ALP AKSOY / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
Coffee is one of the most valuable commodities in the world. It has become a large part of our culture even though many people don’t even drink it. We take coffee breaks at work, we meet friends at the local cafe “for coffee,” and we even take our children to coffee shops when they wake up sinfully early. Coffee gets us going in the morning, excites us to try new things, and brings us together.
Much like the beverage itself, the origins of coffee are dark and murky. Two of the most popular legends place the plant’s discovery in medieval Ethiopia, but they disagree on who actually made the discovery. In one version, an Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi noticed that his goats had more energy after eating the berry-like fruit of the coffee plant and decided to try it for himself. In another version, a Yemenite Sufi mystic was traveling through Ethiopia, where he encountered some very energetic birds that had been eating the fruit off the coffee plant. Exhausted from his journey, he decided to try these berries for himself and found that he too had more energy.
Regardless of the origin, our modern conception of coffee—a drink created by roasting and brewing beans—comes from Arabia. In the 15th century, Sufi monks from Yemen were the first to cultivate coffee plants and brew them into the drink we know today. Thanks to Arab and European traders, coffee made its way around the world; it is estimated that 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed each day! Let this be your invitation to go grab a cup while you enjoy this issue of BAR.
Coffee is one of the most valuable commodities in the world. It has become a large part of our culture even though many people don’t even drink it. We take coffee breaks at work, we meet friends at the local cafe “for coffee,” and we even take our children to coffee shops when they wake up sinfully early. Coffee gets us going in the morning, excites us to try new things, and brings us together. Much like the beverage itself, the origins of coffee are dark and murky. Two of the most popular legends place the plant’s discovery in medieval […]
