Exploring the History of Coffee: A Journey Through the Centuries

Coffee is not only a popular beverage but also a cultural symbol in many countries around the world. The journey of coffee began in the 9th century and has undergone many transformations to become an essential part of modern life. Here are some key milestones in the history of coffee:

• 850 CE: Kaldi (or Khalid) observed the effects of coffee on goats and himself. The legend of Kaldi is often shared as the story of the discovery of coffee.

• Before 1000 CE: The Galla (Oromo) people, the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, used coffee cherries from coffee trees, crushing them and mixing them with animal fat for energy.

• 1000 CE: Arab merchants began exporting coffee, and the domestication of the coffee plant started. They brewed coffee by boiling it to create a beverage called qahwa.

• 1453: The Ottomans introduced coffee to Constantinople.

• 1475: The first coffeehouse, called Kiva Han, opened in Constantinople.

• 1511: Khair Beg, the governor of Mecca, attempted to ban coffee due to concerns that coffee drinkers would rebel. The Sultan declared coffee sacred and executed the governor.

• 1607: Captain John Smith, founder of the Virginia colony, introduced coffee to North America.

• 1645: The first coffeehouse opened in Italy in Venice, and coffee became popular in Italy. Pope Clement VIII refused to ban coffee, declaring that the beverage was too delicious to be reserved only for non-believers.

• 1652: The first coffeehouse opened in England.

• 1668: Coffee became a popular breakfast beverage in New York, surpassing beer.

• 1670: The Ottomans controlled the coffee export from Yemen. Baba Budan, a pilgrim, is said to have smuggled seven coffee beans out by hiding them in his stomach, and these beans were the first to be planted in India.

• 1672: Paris opened its first coffeehouse.

• 1683: Franz Georg Kolschitzky, after living in Turkey, opened the first coffeehouse in Vienna called Blue Bottle.

• 1690: The Dutch smuggled coffee plants out of the port of Mocha and became the first to commercially cultivate coffee.

• 1715: Europe built its first greenhouse to cultivate Arabica plants, which spurred the growth of billions of new coffee trees in Central and South America.

• 1721: The first coffeehouse opened in Berlin.

• 1727: Brazil became the primary coffee-growing region due to the smuggling of cuttings and seeds by Colonel Francisco de Melho Palheta.

• 1773: The Boston Tea Party occurred, and drinking coffee became a patriotic symbol in the United States.

• 1775: Frederick the Great attempted to halt the trade of green coffee, but was opposed by the public.

• 1818: Laurens, a metal worker in Paris, invented the first coffee brewing machine.

• 1860: James Folger founded Folger's Coffee Company in San Francisco.

• 1871: John Arbuckle invented the coffee packaging and shipping

• 1900: Germans enjoyed afternoon coffee as a ritual.

• 1901: Satori Kato invented the first instant coffee.

• 1901: Luigi Bezzera invented the espresso machine.

• 1903: German researchers invented Sanka, an instant coffee.

• 1906: George Constant Washington invented mass-produced instant coffee.

• 1920: Prohibition in the United States led to an increase in coffee sales.

• 1938: Nestlé invented freeze-dried coffee, creating Nescafé.

• 1940: 70% of the world's coffee production occurred in the U.S.

• 1942: American soldiers received Maxwell House coffee rations during World War II.

• 1946: Achilles Gaggia perfected the espresso machine.

• 1966: Alfred Peet founded Peet's Coffee, initiating the specialty coffee movement.

• 1971: Starbucks was established at Pike Place Market in Seattle.

• 1995: Doug and Emily Zell founded Intelligentsia Coffee.

• 1995: Brett Smith and Fred Houk founded Counter Culture Coffee.

• 1999: Duane Sorenson founded Stumptown Coffee.

• 2002: Trish Rothgeb coined the term "Third Wave" to refer to the emphasis on coffee quality.

• 2002: James Freeman founded Blue Bottle Coffee.

• 2012: JAB Holding acquired Peet's Coffee & Tea and Caribou Coffee.

• 2013: The University of California, Davis, opened the UC Davis Coffee Center.

• 2015: JAB became Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE).

• 2015: Peet's Coffee acquired Stumptown and Intelligentsia.

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