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While hard to verify to accuracy, the history of coffee, is the legend of a sheepherder who realized the properties of coffee when he was tending his sheep. His sheep became really active when they ate a certain sort of berry off a plant. He tried them himself, and reacted the same way. Rumour has it that a monk told him to be careful of the devil's fruit. Nevertheless, it is also rumoured that the monks used the fruit to stay awake and pray.
Another wide spread legend reveals an Arabian was banished to the desert. He boiled and ate an unknown plant. He was able to survive in the desert on the plant. The residents of a village close by thought the survival was a religious sign. The plant was then named Mocha, after that village,community.
Some persons think the coffee plant originally grew only in Ethiopia. To eat while on raids, they wrapped it in animal fat. It was transported to Arabia, it grew, and they controlled the market of it. The first to drink it were the Turks. They added cinnamon and clove for a sweeter taste.
Coffee founds its way to Europe via the Venetian trade merchants. Rumours of the coffee taste began to surface all over. The Arab's keep an even tighter grip on the coffee plants. Christian's started saying coffee was the devil's drink, similar to the monk story above. Pope Vincent III decided to {taste it. He enjoyed it very much. Talk of banishing coffee went away after that.
Soon after, coffee houses were built all over Europe. They were a good place to hang out and drink coffee. Coffee traveled to Americas in the 1700's. An infantry captain from France brought a small plant with him. That plant was cultivated, resulting in over 19 million coffee trees within 50 years. Coffee was declared the United States national drink in a protest of the excessive taxes on tea from Britain.
These days, millions of people get pleasure from their coffee during the day. Coffee comes in a lot of brands and a lot of flavors. At most any grocery store, you can buy ground coffee or coffee beans. There are also gourmet coffees to choose from. Starbuck's Coffee, a million dollars business, is offering you the convenience of coffee any way you want it.
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