Twin City Refreshments

History of Coffee

The Legend: 

It is said that while tending to his flock of goats, Kaldi, an Ethiopian goat herder discovered coffee.  He noticed his goats frolicking around in an unusually spirited manner, he also observed the bush of berries they grazed from.  Making the connection and not wanting to be left out of the fun, Kaldi tried the berries himself.  Feeling energized and all over pleased with the effects of the berries Kaldi told his friends of the berries and soon word spread. 

It has also been said that the herder was actually a camel shepherd who noticed that after eating these berries his camels stayed awake all night.  This particular version says that he then told some local monks of the berries.  The monks then used the berries to stay awake during late night prayer sessions. 

The Timeline:

Prior to 1000 A.D. 

Members of the Galla tribe in Ethiopia notice that they get an energy boost when they eat a certain type of berry, ground up and mixed with animal fat. 

1000 A.D. 

Arab traders bring coffee back to their homeland and cultivate the plant for the first time on plantations.  They also boil the beans, creating a drink they call qahwa (literally meaning 'that which prevents sleep'). 

1475: History's First Coffee Shop

The first coffee shop in history, named Kiva Han, was invented in Constantinople - what is now Istanbul. Coffee had been introduced to the region by the Ottoman Turks and became so popular that a woman could file for divorce if she did not get a daily quota of coffee from her husband.

1511 

Khair Beg, the corrupt governoe of Mecca, tries to ban coffee for fear that its influence might foster opposition to his rule.  The sultan sends word that coffee is sacred and has the governor executed. 

1587 

Sheikh Abd-al-Kadir writes, 'No one can understand the truth until he drinks of coffee's frothy goodness.' 

1600 

Coffee, introduced to the West by Italian traders, grabs attention in high places.  In Italy, Pope Clement VIII is urged by his advisers to consider the favourite drink of the Ottoman Empire part of the infidel threat.  One sip, however, and he decides to baptize it instead, making it an acceptable Christian beverage. 

1607 

Captain John Smith helps to found the colony of Virginia at Jamestown; it is believed that he introduced coffee to North America. 

1645 

The first coffeehouse opens in Italy. 

1652 

First coffeehouse in England.  Coffeehouses multiply and become such popular forums for learned - and not so learned - discussions that they are dubbed 'penny universities' (a penny being the price of a cup of coffee). 

1668: Invention of Breakfast Tradition

It may be hard to believe, but at one point in history, beer was the preferred drink at breakfast. It wasn't until 1668 that New York City claimed coffee as its breakfast drink of choice. The world followed suit and, in another hundred years, it was declared an American's patriotic duty to drink coffee.

1672 

First coffee house opens in Paris.

1675

England's King Charles tried to suppress coffeehouses, supposedly because men were neglecting their families to discuss business and politics over coffee.  His proclamation is revoked after public outcry.

1683

The Turkish army surrounds Vienna.  Franz Georg Kolschitsky, a Viennese whol had lived in Turkey, slips through enemy lines to lead relief forces to the city.  The fleeing Turks leave behind sack of 'dry black fodder' that Kolschitsky recognizes as coffee.  He claims it as his reward and opens central Europe's first coffee house.  he also establishes the habit of refining the brew by filtering out its grounds, sweetening it, and adding a dash of milk.

1690

With a coffee plant smuggled out of the Arab port of Mocha, the Dutch become the first to transport and cultivate coffee commercially, in Ceylon - and in their East Indian colony of Java, source of the brew's nickname.

1713: Accidental Marketing Innovation

In 1713, the Dutch accidentally supplied King Louis XIV of France with a coffee bush. They may have been more careful if they knew that the French would transport a seedling overseas, where it would result in over 19 million coffee trees 50 years later. This historic coffee bush of the Dutch became responsible for over 90 percent of the world's coffee production.

1721

The first coffeehouse opens in Berlin.

