THE ORIGIN
Caffeine was first recorded coming from tea leaves in 2400 BCE, China, by Emperor Shen Nung, and then later by goat herder ‘Kaldi’ in 900 BCE, Ethiopia, when he discovered his goats would not sleep after consuming the berries of a certain plant.
These coffee berries were eventually transported to Arabia in the 15th century, where they are still cultivated to this day. Coffee was enjoyed in homes and the many public coffee houses — called qahveh khaneh — which began to pop up in cities across the Middle East.
The popularity of the coffee houses was unequaled, and people frequented them for all kinds of social activities. Not only did the patrons drink coffee and engage in conversation, but they also listened to music, watched performers, played chess, and kept up to date on the news.
Coffee houses quickly became such an important center for exchanging information that they were often called “Schools of the Wise.” And with thousands of pilgrims visiting the holy city of Mecca each year worldwide, knowledge of this “wine of Araby” began to spread.
COFFEE COMES TO EUROPE
European travelers to the Middle East brought back stories of an unusual dark black beverage. By the 17th century, coffee had made its way to Europe and was becoming popular across the continent.
Some people reacted to this new beverage with skepticism or fear, calling it the “bitter invention of Satan.” The local clergy condemned coffee when it came to Venice in 1615. The controversy was so great that Pope Clement VIII was asked to intervene. He decided to taste the beverage before deciding and found it so satisfying that he gave it a papal blessing.
Despite such controversy, coffee houses were snappily becoming centers of social activity and communication in the major metropolises of England, Austria, France, Germany, and Holland. In England, “penny universities” sprang up, so called because for the price of a penny, one could buy a mug of coffee and engage in stimulating discussion.
Coffee began to replace the common breakfast drink beverages of the time — beer and wine. Those who drank coffee instead of alcohol began the day alert and energized, and not surprisingly, the quality of their work was greatly improved.
COMING TO THE AMERICAS
Coffee was brought to New Amsterdam (later renamed New York) in the mid-1600s.
Though coffee houses rapidly began to appear in the New World, tea continued to be the favored drink until 1773, when the colonists revolted against a heavy tax on tea imposed by King George III. The revolt, known as the Boston Tea Party, would forever change the American drinking preference for coffee.
As demand for the beverage continued to spread, there was fierce competition to cultivate coffee outside of Arabia. The Dutch’s first attempts to plant them in India failed, but they succeeded in Batavia, on the island of Java, in what is now Indonesia.
Missionaries, travelers, traders, and colonists continued carrying coffee seeds to new lands, and coffee trees were planted worldwide. New nations were established on coffee economies. Fortunes were made and lost. By the end of the 18th century, coffee had become one of the world’s most profitable export crops.
After crude oil, coffee is the most sought commodity in the world.
I hope you found the history of the world's most frequented drug insightful. Click here for PART TWO, where we dive deeper into the effects of Caffeine on the human body.
