History of Coffee.

The origin of coffee has been shrouded in numerous myths and feebles from the Middle East. One story tells of an Abyssinian (current day Ethiopia) herder named Kaldi, who after stepping out in his field did not see them gathered around as usual.

In search of his missing goals, he went out to the forest only to find them gathered around a coffee tree dancing wildly. To his suprise, the source of this excitment was a red cherry hanging from several coffee trees. 

Intrigued by this, Kaldi himself tried the strange cherry and soon found himself dancing along side his four legged friends. He shared his discovery of this 'miraculous berry' with monks from a nearby monastery. The monks, initially skeptical, wondered why such a simple berry would have such profound effects man. Believing it was contained satanic supernatural powers, the monk cast the berries into fire as to 'exorcise their powers'.

But the monks were not immunes as they were soon overwhelmed by the coffee's wonderful aroma. As such they ordered that the beans be drunk with hot water "so the goodness may flow thru the liquid" and soon the beverage was used exclusively by monks in monasteries. Because it warded off sleep, the monks found this particulary uself during their translation of the Bible during the late hours of the evening.

Another story tells of a young Muslim mystic named Omar, who was ousted from society by his enemies only to live in the wildeness. With nothing else to eat, he found himself surviving solely on a ration of coffee cherries.

Whether or not Kaldi or Omar are the creditors of 'coffee' is still a mystery, but what we are sure of, is that the plant is indigenous to the Kaffa region in Ethiopia discovered some 2,000 years ago. But coffee as we know it today, has far evolved from its early inception. Initially, the Galla tribe in Ethiopia mixed the red berries with animal fat to create a early form of an energy bar. Later, the beans were fermented to create a wine, known as 'quawah' and used exclusively for religious ceremonies.

At the time, Ethiopia held a monopoly on coffee and it wasn't until it was smuggled into southern India that it soon began to spread. But it was the Dutch, French and Portugese that are credited in bringing coffee into the New World. By this time, the demand for coffee had grown significantly in Europe and they seeked new lands in which to cultivate the new crop. What ensued was the rapid cultivation of coffee throughout the West Indies, Indonesia and what now known as the islands of Java.

But it is Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu (pictured below) who holds the most credit for actually to bringing coffee into the New World. Gabriel, a naval officer, believed that coffee would grow well in the warm temperate regions of Martinique and in 1720, set sail for the French colony. Despite pirate attacks, sea sickness and water becoming a scarce resource - Gabriel was able to share his small ration of water and managed to keep his plant alive. It paid off. For this single plant became the progenitor of coffee trees planted throughout the New World.

But up until the 1600, coffee was known as a Muslim drink and its spread throughout Vienna, Italy was vehemently opposed by the Catholic church. Such that Pope Clement VIII condemned the consumption of coffee, calling it "Satan's drink' because it provoked intellectual thought which at times lead to the formation of revolutions.

Many Catholic priests soon gathered to persuade Pope Clement to ban the beverage troughout Europe - but as soon the Pope tried the beverage, he loved it so much that he cast a blesseing on it. This soon ignited a rapid spread of the drink even greater throughout all of Western Europe. By 1650, coffeehouses were liek wildfires throughout Italy and London.

Because of the number of intellectuals, politicians and other professionals that congregated at cafes,  'cafes' became known as 'penny universities'. For anyone could sit at a cafe and hear great philosphical debates on politics, science, and current events. Even the word 'TIP' can be traced back to theses establishments, where Englishmen would place coins in boxes "To Insure Promptness".