1727

The Brazillian coffee industry gets its start when Lieutenant Colonel Fransisco de Melo Palheta is sent by his government to arbitrate a boreder dispute between the French and Dutch colonies in Guiana.  Not only does he settle the dispute, he also strikes up a secret liaison with the wife of French Guiana's governor.  Although France guarded its new world coffee plantations to prevent cultivation from spreading, the lady said goodbye to Palheta with a bouquet in which she hid cutting and fertile seeds of coffee.

1732

Johann Sebastian Bach composes hus Kaffee Kantate.  Partly an ode to coffee and partly a stab at the movement in Germany to pervent women from drinking coffee (it was thought to make them sterile), the cantata includes the aria, 'Ah! How sweet coffee tastes! Lovelier than a thousand kisses, sweeter far than muscatel wine! I must have my coffee.'

1773

The Boston Tea Party makes drinking coffee a patriotic duty in America.

1775

Prussia's Frederick the Great tries to block imports of green coffee, as Prussia's wealth is drained.  Public outcry changes his mind.

1822: Invention of the Espresso Machine

Despite its Italian-sounding name, the espresso machine was invented in France. A prototype appeared there in 1822. It took over a hundred years for the invention of the espresso machine we know today - this time in Italy. The modern espresso machine was invented by Achilles Gaggia in 1946.

1886

Former wholesale grocer Joel Cheek names is popular coffee blend Maxwell House after the hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, where it is served.

Early 1900's

In Germany, afternoon coffee becomes a standard occasion.  The derogatory term Kaffeeklatsch is coined to describe women's gossip at these affairs.  It has since broadened to mean relaxed conversation in general.

1900

Hills Bros. begins packing roast coffee in vaccuum tins, spelling the end to the ubiquitous local roasting shops and coffee mills.

1901: Instant Coffee Invented

In 1901, Satori Kato, a Japanese-American chemist, invented instant coffee in Buffalo, NY at the Pan American Exposition. Kato received a patent for his invention and coffee history was made. He even started his own coffee company - appropriately named the Kato Coffee Company - in Chicago.

1903: History's First Decaffeinated Coffee

Ludwig Roselius, a German coffee importer, turned a mistake into invention history in 1903. He gave a batch of ruined beans to researchers, who remove their caffeine without compromising on flavour. The world's first decaf is marketed under the familiar name "Sanka."

1906

George Constant Washington, an English chemist living in Guatemala, notices a powdery condensation forming on the spout of his silver coffee carafe.  After experimentation, he creates the first mass-produced instant coffee (his brand is called Red E Coffee), which is followed by dozens od other brands.

1920

Prohibition goes into effect in the United States.  Coffee sales boom.

1938

Having been asked by Brazil to help find a solution to their coffee surpluses, Nestle develops Nescafe and introduces it in Switzerland.

1940

The US Imports 70 percent of the world coffee crop.

1942

During WWII, American soldiers are issued Maxwell House coffee in their ration kits.  Back home, widespread hoarding leads to coffee rationing.

1948

In Italy, Achille Gaggia perfects his espresso machine.  Cappuccino is named for the resemblance of its colour to the robes of the monks of the Capuchin order.

1951

Consumer Reports tests instant coffees.

1952: Invention of the Coffee Break

At this time in history, workplaces in North America were becoming a bit more humane, installing lunchrooms in factories and offices for their employees to have a place to sit and relax. The American Coffee Bureau saw a marketing angle in the situation and invented the coffee break. It even had a slogan - "Give yourself a Coffee-Break -- and Get What Coffee Gives to You."

1961

Carnation introduces CoffeeMate nondairy creamer, a powder composed of corn syrup solids, vegetable fat, sodium caseinate, and various additives.

1969

One week before Woodstock, the Manson family murders coffee heiress Abigail Folger as she visits with friend Sharon Tate in the home of filmmaker Roman Polanski.  Folger is stabbed to death with a fork.

1971

Starbucks opens its first store in Pike Place public market, creating frenzy over fresh-roasted whole bean coffee.

1979

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters started in a small shop in Waitsfield, VT.

Today, coffee is loved all over the world. By 1995, over 400 billion cups of coffee are consumed every year. In fact, after oil, it is the world's second-largest commodity.