The enduring fascination of man with coffee has stemmed from a rich history that took the coffee bean from its origins in Ethiopia to its eventual spread into worldwide consciousness. The first coffee plants were so highly regarded by the Arabs that they prevented its spread to other countries by boiling the coffee berries first before they marketed them to prevent any chance of being cultivated outside their territory.



Coffee, when it was first introduced in Europe, was first known as "Arabian Wine". In England during the 1600's, coffee was considered as a medicinal tonic or brew, probably due to its stimulating effects. The belief in its medicinal properties became so seriously accepted that wild medical contraptions were eventually built in order to administer a mixture of coffee and an assortment of heated butter, honey, and oil as accepted treatments for the sick.

It further grew in popularity so much so that it was commonly sold by street vendors in street carts in typical Arabian style. This was the accepted practice of selling coffee all around Europe until the late 1700's when the first French cafe was opened. Coffee became so popular all over Europe that by 1763, there were over 200 coffee shops in Venice alone.

The popularity and the allure of coffee continue to grow. Currently, about 52 percent of Americans drink coffee regularly. The average annual coffee consumption of a typical American adult is about 400 cups, which amounts to 26.7 gallons. The United States is considered as the world's largest coffee consumers.

It imports an estimated 16 to 20 million bags yearly. This is equivalent to one-third of all coffee exported in the world. The typical coffee drinker in the US drinks an average of 3.4 cups of coffee per day.

In other parts of the world, coffee also holds the same appeal. Coffee is the most popular beverage worldwide with a yearly consumption of over 400 billion cups. And because of this coffee has become a highly valuable commodity in the world, second only to oil. Scandinavia is considered to have the world's highest per capita annual coffee consumption, arriving at about 26.4 pounds per person. Japan ranks top three in the world when it comes coffee consumption.