Coffee is the drink of choice for millions of people. Some love to drink specialty coffees or third wave coffee. Others prefer cheaper brands, such as you might find on the shelf of any grocery store. But few know where this wonderful beverage comes from.

When it comes to coffee, the legends of its origin are numerous. The most often attributed origin of the drink comes from the country of Ethiopia, and many coffees around the world can trace their origins to this region.

Ethiopian Origins Of Coffee

Ethiopian coffee has long been a great source of quality beans, and has been grown there for centuries. The legend says that a young goat herder named Kaldi first discovered the benefits of the fruit of these trees. While watching his flock of goats, Kaldi noticed that, after eating the berries off of a certain tree, his goats became very energetic, and wouldn’t sleep well.

As tradition holds, Kaldi shared this information with the abbot of a local monastery. The abbot made a drink with the berries and discovered that it helped him stay more alert during evening prayers. As he shared his discovery with the other monks, knowledge of the energizing drink made from the berries slowly began to spread.

To Arabia And Europe

Soon it spread to Arabia. By the 15th century, coffee was being grown in the Yemeni district of Arabia, within another century, was known in Persia, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey. Very quickly, public coffeehouses began to appear and became very popular across the region.

And, due to the annual pilgrimage that devout Muslims would make to Mecca, the elixir soon began to make its way across the world, and into Europe by the 17th century.

Many people reacted to this new beverage with suspicion or fear, believing it to be sinful, coming directly from Satan. In several areas, such as Venice, coffee was condemned by clergy. Eventually, Pope Clement VIII was forced to resolve the controversy. Upon tasting the beverage for himself, he found it to be delicious and satisfying. He gave it official papal approval.

Coffee became the most common breakfast beverage around this time, as its popularity continued to spread. Those who drank it in the morning began the day alert and energized, and were much more efficient in their work.

To The Americas And Beyond

From Europe, it was only a matter of time before the drink made its way to the New World. History reveals that in 1714, the Mayor of Amsterdam presented a gift of a young coffee plant to King Louis XIV of France. King Louis placed this plant in the Royal Botanical Garden in Paris. In 1723, a naval officer named Gabriel de Clieu took a seedling from the King’s plant to the to Caribbean island of Martinique.

Not only did this seedling thrive when planted, it eventually brought about more than 18 million coffee trees on the island over the next 50 years. And, what is even more incredible, is that this one individual seedling was the parent of all coffee trees throughout the Caribbean, South and Central America today!

As coffee spread, farms and plantations were established. As the coffee tree became more and more understood, it became evident where this plant could survive and flourish, and where it could not. Coffee continued to spread around the world, thanks in large part to missionaries, traders and colonists, as they carried coffee seeds to new lands.

Coffee became a major factor for several nations, stabilize economies, even creating economies in some places. By the end of the 1700s, coffee had become one of the world’s most profitable exports.

Coffee is available worldwide. The methods of brewing and consuming differ from region to region, from locale to locale. But coffee is found almost everywhere. From the homes of the most wealthy, to the shack of the poorest of poor, coffee is there. From the deserts of the world to the frozen reaches of the North, coffee is enjoyed.

And right now, there is a cup sitting within arm’s reach as I write, bringing a bit of history, culture and joy to my day.

How about you?

Question: Have you ever wondered about the history of coffee? Did you learn anything surprising? You can leave a comment by clicking here.