I can’t think of my day without coffee.
Can you? Probably not!
While coffee has now become such a huge part of our daily life and culture, let’s revisit and see how it got discovered and come to get so entrenched in our day to day life.
The Discovery of Coffee
Historic Origin of Coffee Shrouded in Mystery and Legend
There is no precise account of the origins of the coffee plant or of the first human consumption of the revered bean, though there is general agreement among historians that coffee was first discovered in the mountains of Ethiopia (Abyssinia).
We can thank a goatherder named Kaldi, according to one legend, for discovering coffee’s unique properties in the 8th century A.D. This goatherder from the Kaffa region of southwestern
Ethiopia noticed that his goats were more animated and lively after eating some wild red berries.
Kaldi then ate some of the berries himself, and sure enough, he also felt increased energy.
Soon these unique properties of coffee became known to some monks at a nearby monastery, and they too began consuming the beans that helped them meditate and pray for longer periods of time.
Other monasteries also began using the berries for the same purpose—and so the spread of the coffee over the globe had begun.
The Kaffa region is still a major coffee growing area today. The coffee trees there are perhaps the only known “native” coffee trees.
Another traditional legend about the first discovery of coffee involves an Arabian mystic named Omar who was exiled to the desert by his enemies.
Omar faced imminent starvation until he made a broth from the berries of coffee trees and was able to stay alive. Residents of the nearby town of Mocha thought Omar’s survival was a religious sign.
The Mocha region continues to be a major coffee source today. Mocha is also well known as the place where the first coffee beans that became popular in Europe were produced.
Suave molecules of Mocha stir up your blood, without causing excess heat; the organ of thought receives from it a feeling of sympathy; work becomes easier and you will sit down without distress to your principal repast which will restore your body and afford you a calm, delicious night.
Tallyrand (1754-1839)
Timeline of the History of Coffee
The Spread of Coffee Over the Globe
8th-9th Century
Coffee trees are discovered in either Ethiopia or Yemen. The properties of the coffee beans cause the plant to quickly gain in