Coffee - Learn the History of Coffee

Who does not like a freshly brewed cup of coffee in the morning? Well maybe few people do not but I would say a lot of people do appreciate that hot drink and not only in the morning... But where does it originate? Does coffee have an history?

While hard to verify to accuracy, the history of coffee, is the story of a sheepherder who experienced the properties of coffee while paying attention to his sheep. His sheep became really active when they ate a certain sort of berry off a plant. He tried them himself, and felt the same effect. Rumour has it that a monk told him to be cautious of the devil's fruit. However, it is also rumoured that the monks used the berry to keep away from sleeping and pray.

There is another known story which reveals an Arabian was banished to the desert. He boiled and ate an unknown plant. Only with the plant, he was able to survive in the desert. Some persons residing in village close by thought the survival was a spiritual sign. They named the plant Mocha, after that village,community.

Few people realize the coffee plant originally grew only in Ethiopia. To eat while on raids, they wrapped it in animal fat. It was transported to Arabia, it grew, and they took control of the market. The first to drink it were the Turks. They added cinnamon and clove for a sweeter taste.

Coffee founds its way to Europe via the Venetian trade merchants. Rumours of the taste of coffee began to surface everywhere. The Arab's keep an even tighter grip on the coffee plants. Christian's began claiming coffee was the devil's drink, just like the monk story above. Pope Vincent III decided to taste it. He really enjoyed it. After that, talk of banishing the drink went away.

Soon after, coffee houses were built all over Europe. They became a popular place to hang out and drink coffee. It was in the 1700's that coffee traveled to Americas. A French infantry captain took a small plant with him. That plant was cultivated, resulting in over 19 million coffee trees within 50 years. Coffee was proclaimed the United States national drink in a protest of the extreme taxes on tea from Britain.

These days, millions of persons get pleasure from their coffee during the day. Coffee comes in many brands and many flavors. You can get ground coffee or coffee beans at most any grocery store. There are also gourmet coffees to choose from. Starbuck's Coffee, a million dollars business, is offering you the convenience of coffee any way you want it.

Next time you have your favorite cup of coffee think about its long history before ending up in your morning cup. If you want to learn more about coffee come visit our website.