The history of coffee dates back to centuries of old oral tradition in modern day Jimma, Ethiopia. Coffee was first cultivated in Ethiopia, then later introduced to other countries. In the 15th century, Sufi monasteries in Yemen employed coffee as an aid to concentration during prayers.
An Ethiopian Legend
Coffee grown worldwide can trace its heritage back centuries to the ancient coffee forests on the Ethiopian plateau. There, legend says the goat herder Kaldi first discovered the potential of these beloved beans.
Coffee plants reached the New World during the early 18th century, though the drink wasn't really popular in America until the Boston Tea Party of 1773, when making the switch from tea to coffee became something of a patriotic duty.
Believed to have originated in Ethiopia, coffee was used in the Middle East in the 16th century to aid concentration.
Coffee was finally brought to the New World by the British in the mid-17th century. Coffee houses were popular, but it wasn't until the Boston Party in 1773 that America's coffee culture was changed forever: the revolt against King George III generated a mass switch from tea to coffee amongst the colonists.
It's not quite as fanciful as Ethiopia's origin claim over coffee, but French missionaries first brought coffee plants to China in the late 1800s, predominately planting in Yunnan, the most southwestern province (which benefits from the Tropic of Cancer running though the south).
1. Finland — 12 kg/26 lbs — Finland is the world's biggest consumer of coffee on a per-person basis. The average Finn drinks nearly four cups a day. Coffee is so popular in Finland that two 10-minute coffee breaks are legally mandated for Finnish workers.
The first plants were brought around 1600 by Muslim pilgrim Baba Budan, who smuggled seed out of Mecca. Legend has it that he strapped seven beans to his waist, despite laws forbidding green coffee from leaving Arabia. Coffee grown for commercial export didn't really begin until British colonization in 1840.
Colombia. Colombia is probably the world's best-known coffee producer and ranks second worldwide in yearly production. A high standard of excellence is maintained with great pride and careful growing on thousands of small family farms across the country.
Coffee and the American Revolution
The first mention of coffee in the US dates back to 1668. It was brought to New Amsterdam (now New York) either by the Dutch or by the British. To this day, debates persist over where the first coffeehouse in the US was founded, but most argue it was either Boston or New York.
What Did People Drink Before Coffee? While tea has been around since before our favorite goat herder happened upon the coffee bean tree, there were other drinks that were commonplace for morning consumption even before tea. Wine and beer were seen as breakfast drinks since ancient Greek times.
Caffeine from natural sources has been consumed and enjoyed by people throughout the world for centuries, dating back to perhaps as early as the Paleolithic period.
The origins of coffee and alcohol consumption among humans are murky at best. While the consensus is that alcohol is the oldest drug in the world and that coffee was cultivated for consumption as early as the 15th century, a specific date of origin still hasn't been established for either beverage.
Coffee is not really new to China. Some historians trace coffee's first appearance in the region to the late 19th century, when it was introduced by French missionaries to Yunnan province.
The history of coffee dates back to centuries of old oral tradition in modern day Jimma, Ethiopia. Coffee was first cultivated in Ethiopia, then later introduced to other countries. In the 15th century, Sufi monasteries in Yemen employed coffee as an aid to concentration during prayers.
Historically, coffee as a hot beverage was introduced to the world by the Sufi saints in 15th-century Yemen. They drank qahwa, the Arabic term for coffee, to stay awake during the night-long meditation and recitation zikr rituals (Ralph Hattox, 1985).
1. Finland – 12 kg/26.4 lbs per capita. Fins consume a whopping 12 kilograms (about 26 pounds) of coffee per capita annually, making Finland the biggest consumer of coffee on earth.
Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee
Because of the history of coffee production, location in the world and equality of opportunity, Ethiopia has everything many people believe makes for the best coffee in the world.
Historically, China has a very prominent Tea drinking culture, coffee has been present in Chinese society since the mid-1800's. As the spread of coffee increased rapidly throughout the world, it soon found its way to China, and cafés started developing in the country's hub, Shanghai.
The largest consumer of coffee in Asia is currently Japan. The country has a well-developed coffee culture, and there are numerous cafes and restaurants that serve coffee. In addition, Japanese people love to drink coffee at home, and instant coffee is very popular.
Modern cultivation of coffee in China began in 1988. In 2016 and 2017, China was among the top 20 worldwide producers of coffee. Ninety-eight per cent of the coffee grown in China comes from Yunnan province.
Nepal, India and Pakistan are the world's biggest coffee abstainers. Each country drinks less than 0.1 kilos per capita a year.
Starbucks is by far the most popular coffee chain in the world, with over 30,000 stores around the globe. One of the largest reasons for their success is tied to how they transformed coffee culture in major countries such as the United States.
The most concentrated coffee type is a ristretto – this contains relatively the highest level of caffeine. However, a lungo is larger and thus contains more caffeine than a ristretto. Based on concentration levels of caffeine, these would be the strongest coffee types: RISTRETTO.