Coffee's Origin
Coffee's roots are widely debated, and like a fine wine, are shrouded in mystery and romance. There are many versions of how this extraordinary beverage came to be. The most famous and well known is the legend of Kaldi, a third century monk living in Ethiopia. It is believed that he discovered the Arabica coffee bean (indigenous to Ethiopia) after finding his goats dancing wildly after eating the cherries from a bush. He tried the cherries himself and enfoyed their stimulating effects so much that he shared them with the other monks. It soon became a religious ceremonial drink to keep awake during their long hours of prayer at night!

The Emergence of Coffee as a Beverage
Coffee first emerged as a tea - the leaves from coffee shrubs were boiled in water and drunk black; This gave way to the use of cherries and later the roasted seeds of cherries known as coffee beans...

Initially, coffee was used as a medicine and as a beverage associated with religious ceremonies. It did not take long for the popularity of coffee to spread, and as a result a great demand was created for the drink. From the holy city of Mecca and Medina at the center of the Islamic world, the use of coffee spread to Egypt, Persia, and Syria. During periods of Muslim expansion between the eleventh and sixteenth centuries, coffee appeared in Turkey, the Balkan states, Spain, and North Africa. By the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, this delightful and compelling beverage was enjoyed at coffee houses throughout the Middle East and in southern Europe. An institution had been born. Today, coffee is grown on plantations and estates throughout the tropical regions of the world, and it is enjoyed as a beverage by coffee lovers worldwide. [see Coffee Growing Regions]

Coffee is both a functional beverage (a wake-me-up), as well as a sensual experience. An understanding of the romance and history of coffee is integral to enjoyable and fulfilling drinking of the heavenly brew. Few people realize what history they hold in their cup!

Brief Timeline
Coffee's fame spread rapidly both socially and commercially. Here is a brief timeline of some important dates:

5th to 13th Century
Coffee was prepared as a wine - it was not used as a hot beverage at all!

15th Century
The coffee trade is restricted to the Yemen district of Arabia and is jealously guarded.

16th Century
Plant cuttings were smuggled from Yemen and the cultivation of coffee crops spread to Egypt, Syria, and Turkey. Coffee houses begin to open in every major city in the middle east.

1615
The first shipment of coffee arives in Venice from Turkey

1683
Coffee reaches Vienna; shortly thereafter the first Viennese coffee house opens.

1773
American colonies revolt against high taxes placed on tea drinking by King George. "The Boston Tea Party" changes drinking habits and coffee becomes the favorite brew.

1800
Coffee is a major export crop and plantations extend from the Eastern to the Western hemispheres.

1962
The first International Coffee Agreement is held in New York. Coffee supplies are balanced and prices fairly regulated.

1997-present
Coffe explosion in U.S.

In 16th Century Turkey, bridegrooms were required to promise coffee for their wives-to-be; A wife could divorce her husband for not keeping an adequate supply!

Second only to oil, today coffee is the world's largest traded commodity. In fact, it directly employs over 250 million people around the world!