International Coffee Day: The drink that conquered the world and changed our habits

International Coffee Day is celebrated every year on October 1st and the popular concoction is celebrated with many events. It wasn’t always like that. Coffee roasters may be everywhere today, but in the 18th century the strong smell of coffee beans had consequences: in Prussia, so-called “coffee spies” followed the smell of coffee to track down smugglers and illegal coffee grinders.

They even entered houses to carry out inspections. The reason: importing coffee beans had a high cost and was considered problematic for the economy of the time. This is why Frederick of Prussia proceeded to ban coffee, although this did not last long. Today it is one of the most famous teas in Germany.

There are many myths surrounding the discovery of coffee. The story of a shepherd from Kafa province in the eastern side of Ethiopia is one of the most widespread myths. According to tradition he himself had noticed that his goats did not rest until evening after they had eaten the fruits of a certain plant that resembled those of the cherry or mulberry. The shepherd tasted the fruits and discovered their stimulating effect on himself. He shared his discovery with a nearby monastery, where the monks prepared a decoction of these strange fruits and were thus able to stay awake longer to pray and chat.

Origin of the beloved drink

The beginnings of coffee cultivation probably date back to the 12th or 13th century in the Arabian Peninsula. Yemeni traders had previously brought the plant to their homeland. A few decades later there were already large-scale plantations. The port of Mokka on the Red Sea became the most important coffee trading center of the time. The name of the “mocha” coffee comes from the toponym. The preparation of coffee as we know it today with roasted ground beans will begin later, in the 15th century.

When coffee arrived in Mecca it began to attract more admirers from the Islamic world. The name of the coffee comes from this region. Coffee goes back to the Turkish name “kahve”, which in turn goes back to the Arabic word “qahwa” which means wine. Because of the stimulating and slightly intoxicating effect of coffee it was named so, but it was not forbidden to devout Muslims unlike alcoholic wine.

For many years the Arab countries had a monopoly on the coffee trade, and for this reason the details of its production were kept as a state secret. In order to prevent competitors from growing coffee, they would pour boiling water on the raw beans to prevent them from growing. The Dutch were the first to steal some plants and bring them to their colonies in the mid-17th century.

Spread of cultivation around the world

From 1658 coffee began to be cultivated in Sri Lanka and later on the islands of Sumatra and Java in Indonesia. The example of the Dutch was followed by other colonial powers such as Portugal in Brazil, England in Jamaica, Spain in Guatemala, Mexico, Colombia and Puerto Rico. The Arab countries’ monopoly on coffee no longer existed. Since then coffee has become one of the most important traded products worldwide.

But coffee, even when it was still a monopoly of the Arab countries, attracted the interest of travelers. The European royal courts were the first points of its spread. The first coffee house in Western Europe opened in Venice in 1647, while in 1652 London also got its first coffee house, followed by Marseille in 1671.

These spaces were meeting points for artists and scholars who shaped literature and music. However, coffee was still a luxury item in Europe and only with the start of industrialization did it spread to larger sections of the population. Back then, many people used coffee as a food substitute to fight hunger and exhaustion.

Today, coffee is one of the most favorite drinks of Germans. On average in 2021 in Germany 169 liters of coffee were consumed per person. More than 70 countries currently grow different varieties. Ethiopia, the legendary country of origin of coffee, ranks fifth in production in the world. However, the world market leader is Brazil, where almost 40% of world production is grown.

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