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A Brief History of Coffee

As legend has it, coffee was discovered by an Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi. One day, he noticed his goats frolicking around in an unusually spirited manner after eating the berries of a nearby shrub. He decided to try the berries himself and was energized and pleased with the effects the cherries had on him. He told his friends and soon word spread throughout the region. The rest is history.

Prior to 1000 A.D.: Members of the Galla tribe in Ethiopia notice that they get an energy boost when they eat a certain berry, ground up and mixed with animal fat.

1000 A.D.: Arab traders bring coffee back to their homeland.

1453: Coffee is introduced to Constantinople by Ottoman Turks. The world's first coffee shop, Kiva Han, opens there in 1475.

1600: Coffee is introduced to the West by Italian traders.

1645: First coffeehouse opens in Italy.

1652: First coffeehouse opens in England.

1668: Coffee replaces beer as New York City's favorite breakfast drink.

1668: Edward Lloyd's coffeehouse opens in England, and eventually it becomes Lloyd's of London.

1672: First coffeehouse opens in Paris.

1727: The Brazilian coffee industry gets its start when Lieutenant Colonel Francisco de Melo Palheta is sent by government to arbitrate a border dispute between the French and the 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 had closely guarded its New World coffee plantations to prevent cultivation from spreading, the lady said good-bye to Palheta with a bouquet in which she hid the cuttings and fertile seeds of coffee bean plants.

1773: The Boston Tea Party makes drinking coffee a patriotic duty in America.

1886: Former wholesale grocer Joel Cheek names his popular coffee blend "Maxwell House," after the hotel in Nashville, TN where it's served.

1903: German coffee importer Ludwig Roselius turn a batch of ruined coffee beans over to researchers, who perfect the process of removing caffeine from the beans without destroying the flavor. He markets it under the brand name "Sanka”. Sanka is introduced to the United States in 1923.

1938: Having been asked by Brazil to help find a solution to their coffee surpluses, Nestle’s company invents freeze-dried coffee. Nestle develops Nescafe and introduces it in Switzerland.

1946: In Italy, Achilles Gaggia perfects his espresso machine. Cappuccino is named for the resemblance of its color to the robes of the monks of the Capuchin order.

1971: Starbucks opens its first store in Seattle's Pike Place public market, creating a frenzy over fresh-roasted whole bean coffee.

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