Yes, the little coffee bean originated from Ethiopia.
Its history is fascinating. The coffee bean has been travelling around the globe for centuries, it has even been smuggled out of strict countries, stolen from royalty and, yes, it has even changed entire nations and economies.
The first question has to be, how did they discover this little bean? A little bean that has achieved so much, a bean that has become the second largest commodity traded anywhere in the world today.
A story of its discovery.
It all happened so long ago that a lot of what we have learnt has come from folk law.
The most popular version is that a goat herder noticed that his goats were acting strange, they were dancing!
He then watched them eating berries and wondered if this fruit was the cause of their dancing. After a while he was convinced, this is what was causing it, so he told his local monk.
Now at this point stories differ:
- One story says the monk ate the beans, enjoyed the taste and found that he could stay up all night and pray!
- Another tells us that the monk was disgusted with the idea and threw the beans on the fire and suddenly they enjoyed the aroma of roasted coffee.
We don’t know which is true or even if either of them are, but what appears to be true is that the world did discover coffee in Ethiopia.
The arrival of Mocha.
This is interesting, did you realise that the Mocha coffee you order in our local coffee shop has a history. You see the name of Mocha comes from a port in Yemen. It appears that Mocha is a short trip across the Red Sea from Ethiopia, and it was to this port where the Ethiopians sent their coffee. Then, even in those early days, shipped it to Europe and, in fact, the world. There is evidence this has been happening since the 1300.
Yemen becomes the centre of Coffee.
The Yemenis realised that they could grow the coffee on the highlands behind the port, they were no longer dependent on Ethiopia for the beans while they had access to the sea and a world market.
Slowly their markets grew from Egypt, to Persia, then Turkey and finally Europe. They called it the “wine of Araby” as it grew in popularity, which led to coffee houses starting up all around Arabia.
They were called “Schools of the Wise” as people didn’t just drink coffee while in their coffee house, they listened to music, watched performers, played chess and, of course, gossiped. They became the centre of social activity.
It spread into Europe and Asia.
This little coffee bean spread to both east and west: East into India and Indonesia and West into Italy and onto the rest of Europe.
Arabia was the gatekeeper for coffee until 1670.
To get coffee, you bought it from Yemen, that is the way the Yemenis liked it. They became very proprietorial about their coffee beans, so they could control the market.
However, it could never last, and it didn’t. In 1670 Baba Budan, was on a pilgrimage to Mecca. To explain, he was a Sufi saint, they were revered by both Muslims and Hindus. However, this “saint” is said to have introduced the coffee plant to India by smuggling seven raw beans from the port of Mocha, while coming back from his pilgrimage. Once home he set up a coffee plantation in southern India, which led to the introduction of coffee farming in India.
Then the Dutch got involved.
It was in the late 1600s, the Dutch finally started growing coffee, but not in Holland, they had learnt that the Netherlands were too cold and too wet to grow the beans. However, they learnt that they could grow the beans in Indonesia, which was under their control, and as the Dutch were good traders they soon built up a business by growing the beans in the East Indies and selling them to Europe.
Coffee comes to Europe.
It first arrived in Venice where it became very popular, with the result that in 1615 Pope Clement VIII decided that the drink must be satanic. This is what the church usually did with anything they didn’t control. However, it was a very unpopular move so he gave in and changed his mind, suddenly it became a Christian beverage!
The coffee house.
Much like the coffee houses everywhere, eventually the coffee house came to England and became an important part of our lives. In the 17th century much business was carried out in coffee shops, so much so that what is now the Stock Exchange started in a coffee shop.
It was called Jonathan’s Coffee House that was opened around 1680 by Jonathan Miles in Change Alley, in the City of London. Then in 1698, a John Castaing started to post the prices of stocks and commodities, while in the same year due to rowdiness, the Royal Exchange threw out their dealers who immediately went to Jonathan’s. This was the start of the London Stock Exchange.
Today
The coffee shop today dominates our high streets, in fact I am writing this in one!
So we now know that our visit to our local coffee shop is all the fault of that little coffee bean that originally sent the goats dancing in Ethiopia!
Isn’t history fun?
10 questions to discuss:
- Goat Herding Legend: Beyond the dancing goats, are there any alternative versions or explanations for the discovery of coffee’s stimulating effects in Ethiopia?
- Mocha’s Role and Trade: How did the port of Mocha contribute to the spread of coffee beyond Ethiopia, and what strategies did Yemen employ to control the market?
- Coffee Houses as Cultural Hubs: What specific activities and discussions took place in early coffee houses throughout the world, contributing to their social significance?
- Baba Budan’s Smuggling: Do we have any historical evidence beyond legends to confirm Baba Budan’s role in introducing coffee to India?
- Dutch East India Company: How did the Dutch East India Company leverage their control over Indonesia to influence the global coffee trade, and what were the ethical implications of their practices?
- Religious Controversy: What cultural or religious factors influenced Pope Clement VIII’s initial disapproval of coffee and his subsequent change of heart?
- Coffee Houses and Revolution: Did coffee houses play any specific role in facilitating political discussions or revolutionary movements in any historical periods?
- Evolution of Coffee Preparation: How have methods of roasting, brewing, and consuming coffee changed over the centuries, and what factors have driven these transformations?
- Fair Trade and Sustainability: What current challenges and ethical considerations surround coffee production and consumption today, and how might fair trade practices contribute to solutions?
- Future of Coffee: Considering climate change and consumer preferences, what potential changes or innovations might shape the future of the coffee industry and its global impact?
These questions delve deeper into specific events, historical figures, cultural influences, and contemporary issues related to coffee. They encourage critical thinking and research beyond the basic narrative of coffee’s journey around the world.
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