THE ESSENCE OF COFFEE

COFFEE BASICS: The Myth and History of Specialty Coffee Myth History Migration from East to West Spread of the Coffee House In Europe In America

The Spread of the Coffee House 15th century coffee house

History of Coffee The first coffee houses appeared in Mecca. It is believed that these were established around the second half of the 15th century. The coffee house concept quickly spread and could be found in Constantinople and Damascus by the 1550’s.

Renowned for their exquisite and sumptuous furnishings, the coffee houses of Constantinople served as models for European versions to come. The uniqueness of the coffee house helped it to spread. Never before had there been a place for people to gather in order to socialize, conduct business, engage in debate—all while enjoying a delicious and inexpensive beverage.

The Coffee House in Europe Venetian coffee house

With the Venetians’ introduction of coffee into Italy, the first coffee houses opened there around 1650. In 1720, Florian Francescari opened Café Florian in the Piazza San Marco in Venice. This café remains in operation today.

In 1652, the first coffee house opened in London. More quickly followed with some of the most famous including: Mol’s Coffee House in Exeter where Sir Walter Raleigh was known to drink coffee and smoke his pipe. And Lloyd’s where Edward Lloyd would keep logs of the ships, which his clients’ would insure. Lloyd’s of London Eventually became the largest insurance house in the world.

By the early 1700’s, London reputedly contained 2000 coffee houses. While these coffee houses became increasingly popular gathering places for men, women were forbidden access. Consequently, women frequented Tea Gardens. This contributed to the popularity of tea with the English.

It was here in England as well that coffee houses became known as “penny universities”. For the price of a penny, one could enter a coffee house to listen to scholars debate academic topics. Also emerging from the English coffee houses was the custom of “tipping”.

Brassbound boxes were placed in coffee houses in which the patrons were encouraged to place coins “to insure promptness” in service. Thus, the “tip” was born! French coffee house

In France, the coffee café became the artistic and intellectual gathering place of French society. Indeed, the elegant Café Procope, which was founded in 1689 and was situated across from la Comedie Francaise, was frequented by such distinguished gentlemen as Rousseau, Voltaire, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Benjamin Franklin.

By 1843, it is believed that Paris supported 3000 coffee houses By 1843, it is believed that Paris supported 3000 coffee houses. One of these, the Café de la Paix, still operates today. Following the Austrian defeat of invading Turks, Franz Kolschitzky appropriated the supply of green beans left behind by the retreating troops. With these beans, Kolschitzky opened the first Viennese coffee house, the Blue Bottle, in 1683.

Intended as a humorous response to Frederick the Great’s efforts to suppress Germans’ coffee drinking, Johann Sebastian Bach composed the “Coffee Cantata” in 1732. Coffee Cantata

Another interesting piece of trivia involves the term “Kaffee Klatsch” which was used to describe German women’s gossip sessions conducted over their cups of coffee. Kaffee Klatsch

The Coffee House in America In America, the coffee house originated and evolved in a different manner than did those in Europe. Coffee was served in taverns and inns and where food and other beverages such as beer and ale also were sold. Being a Puritan lot, Americans did not believe that dawdling away hours at a coffee house was a pursuit worthy of their code of behavior.

Women operate inns (coffee houses) but are forbidden access However, in 1670, a license was given to Dorothy Jones to sell coffee in Boston— which she did along with countless other women who operated the inns of that time. As in England, women were not allowed to frequent these establishments. However, as very active members of the economic life of the American colonies, women were allowed to run them. Women operate inns (coffee houses) but are forbidden access

Unlike the coffee houses of Europe, which attracted artists and intellectuals, the American coffee house served a unique function as a meetinghouse for council meetings and trials. As coffee began to replace beer as the breakfast beverage in the late 1680’s, these coffeehouses became more popular.

Coffee made a splash in the United States when King George’s tax on tea led to the Boston Tea Party in 1773. With the dumping of tea into Boston Harbor, coffee became America’s patriotic drink. Indeed, it was in the colonial coffee house called The Green Dragon where Paul Revere, John Adams, and other revolutionaries gathered to plot the American Revolution.

Patriots dumping tea into Boston Harbor

Coffee continued to be a patriotic drink as American soldiers from the Mexican- American War to the World Wars received coffee as a vital part of their rations. Today, the traditions established in coffee houses in the East and in Europe continue to flourish as places where a wide variety of people gather to be engaged and to be engaging while savoring that still mystical beverage—coffee.