The history of coffee
Today, coffee is the third highest commodity after oil and tobacco. But how did this plant get from some strange bushes discovered by goatherds in the Ethiopian hills, to the beverage that we all love and drink more than 2 billion cups a day of?
850 AD
Legend says that a herder in Ethiopia discovered that when his goats ate berries from a certain tree, they became so energetic they did not want to sleep at night. He reported this to a local monastery who made a drink from the berries and found it had the same effect.
1100
Monks eventually took the plants over the Arabian peninsular, in particular into Yemen, and cultivated the trees.
1475
The first coffee shop opened in Constantinople.
1600
Through exploration and improvements in trade, coffee entered Europe via Venice. Italians felt the drink was evil due to the effects it had, and so it was taken to the Pope. When he drank it and enjoyed it, he baptised the drink and made it acceptable to the Italian population.
1652
The first coffee house opens in England called Queen’s Lane Coffee House in Oxford by Cirques Jobson. It is still open today.
1654
Italy opens its first Coffee House, and the word café comes from the name of the drink, caffee, that they served.
1822
The first prototype of an espresso machine was made in France, but the technicalities of using the steam and being able to extract water that was not so hot it burnt the beans proved difficult.
1905
Italy produces the first commercial coffee machine.
1908
The first coffee filter was invented by German housewife Melitta Bentz.
1933
Illy manufactures the first automatic coffee machine.
1995
Coffee sales reach more than 400 billion cups and it becomes the second highest trading commodity after oil.
Today
Today, coffee is still the third highest commodity after oil and tobacco.
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The history of coffee
How did this plant get from some strange bushes discovered by goatherds in Ethiopian, to the beverage that we all love and drink today?
