The History of Coffee

Coffee has been around for centuries, but its journey from exotic import to pantry staple is still shrouded by myth. Luckily for coffee lovers today, coffee's place in modern history is well documented, but accounts about its origins are still primarily based on oral histories. But what is known for certain is that coffee's presence globally is a product of colonialism, globalization, and modern innovation. Here is a quick guide to the history of coffee as we know it.

Coffee's Origins in Ethiopia

The Ethiopian Plateau is commonly referred to as the birthplace of coffee. One of the earliest accounts of coffee's energizing properties is based on a myth about an Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi. Back in the 9th century, Kaldi began to notice his goats feasting on red berries from a particular tree, which would result in them having high amounts of energy throughout the night. Intrigued, the herder tried the berries for himself and discovered coffee's natural caffeine content. Coffee eventually became integral to Ethiopian culture before spreading to nearby regions, like the Arabian Peninsula.

Early Innovations In The Middle East

After coffee arrived in Arabia from Africa, the brewed beverage became a part of social life in the region. Coffee roasting was revolutionized in the 15th century Ottoman Empire, with the first cylindrical coffee roaster being invented later in Cairo, Egypt, during the 17th century. However, coffee's proliferation goes back even further to the 16th century when the first coffee shops were opened in Constantinople or modern-day Istanbul. This was the beginning of modern café culture.

Europe's Love For Coffee

European traders throughout the Mediterranean were eventually exposed to the flourishing coffee culture in the Middle East and began bringing coffee back home from their journeys. Venice was the first port city to establish a rich café culture, with the first coffee shop opening in 1640. The rest of the 17th century saw cafés pop up across the continent in cities like Frankfurt, Paris, and London. The café became a meeting place for Europe's greatest intellectual minds and the birthplace of many revolutionary ideas that shaped the course of modern history.

Coffee Enters The New World

The Dutch were the first to export the coffee plant to their colonies, starting with Java in present-day Indonesia in the late 17th century. This is recognized as the origin of Indonesia's booming Arabica coffee industry and the origin story of the famous Java coffee blend (aka the world's first coffee blend.) The French later brought coffee to the Americas with the legendary tale of Chevalier Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu and his treacherous journey. After almost drowning at sea and losing most of his coffee plants throughout the disastrous voyage, the French naval officer finally reached the island of Martinique in 1720 and planted the first coffee plants in the New World. Afterward, the French continued their coffee expansion into Vietnam and South America, with the Portuguese following suit in Brazil, now the world's biggest coffee producer.

The Modern Coffee Waves

Coffee was largely viewed as a luxury item that was expensive for working-class citizens, or at least that was the case until the 19th century. The discovery of the Robusta plant, which boasts a higher tolerance to pests and droughts, caused coffee production to expand exponentially across the world. This, combined with the industrialization of coffee roasting, allowed for higher production yields. By the 20th century, shoppers around the world had access to coffee at affordable prices, pre-ground coffee, and products like instant coffee.

The years between the 1970s and early 2000s are often considered the "Second Wave" of coffee, where coffee giants like Starbucks began to appear around the world, and consumers began to demand higher quality coffee. This era is defined by the end of coffee being seen as a caffeine source and more so a nuanced ingredient.

Nowadays, we are currently living in the "Third Wave" of coffee, where specialty coffee is in high demand. Coffee drinkers in today's market are curious about where their beans come from, how their beans are roasted, and how they were processed. There are also now more brewing methods than ever before, and consumers are in tune with how these methods produce different coffee experiences. In several ways, we are more in "the know" about our coffee's origins and unique properties than ever before.

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