The history of coffee cultivation dates back many millennia to the old coffee forests with coffee beans on the Ethiopian plateau. According to folklore, goat herder Kaldi initially discovered the treasured beans. According to legend, Kaldi discovered coffee after seeing his goats become so energized after consuming the berries from a particular tree that they refused to sleep at night. The local monastery's abbot received Kaldi's results and used the berries to make a beverage. He discovered that it kept him awake throughout the prolonged hours of nightly prayer. The revitalizing berries became known after the abbot informed the other monks at the monastery about his discovery of coffee history. Word spread eastward, and the history of coffee eventually made it to the Arabian Peninsula, where it started a voyage that would take the beans all over the world.

The Peninsula of Arabia: coffee beans

The Arabian Peninsula was the origin of the coffee trade and cultivation. By the sixteenth century, coffee was grown in the Yemeni region of Arabia by the fifteenth century, and by the sixteenth century, it was well-known in Persia, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey. Coffee was consumed not only in homes but also in the numerous qahveh khaneh, or public coffee houses with coffee trees, that started springing up in cities across the Near East. People frequented coffee shops for all types of social interaction because of their unmatched popularity. In addition to drinking coffee and conversing, the customers also enjoyed music, performances, chess, and keeping up with the news. Coffee shops immediately became significant knowledge-sharing hubs, earning the moniker "Schools of the Wise." Knowledge of this "wine of Araby" grew due to the tens of thousands of pilgrims from around the world visiting Mecca each year.

Europe Gets Coffee

Travelers from Europe to the Near East returned with tales of a unique dark, black liquor from young coffee plant. Coffee arrived in Europe in the 17th century and spread to other parts of the continent. Some people reacted negatively to this new beverage, labeling it as the "bitter invention of Satan" out of mistrust or dread. In Venice in 1615, when coffee first arrived, the local clergy forbade its use. It became so heated that Pope Clement VIII was asked to step in. Before making a judgment, he chose to taste the drink for himself. Because the glass with the fragrant brown liquid was so fulfilling, he gave it his approval. Despite this debate, coffee shops in the major cities of England, Austria, France, Germany, and Holland were swiftly evolving into hubs of social interaction and communication. In England, "penny universities" establishments arose because a cup of coffee and enlightening discourse could be had for just one penny. Beer and wine, which were popular in the period as breakfast drinks, started to be replaced by coffee. The quality of their work was significantly higher because those who drank coffee instead of alcohol were more awake and enthusiastic when the day started. Over 300 coffee shops existed in London by the 17th century, and many of them drew customers who shared their interests, such as businessmen, shippers, brokers, and artists. These specialty coffee shops gave rise to a large number of businesses. For instance, the Edward Lloyd Coffee House was the birthplace of Lloyd's of London.

The modern era of coffee drinking

Around the 1600s, coffee made its way to New Amsterdam, which the British would later title New York. Despite the rapid proliferation of coffee shops, tea continued to be the beverage of choice in the New World until 1773, when colonists rebelled against a hefty tax on tea that had been imposed by King George III. The rebellion during the Boston Tea Party would irrevocably change the way people in the United States consumed coffee.

Plantations in Different Countries

As the popularity of the beverage increased, there was a lot of rivalry to produce coffee in countries other than Arabia. The Dutch were finally able to get their hands on some seedlings in the latter part of the 17th century. Their first efforts to plant them in India were not successful, but they were successful in Batavia, which is located on the island of Java in what is now Indonesia. After that, the growing of coffee plants was brought to the islands of Sumatra and Celebes. The plants thrived well, and the Dutch were quickly able to establish a lucrative and rapidly growing trade in coffee.

Visiting the Americas coffee plants

King Louis XIV of France received a seedling coffee plant as a gift in 1714 from the mayor of Amsterdam. The King mandated its planting at Paris' Royal Botanical Garden. A young naval officer, Gabriel de Clieu, acquired a seedling from the king's plant in 1723. He transported it successfully to Martinique despite a difficult journey that included bad weather, a saboteur who attempted to kill the seedling, and a pirate raid. The seedling flourished after being planted and is also credited for causing the spread of approximately 18 million coffee trees on the island of Martinique during the following fifty years. The fact that this seedling gave rise to all coffee trees in the Caribbean, South, and Central America is even more astounding. Francisco de Mello Palheta, whom the emperor sent to French Guiana to procure coffee seedlings, is responsible for creating the renowned Brazilian coffee. The French governor's wife, who was taken with his good looks, gave him a sizable bouquet before he left; concealed inside were enough coffee seeds to launch what is now a billion-dollar business. Despite the French unwillingness to share, the flowers were enough to start what is now a thriving industry. Coffee seeds were still being transported to new areas by missionaries, explorers, traders, and colonists, and coffee plants were being planted worldwide. Both gorgeous tropical kinds of wood and untamed mountain highlands were used as the sites for plantations. Some crops were successful, while others had limited lifespans. New countries were founded based on coffee economies. Wealth was gained and lost. Coffee was one of the most lucrative export crops in the world at the end of the 18th century. Coffee is the most sought-after commodity in the world after crude oil.