Reading Time: 5 minutes From being labeled as the Devil's Drink to becoming the base of social revolutions around the world, coffee has seen it all. For something that exists in almost every household around the world right now, coffee has a surprisingly rich history permeated with controversies. So how exactly was the world’s most famous beverage discovered?
According to facts, Coffee is considered to be the second-largest commodity that is traded around the world, second only to petroleum. Despite being widely and globally recognized after the Boston Tea Party, a revolutionary happening that was one of the last straws between the Americans and the British who used to implement the obscene amount of taxes on tea, coffee has existed for far longer than one can imagine. And the discovery of it is ambiguous, to say the least.
From being labeled as the Devil’s Drink to becoming the base of social revolutions around the world, coffee has seen it all. For something that exists in almost every household around the world right now, coffee has a surprisingly rich history permeated with controversies. So how exactly was the world’s most famous beverage discovered?
Even though many historians scoff at the extraordinarily bizarre tale of the discovery of the drink, it is thoroughly enjoyed by the masses. Legend has it that, in the year 700 AD, an Ethiopian goat herder by the name of Kaldi was out in the fields one day grazing his goats when he decided to have a shut-eye. Upon waking up he came across a strange sight. His goats were hopping about filled with excessive energy, and moving in a manner that could only be described as dancing.
further investigation led him to believe that the reason for his goats’ erratic behavior was some red berries that they had ingested. He tried a few and experienced somewhat the same energizing effects and decided to take it to the local monastery.
Ecstatic at the prospect of something that can keep the monks alert while they prayed through the night, they decided to boil and take the juices out of the berries and drink them. When the head monk found out about it, he skeptically scorned and reportedly threw the seeds of the berries into the fire. The aroma that arose from the fire is said to be the first time the beans were roasted. They were then taken out and boiled into the water to make a beverage. However, this story is said to be a work of fiction by many and it was much later, in the 15th century, that coffee’s history began, when it was transported from Ethiopia to Yemen.
Regardless of how and when, the story of berries that had an energizing and invigorating effect spread like wildfire through the Middle East and it was not long before these berries were being supplied throughout the Arabian peninsula, Persia and Turkey.
Word spread quickly throughout the middle east of a beverage that had strange electrifying and stimulating effects and when it started being imported, several controversies arose amongst the religious groups.
It all started when the coffee became so common and in-demand that, apart from being found in every household, coffee houses, then known as ‘Qahveh Khaneh’, started popping up on every street. These coffee houses slowly started to become a hotbed of social gatherings where like-minded individuals and scholars came to have a cup of coffee and discuss social, economic, and religious issues. So much so that these places son came to be known as ‘School of the Wise’.
However, due to its stimulating effects, which were considered somewhat similar to alcohol and deemed un-Islamic, it was banned by the jurists and scholars meeting in Makkah in 1511. It turns out that the opposition was led by one Khair Beg, a governor of Makkah at the time, who was afraid that these coffee houses would spark conversations about his ruling and failings and feared losing his position. And so, it was labeled ‘Haraam’. But the controversy over its intoxicating ability raged for about 13 years after which, in 1524, the ban was finally lifted by order of the Ottoman Turkish Sultan Selim I, with Grand Mufti Mehmet Ebussuud el-İmadi who issued a fatwa that allowed the masses to be able to drink coffee again.
The word of an exotic liquor reached Europe through travelers who came back with seeds to plant it in their own countries. According to History Extra, the Catholics referred to the drink as the “bitter invention of Satan”, due to its association with Islam, and it looked like a close substitute of the wine used by the Eucharist, therefore, it was outlawed in Europe as well.
The uproar was so clamorous that Pope Clement VIII had to intervene himself. Upon tasting the beverage, he was reported to have liked it so much that he said, “The drink is so delicious that we should cheat the devil by baptizing it.”
And thus, coffee made its mark in both east and west.
According to Wikipedia, the English word coffee is derived from the Dutch koffie, which was itself a concoction of the Ottoman Turkish kehve and the Arabic, and original, qahwah.
The origins of the word itself were derived from an Arabic word verb qaha, meaning “to lack hunger”, which was in reference to the drink’s ability to suppress hunger. The word can also be traced back to another Arabic word quwwa, meaning “power or energy”, and further also to kaffa, a medieval kingdom in Ethiopia, from where the plant was discovered and exported.
In any case, the etymology of the word is disputed, to say the least, and has no impact on the popularity of the beverage whatsoever.
If we were to count the different versions of coffee, there would be hundreds, to say the least. But what remains an unrebutted fact is that these versions are the products of 4 main kinds of coffee beans:
Arabica – Said to make up about 60% of the world’s coffee, Coffea arabica is described to be the tastiest amongst all. The name refers to its popularity in 7th century Arabia. It is also considered to be the priciest because they are harder to grow. They taste smooth consisting of complex flavors and a distinct lack of bitterness.
Robusta – they are the second most popular beans around the globe. Originating in sub-Saharan Africa, it is now primarily grown in Africa and Indonesia. These are physically larger and are easier to grow, and therefore are a very budget-friendly alternative. They are harsher in taste, more bitter, and consist of higher amounts of caffeine than arabica.
Liberica – Derived from Liberia, where it is native, Liberica is known for its floral aroma and bold, smokey flavor profile. It is frequently mixed with other varieties to add complexity to its flavor. Now mainly grown in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, the beans make up about 2% of the world’s coffee supply. It has a nutty, woody flavor and one is said to either love it or hate it.
Excelsa – Considered to have been a separate species of coffee beans for the longest of times, scientists have recently reclassified it to be a variant of liberica. Grown mainly in Southeast Asia, they have a unique taste consisting of tart notes and fruity flavors. They are lighter on caffeine and used to add to blends for complexity.
Regardless of anyone’s preferred flavor profile, one is likely to find a blend of beans exact to their liking. Not to mention the various, extremely delicious inventions by coffee houses that are sure to lighten up your tastebuds, it is hard to dislike a beverage as tasty as coffee. In retrospect, the world has not even come close to seeing the end of the beverage.
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