The History of Coffee

If there's one thing that can safely be said about coffee, it is that the world simply cannot get enough of it. Coffee beans have been a driving part of many economies for centuries and their use has spread throughout the entire planet.

The history of coffee can be traced back to prehistoric times in southwestern Arabia, in what is now Yemen. Legends say that a goatherd by the name of Kaldi noticed his goats acting strangely frisky after eating berries from a certain tree, and decided to try them himself. Ever since then, coffee has been one of the most popular drinks in the world.

The process of taking raw coffee beans and turning them into what we drink is long and complicated. The first step of the journey is to grow coffee plants. These plants are often harvested by hand, though a machine-based harvesting method called strip picking is also used.

Once picked, the beans must be washed and processed before being dried in the sun for several weeks. They are then roasted with extreme care to ensure that they don't burn. Because roasted coffee beans are so fragile, they cannot be ground up until just before they are to be used.

The next step in the process is brewing. Coffee can be brewed using a number of different methods, including percolation and infusion. Finally, sugar and milk may be added according to individual taste. Once that's done, the drink is ready to be enjoyed.

While there were probably a number of attempts at coffee brewing before the first century AD, we have no proof of it and it wasn't until after that time that written records begin mentioning its existence. The first outright reference to boiled coffee as opposed to just roasting the berries for eating comes from an Iranian writer named Sherefeddin Mohammad Al-Shahriar.

In his writings, which date to around 1320 AD, he recounts a story of a Persian man named Sheik Omar who visited the Arabian city of Mocha on pilgrimage and discovered coffee being used as a foodstuff rather than just as a beverage.

The etymology behind the word "coffee" seems to indicate that the beverage was first used in the country now known as Ethiopia. According to legend, a goatherd named Kaldi noticed that his goats became quite frisky after eating berries from a certain plant and he tried them himself – and fell into such a state of elation and vigor that he had to bring the news to the abbot of the local monastery, who turned the fruit into a drink and shared it with his fellow priests.

While all this was going on, coffee berries were being exported from Africa to Europe since at least the 15th Century via caravans that would go through Egypt, Syria, Greece, and Venice. However, because they were exported as dried berries, it would take many years before they were made into a drink.

In the mid-15th century, Venetian traders became the first to import coffee directly from the port of Mocha in Yemen, though this was not at all popular with local religious clerics who believed that its stimulating effect was too much for devout Muslims to handle.

However, it did not take long for the coffee to become popular in the Near East, and by the turn of the 16th-century traders from Venice began opening coffee houses in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). From there, coffee drinking spread throughout the Balkans, Italy, and eventually Central Europe. It was not until 1727 that it became popular in England, where it was introduced by a man named Pasqua Rosée, who sold coffee from a shop in London's St. James district.

In the meantime, coffee had also spread throughout much of northern Africa and Yemen, though the country is now known as Ethiopia achieved something of a monopoly on its trade – banning its export to all but a small number of merchants, and requiring anyone wishing to import it to travel on foot. Even this was not enough to stop the coffee from becoming one of Ethiopia's most important exports.

The spread of coffee through Africa and eventually into the New World is closely tied with the development of the slave trade in the 1700s and 1800s. Slaves working in the coffee fields of Brazil and elsewhere were often brought from Africa, where they had been introduced to the beverage's use. It was not until 1727 that there is any record of Europeans seeing it being used by indigenous peoples; a Jesuit missionary named José de Acosta noted its use among the Inca people, who would chew on raw or roasted beans, or brew it as a tea after adding spices to the boiled water.

Elsewhere in South America, where coffee growing began in earnest in the 18th century, slaves were often given their own small plots of land which they could use to grow their own food – including coffee. This trend only continued as time went on and eventually coffee became Brazil's largest export – so much so that the country became known as the world's largest producer of coffee.

By 1770, this trend had spread to Central America, where a French physician named Francisco Héctor Chávez began experimenting with growing coffee in Guatemala. This experiment led to a boom in cafés throughout Central America and by 1800 there were over 300 coffee plantations there.

Even Spain, which did not have an effective native coffee industry, saw its first coffee plantation in the Americas when Francisco de Miranda planted some at his estate in Venezuela in 1808. This was followed by other attempts to establish plantations throughout South America, though it never became a major crop until the 20th century.

It was in South America where coffee became one of the region's most important crops, second only to oil. Indeed, Brazil is still the world's largest producer and exporter of coffee, while Colombia is the largest importer. Other countries that are known for their production include Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Haiti. Coffee is also widely grown across the Caribbean, where it is particularly important in Puerto Rico.

Brazil itself produces about a third of the world's coffee, with Vietnam poised to take over that number one position within the next couple of years. The primary region for cultivation here is south-western Minas Gerais, though São Paulo and Paraná also produce significant quantities. In addition, there are also significant coffee plantations in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Espirito Santo, and Santa Catarina.

Coffee is also grown throughout Central America, though it is Guatemala that produces more than any other country here – a whopping 28% of the world's total. The majority of this coffee is grown in the southwest region, where there are four main regions: Antigua, Cobán, Fuente de Piedra, and Huehuetenango. The latter region was once known as the "Valley of Eternal Spring" and has a cooler climate than its neighbors – perfect for growing coffee.

Another important Central American coffee-producing area is the highlands of southern Mexico, particularly in Oaxaca and Chiapas. In addition, El Salvador, Honduras, and Costa Rica also have significant coffee industries, with the latter being a major producer in recent years due to increased interest following a series of natural disasters that forced many farmers to switch from other crops to coffee.

Coffee is also grown in the Caribbean, although it isn't a significant export. Cuba and Puerto Rico are the only two islands that produce coffee; while Puerto Rico was once a major producer, interest in this crop has waned since the island's entry into the United States.

Elsewhere in South America, Colombia is another major producer of coffee and is the world's third-largest. Most of this is grown in the mountainous regions of the country, particularly to the west of Bogotá, near Armenia, Manizales, Pereira, and Tolima. Meanwhile, Venezuela has seen a growth in coffee plantations since Francisco de Miranda planted some over 200 years ago. Other countries that produce significant amounts of coffee include Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia.

Coffee is also grown on the island of St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean, though it is native to Africa. Coffee can hardly be called an important crop there, although it is grown as a cash crop; more important roots crops are taro and yams. Despite this, coffee is grown in all three of the island's districts.

Conclusion

The history of coffee is a long and interesting one, as its presence on every continent attests. While it originated in the highlands of Ethiopia, it eventually spread throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas – now grown from North America to South America. In fact, only the island nation of St. Helena remains free of coffee plantations.