Do you consider yourself a coffee expert and think you know everything there is to know about the world’s coffee bean background? That might be the case, but there are plenty of people who love coffee but know very little about its origins, like the origin of the coffee farm, the plant, the taste blend, and how they came upon the drink itself. If you’ve always wondered how we got from bean to the perfect cup of coffee, here are a few of the highlights of the history of coffee.
Coffee originated in Ethiopia. Many believe the story of coffee began when a goat herder noticed his goats acting oddly. He said they were dancing and determined it happened after they ate red berries. He considered the berries a magic fruit and shared them with his monk friend who said the berries helped him maintain prayer vigils all through the night. Some believe that same monk tried to burn the beans in a fire only to learn that they created a delicious aroma when roasting over the open flames.
After it was discovered in Ethiopia, coffee beans made their way to the Middle East. This happened around the 15th century. The beans entered the area through the port of Mocha and plants were then added in Yemen, Persia, Turkey, and Egypt. It wasn’t called “coffee” yet though, and instead went by the name “Wine of Araby.”