Most likely originating in the Kingdom of Kaffa, now Ethiopia, the coffee plant has a rich, fabled history of discovery, secrecy, theft, and final transformation into one of the world’s most popular commodities. With records dating back to the ninth century, coffee has managed to find a special place in many different cultures and societies. The history of coffee explains how a naturally occurring plant in the Horn of Africa came to be the second most highly traded legal commodity in the world today.
The name of coffee is thought to be derived from Kaffa, the kingdom of the coffee plant’s origin. When coffee beans were first exported to Yemen, the Arabic name “quahha” became “kahve” to the Turkish. From there, the Italian interpretation of “caffe” was translated into what English speakers now understand as “coffee” in 1598.
Two fables exist, both involving goats interestingly enough, to explain the first human discovery and consumption of coffee beans, although there is no evidence to support either story as being truthful. One tale describes the trip of a Yemenite mystic to Ethiopia who discovers a herd of goats with extreme vigor and vitality; upon eating the berries that the goats had been grazing on, the man feels the same energy. A parallel story exists about an Ethiopian goat herder who sees his goats behave with extraordinary energy after eating a certain berry. After trying the berries himself, he shares his findings with other villagers and the news of his experience quickly spreads. Another likely source of discovery is by slaves that were sent from modern day Sudan into Yemen through the port of Mocha. These slaves would eat the outer flesh of the red coffee berry, and perhaps first discovered the seed’s energizing effects.
Coffee grew in popularity in Arabia, and authority figures in Yemen actually encouraged the consumption of coffee, giving rise to the very first coffee houses. Because the Arabic wanted to maintain the production of coffee within their own country, a ban was put on any export of fertile coffee beans (when the coffee seed is stripped of its outer layers it becomes infertile). Despite the efforts of Arabia, fertile coffee beans were smuggled out of the country, planted in the hills of India, and still flourish there today. Baba Budan, a religious man of India, is said to have wrapped seven coffee beans around his belly, smuggled them out of Arabia, and planted them in the Chikmagalgur hills. The Dutch also obtained fertile plants, and began to grow them in greenhouses in Holland as well as forts in Indonesia.
Coffee was first imported into Europe through Venice. Venetian traders obtained coffee from the Arabs and would sell the beans to wealthy citizens at a premium price. In the 1700s, the Dutch presented a coffee tree, known as the ‘Noble tree,’ to Louis XIV of France. This tree, which was nurtured in the first European greenhouse, is thought to be the ‘father’ of many Coffee Arabica trees that are alive today in one-time French colonies in Central America. In turn, the French are credited with introducing coffee to the Americas via colonies in the West Indies. The Dutch also brought coffee to Central and South America where it is now a very important cash crop.
Though introduced to different nations at different times, coffee seemed to quickly develop a following, and was often at the center of political upheaval and unrest. In Yemen, where the first coffeehouses were built and enjoyed, the government banned coffee and coffeehouses when they became gathering places for political activity, only to reopen them when taxation was put into place. In Venice, coffee was thought a sinful drink because of its origin in Arabia, and Pope Clement VIII was advised to declare it a threat to Christianity. Upon trying a pot, he blessed the drink as a Christian beverage. In France, a ubiquitous love of coffee formed very quickly, and cafes became the gathering places for revolutionaries to discuss movement against the Bourgeoisie. The Sons of Liberty of the American Revolution met and planned in coffeehouses, and the Boston Tea Party convened at a coffeehouse. Coffeehouses are also to thank as the setting of the formation of the first Continental Congress of the United States.
Today, good coffee can be found almost every major city in the world. In the US, Seattle became the ‘mother’ of the coffee movement in the 1970s, which has since spread across the country and led to many specialty coffee shops and better quality coffee. One of the most valuable commodities in the world, coffee provides jobs for millions of people, and is the main source of revenue in some of the world’s least developed countries. The history of coffee, though storied, continues to develop as growers struggle with the falling prices of the coffee bean. The purchase of fair trade coffee, which requires importers of coffee beans to pay a minimum price to coffee farmers (well above the market prices), can help reduce poverty and debt in coffee growing regions that are currently suffering. Obviously, the development of coffee production and trade is not over. What remains, and probably always will, is the great demand for this highly coveted little seed that was first discovered in Africa so many centuries ago.