History of Coffee
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The history of coffee has been recorded as far back as the ninth
century. At first,
coffee remained largely confined to Ethiopia, where its native beans were first cultivated
by Ethiopian highlanders. However, the Arab
world began expanding its trade horizons, and the beans moved into northern Africa and were mass-cultivated. From
there, the beans entered the Indian and European markets, and the popularity of the
beverage spread.
The word "coffee" entered English in 1598
via Italian caffè. This word was created via Turkish kahve, which in turn came into
being via Arabic
qahwa, a truncation of qahhwat al-bun or wine of the bean.
Islam prohibits the use of alcohol as a
beverage, and coffee provided a suitable alternative to wine.
There are several legendary accounts of the origin of the drink itself. One
account involves the Yemenite Sufi mystic Shaikh ash-Shadhili. When traveling in
Ethiopia, the legend goes, he observed goats of unusual vitality, and, upon
trying the berries that the goats had been eating, experienced the same
vitality. A similar myth attributes the discovery of coffee to an Ethiopian
goatherder named Kaldi and the Legend of
Dancing Goats.
One possible origin of both the beverage and the name is the Kingdom of Kaffa in
Ethiopia, where the coffee plant
originated (its name there is bunn or bunna).
Colombian Supremo, Italian Roast Espresso, French Roast, Costa Rican Tarrazu, Sumatra Mandheling, Decaf Colombian, Breakfast Blend, Dark House Blend, Hazelnut, French Vanilla.
Decaf French Roast, Decaf Colombian, CO2 Decaf Colombian, Decaf House Blend, Decaf Dark Sumatra, Decaf Dark Costa Rican, Decaf Kenya, Decaf Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Decaf Hazelnut, and Decaf French Vanilla
