Time Line
A.D. 800
Kaldi discovered his goats eating the coffee berries and found dancing on the hill.
1000 - 1600
Coffee started life in Arabia, roasted beans first brewed about 1000 A.D. A boiled drink from the beans was created and called "qahwa". By the 13th Century Muslims were drinking coffee religiously. All worshippers were awake and became part of their daily lives. Where ever Muslims moved in the world so did the coffee. Finding it in North Africa, Eastern Mediterranean and India.
1453 Ottoman Turks introduced coffee into Constantinople. In 1475 Kiva Han was the worlds first coffee shop. Turkish law made it possible for the woman to divorce her husband if he did not provide her with her daily quota of coffee.
In Arabia the beans were parched or boiled to make them infertile before exporting them, hence all production up to 1600 was in Africa or Arabia. Baba Buda was an Indian Pilgrim who is thought to have left Mecca with fertile beans strapped to his belly and smuggled them into Europe.
1615 - 1700
A merchant of Venice took the coffee to Italy in 1615. Thus introducing Europe to coffee. Europe did wish for beans they too wanted to grow their own. The Pope Clement VIII is urged that this favourite drink of the Ottoman Empire is part of the infidel threat. However, he decided to "baptize" the drink making it an acceptable Christian beverage.
1616 The Dutch produce the first coffee plant in Europe.
1645 The first coffee house opens in Italy
1652 The first coffee house opens in England
1668 Coffee replaces beer in New York USA as their favourite breakfast drink. In London UK Edward Lloyd's coffee house opens which is often visited by maritime and merchant insurance agents. It is now known as Lloyd's of London a famous insurance company across the world.
1672 The first coffee house is established in Paris
1696 The first European owned coffee estate was founded, on colonial Java, now part of Indonesia.
The Dutch business soon boomed and Amsterdam started to give coffee trees to Aristocrats across Europe
1714 - 1720
Louis XIV received his coffee tree in 1714 for the Paris Royal Botanical Gardens which was left to flourish for many years. Several years post planting a Naval officer returned home from Martinique and requested clippings of this tree but was denied. So he decided one evening to climb the walled gardens and into the hothouse to steal a sprout from the tree, which he accomplished.
He then sets sail on his return to Martinique with the coffee plant sprout, which was an eventful journey. A passenger desperately wanted the plant and stole a branch from the coffee plant. Pirates nearly captured the ship, a storm nearly sank the ship. Then clear skies followed with hot days which meant the water was rationed to a potion that his was shared with the plant to keep it strong.
Once he landed in Martinique the sprout grew strong and aided the production of 18million trees in about 50 years. The aim was to supply coffee to Latin America.
1727 - 1800
Brazil realised a potential with the coffee business and sent in an agent to initially end a border dispute between French and Dutch colonies in Guiana. To gain access to the highly secure French coffee plants he becomes close to the Governors wife. During a state dinner she presented him with flowers sprinkled with fertile seedlings. These seedlings made the beginnings of the worlds greatest coffee producer. By 1800 Brazils mammoth harvests would change coffee from an elite commodity to an every day beverage.
1773 The Boston Tea Party makes drinking coffee a patriotic day in USA.
c 1900
In Germany afternoon coffee becomes a daily routine. Hill Bros. starts to pack coffee in vacuum tins.
1901 the first soluble "instant" coffee was produced.
1907 Brazils production now accounts for 97% of the worlds coffee harvest.
1938 Nestle were approached by Brazil to assist with surplus coffee supplies. Freeze dried technology was discovered and Nescafe was launched in Switzerland.
1940 the USA imports 70% of the worlds coffee crop.
1942 Maxwell house is issued to American soldiers in their ration kits.
1946 In Italy Achilles Gaggia perfects his espresso machine. Cappuccino is named due to the resemblance of its colour to the robes of the monks of the Capuchin order.
1971 Starbucks opens its first store in Seattle and a starts the coffee markets as we are so familiar with today.
1995 Coffee is the worlds most popular beverage. More than 400 billion cups are consumed each year.