Is Coffee One Of Mankind's Great Discoveries?

What are the origin's of coffee? Where did it come from and more to the point, how was it ever established into a drink? Today, there would be very few people who find it difficult to kickstart their day without a cup of coffee.

The choices today are even more impressive. Coffee has spawned into such a masive industry worldwide since it became a "fashionable" drink, that I chuckle every time I get into a discussion about it. Why? Well, everyone remotely interested in this little black liquid seems to have an opinion on it. From whether to freeze the beans to room temperature storage, it has caused many a debate at social gatherings I'm sure. Not unlike it's liquid cousin, wine!

Where Did Coffee Originate?

Many believe Ethiopia was the birth place of coffee. Once local monks had discovered it, they dried the berries and began shipping them to other monasteries. The berries would be refreshed with water and then the fruit would be eaten and the water that the berries had soaked in would be drunk as well.

Eventually the dried berries would make it to the Middle East where there was quite a lot of interest in them and farmers began growing them first in Yemen. In Turkey, the coffee beans were roasted for the first time and began to resemble what we would recognize as coffee today. After roasting, the dried beans would be roasted, crushed and boiled in water. This was a crude early version of what so many coffee lovers drink today.

Coffee Made It To Europe

Coffee was believed to have made it to Europe via Venetian merchants. Given its stimulating effect, there seemed to be some criticism among Catholics that the drink was evil. Oddly, the Pope at the time was already enjoying it and informed his constituents that it wasn’t evil, it was just misunderstood.

Coffee Houses Became Common Meeting Places

Coffee houses spread across Europe and soon they became gathering places for those intellectuals who debated among themselves. In fact, nothing has really changed with cafe style shops commonplace just about everywhere in the western world today. Once settlers began to arrive in the Americas, coffee soon followed. By the time of the American Revolution, since the patriots had decided not to drink tea in protest, coffee was actually adopted as the national drink. Since that time, it has continued its domination and is the most popular beverage when you take into consideration all countries.

In modern times, coffee franchises have become big business; Starbucks and Gloria Jeans are just two of the giants of the coffee industry. Street corner coffee vans are a popular first stop for many western world workers on their way to work in the morning. The interesting thing with coffee is you don't necessarily have to drink it to enjoy it. A dose of fresh coffee aroma first thing in the morning is just about the closest thing to heaven for this author.
How about you?

Single Cup Coffee Maker

Single Cup Coffee Maker