| How Coffee Originated |
|
The use of coffee can be traced as far as the ninth century, when it appeared in the Ethiopian highlands. Based on a popular legend, the first to observe the influence of caffeine in coffee beans were the Ethiopian shepherds who noticed a weird behavior in the goats. After the consumption of wild coffee berries, the goats started to dance and began having an increased energy level. Legend names the shepherd “Kaldi”. Right from Ethiopia, coffee spread to Yemen and Egypt. Coffee beans were first brewed and roasted in Arabia, and through centuries, has been carefully preserved till date. Till the 15th century, coffee reached northern Africa, Turkey, Persia and Middle East. Slowly and steadily, coffee spread to Italy from the Muslim world. The bustling trade between Egypt, North Africa, Middle East and Venice ushered new goods to the Venetian port, which also included coffee. The beverage reached the rest of Europe from Venice. The first Europeans to import coffee on a huge scale were the Dutch. They later grew the crop in Ceylon and Java. Thanks to efforts from British East India Company, coffee scaled popularity in England too. During the colonial period when coffee reached American shores, it was hardly as successful as it was in Europe. Following the 1812 war, Britain cut its access to tea imports temporarily after which the demand for coffee grew tremendously amongst the Americans. Advances in brewing technology helped coffee secure the position of a daily commodity in the US. Coffee has now become an important cash crop for several Third World countries. Presently, coffee is touted as one of the most valuable and largest legally traded commodity after oil. As many as one hundred million people in developing nations depend on coffee as their basic source of income. Coffee has now become a backbone and a primary source of export for African nations such as Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and several nations in Central America. Spend quality time at Sono coffee shop and taste different coffee flavors, made from choicest coffee beans. Observe a refreshing change in your mind, body and spirit with Sono coffee beans. |