BY Brasilena Caffè – The appearance of the first coffee plants dates back over a thousand years. According to some research, the discovery of the shrub occurred around the year 858, in Ethiopia, on the Abyssinian plateau. Nomads prepared a beverage by boiling the fruits collected from the shrubs. The resulting liquid, used as an energy-boosting remedy, was perfect for sustaining them during long journeys. They also dried the beans in the sun, ground them coarsely, and mixed them with animal fat to create portable cakes to carry during their migrations.
The Legends of Coffee
The story of the coffee bean wouldn’t be complete without the countless legends surrounding it, some of which may hold a kernel of truth. The most famous is that of Kaldi, a shepherd from Yemen. One day, worried about his missing goats, he set out to find them and discovered them unusually energetic and restless. Observing them, he noticed they were eating the red fruits of a shrub that grew abundantly in the region. Curious, Kaldi gathered some of the fruits and brought them to the monastery of Chehodet, where the monks prepared a decoction. Amazed by the stimulating effects of the drink, which helped them stay awake during their nightly prayers, they named the beverage “qahwa”, in honor of the Persian king Kavus Kai, who, according to legend, ascended to the heavens on a winged chariot.
The Wine of Arabia
There are various theories about how the coffee plant reached the Islamic world. One suggests that slave traders brought the beans from Ethiopia. Another claims that Muslim pilgrims traveling to Mecca introduced coffee through the so-called “Happy Arabia”, now known as Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
The method of transforming the green bean into a beverage is also debated. Early European botanists reported that the people of Ethiopia chewed raw coffee beans to benefit from their stimulating effects. Other accounts describe a wine made from the fermented juice of ripe coffee cherries, also called qahwa. Since the Quran prohibits intoxicating drinks, coffee earned the nickname “Wine of Arabia”. Initially used only in religious ceremonies or as a medicinal remedy, coffee gradually spread due to its beneficial properties, reaching from Mecca to all of Arabia, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey by the 15th century.
Europe Discovers Coffee
During the Renaissance, with the era of great discoveries and conquests, the Western world quickly learned about coffee, thanks to merchants crossing the Mediterranean, who had tasted the renowned “Wine of Arabia”.
By the early 17th century, Venetian merchants imported the first coffee beans purchased in Cairo, marking the start of a thriving trade dominated by the Middle East for over a century. Shipments were strictly monitored: no green beans left port without being roasted or boiled first. At that time, only Ethiopia and Yemen produced coffee.
As Venetians established the coffee trade, the Dutch, active in the European market, founded the Dutch East India Company. In France, coffee arrived in 1644 in Marseille, thanks to Jean de la Roque, though it was initially met with suspicion, considered too dark and mysterious for Christians. The matter was brought to the Pope, who, charmed by the beverage, dismissed any concerns.
In Marseille, coffee began to spread, soon reaching Paris and Louis XIV. The Turkish ambassador to France introduced the drink to the royal court. Finding it bitter, they decided to sweeten it with sugar, marking the beginning of coffee‘s great success across Europe.
The Transformations of Coffee
Every coffee has a unique story linked to its origin, processing techniques, quality standards, crop yields, and pricing. Before roasting, coffee grows and develops in the tropical belt between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, surrounding the equator.
2017
