. The top ranked coffee beans producer is ____________

Is there any other fun fact you’d like to add? Tell us about your personal story about a cup of coffee? Or do you prefer tea? Time to wrap up… here are the answers to the questions:

Answers:

1. Satan’s drink

2. Brazil produces the most coffee, 40% (Followed by Vietnam)

3. Finland drinks almost 2 cups per day per person. Followed by the Netherlands. (Cold countries make up the top 6)

4. Kona is currently the top grower, Hawaiian (Followed by Blue Mountain).

Enjoy your next drink! Cheers.