The history of coffee

Hi dear readers. This time I will write about the history of the coffee. I have been reading from different sources, and here is the summary of what I gathered:

The coffee beans were first cultivated in Ethiopia. It is not clear who were the first to discover the coffee’s vitality power. There are two legends, one says it was a man from Yemen, the other a man from Ethiopia around the 9th century, who after eating the berries some energetic goats had eaten, became such as vital as them.

Another legend says that later a monk from Yemen who was in Ethiopia, saw the energetic power of these berries on the goats and their shepherd, and took some to his monastery. At the monastery the monks prepared the infusion as a tee, boiling the leaves and berries in hot water, and discovering the coffee’s awakening effects.

From Ethiopia, then the coffee spread to Yemen and Egypt, and the first to roast the coffee were the Arabs. By the 15th century the magical drink spread to the rest of North Africa and the Middle East. It is to be mentioned that the drink was first controversial and banned in certain regions due to its stimulating effects.

The drink was called qahwa, which in arab means wine. When it reached Europe in the 17th century thanks to the trade with the Ottoman Empire it was known as the „Wine of Arabia“.

Coffee first reached Venice, Italy, and from here spread all over Europe. The first Cafe was opened in Venice in 1645, and the first Cafe in Austria, was opened in Viena in 1683 by Jerzy Franciszek Kulczycki, a merchant and soldier who took coffee beans left by the defeated ottomans turks. His Cafe was called Hof zur Blauen Flasche, and he was the first to add milk to the coffee drink, giving origin to the famous Melange.

The introduction of coffee to the Americas was thanks to the french colonies, starting with Martinique. The first coffee plantation in Brazil started in 1727 after Francisco de Melo Palheta following the orders of the Brazilean emperor took seeds from the French Guinea.

In the 19th and 20th century the coffee plantations expanded to many other countries. Among them: Guatemala, Nicaragua, and off course Colombia. :) Later in the 20th century Vietnam entered into the coffee market, thanks to trade relations with the US.

Well, dear readers this was the first article on the coffee world, next month I will write about the main coffee producers and the different types of coffee beans. Looking forward to reading your comments.