Origins Of Coffee

The humble coffee bean is capable of truly amazing stuff. Starting off nestled in the centre of the cherries found on the coffee plant, the beans are a hidden treasure cherished by people all over the world. But despite this world-renowned love, people rarely stop to consider what are the origins of the beans I’m drinking and why do different coffees taste so different?

Where Does Coffee Come From?

Coffee is grown in more than 50 countries around “the coffee belt”, including locations such as Africa, Latin America and Asia. These areas have just the right combination of altitude, soil and weather, providing the perfect climate for growing the most delicious beans.

Africa

African coffee is thought to be some of the best in the world due to its wonderfully distinctive flavour. Traditionally African coffee boasts the following characteristics:

Syrupy

Medium acidity

Light to medium roast

Latin America

Thought to be one of the coffee capitals of the world, coffee from Latin America makes up most of the blends found on supermarket shelves today. The flavour is universally enjoyed which is mostly attributed to its well-rounded taste. A few of the key characteristics Latin American coffee possesses are:

Nutty

Low acidity

Light or medium roast

Asia

Asia is home to some of the most unique coffee blends with bold, unique flavourings unlike any other. Typically, you can expect Asian coffee to be:

Earthy

Gentle acidity

Dark roast

Get To Know Your Coffee Beans

It may surprise you to learn that coffee beans actually come from the fruit (called “cherries”) of the coffee plant. The cherries are edible but taste absolutely nothing like coffee, in fact, they possess a mild and slightly sweet flavouring – a far cry from the rich and flavoursome coffee beans inside.

There are over 120 varieties of coffee plants and each variety has its own distinct flavour. Most of the coffee we drink comes from either Arabica or Robusta coffee beans, or a blend of the two.

Arabica coffee beans is one of the most popular types and it’s believed to be one of the first coffee species ever grown with roots dating back to 100 years. Known for their vibrant and complex flavours, these beans are loved by coffee connoisseurs because of their smooth and less acidic taste.

There are two types of Arabica coffee bean, Typica and Bourbon. Typica is also sometimes known as Sumatra and Arabigo and it is this type which is thought to be the first bean ever discovered. Bourbon on the other hand is considered to be a natural mutation of Typica and offers a more balanced and slightly sweeter favour, making it a popular choice amongst coffee lovers.

Commonly grown in Africa and Indonesia, Robusta coffee beans have a higher caffeine content and as such, offer a much deeper and stronger taste than the Arabica variety. It’s a popular choice for espressos due to the rich flavour and layer of crema it gives and is also widely used in instant coffee.

Why Is Coffee Roasted?

Roasting is the process of heating coffee beans to bring out the rich and aromatic flavour that we know and love. Fresh off the plant, coffee beans are actually green in colour and possess a grassy smell, then when they’re roasted, chemical changes occur as a result of the beans being brought to a high temperature very quickly. This change also causes them to turn into a deep brown colour with a wonderfully earthy smell. Once they’re roasted, they’re ready to be ground and brewed into your favourite blends.

Light Roasts

A light roast has a mild and toasted grain taste with a light body, pronounced acidity and no oil on the surface of the beans. The lightest roast is called Light Cinnamon.

Medium Roasts

A medium roast will have more body and less acidity than a light roast, but also has no oil on the bean surfaces. It’s commonly known as American Roast.

Dark Roasts

A dark roast is the most intense and bitter and is far less acidic than other roast types. They can have a smoky or chocolatey sweet taste too.

The History Of Coffee

Many would argue, that today, coffee is an essential to our daily lives, but exactly where did coffee come from?

The Ethiopian Legend Of Coffee Origins

Ethiopia is widely considered to be the epicentre of where coffee came from. If you’ve ever googled “coffee history”, you will have come across the famous story of how coffee was founded in Ethiopia by Kaldi, an Ethiopian goat herder, around 800 AD.

He wandered over to his goats to see them acting very strangely. They were energised and excited after eating some berries from a tree. After trying the berries himself, and also feeling excitable and alert, Kaldi took these berries to a monk.

The monks exclaimed that it was the work of the devil and threw the berries into the fire. In doing so, a beautiful, heavenly aroma was released and the berries were quickly raked from the fire and crushed into embers. Realising their mistake, the berries were then placed into a jug and covered with hot water for preservation.

The monks then went on to drink this lovely new concoction, only to realise it helped them stay awake during nightly devotions and prayers.

Of course, this is probably just a wonderful legend and the history of coffee is more likely to lie with the Oromo/Galla people, from a nomadic tribe.

Or Does Coffee History Begin In Yemen?

There are also a few well-known stories about Yemen’s contribution in the founding of coffee. The most famous legend from Yemen about coffee origins has a slight twist on the Ethiopian story.

A Yemenite Sufi mystic was traveling through Ethiopia on spiritual matters. He encountered some very energetic and enthusiastic birds that had been eating the fruit off a plant, which is now known as the coffee plant. Exhausted from his journey, he decided to try these berries for himself and he found that they produced an energetic state in him as well.

However, it’s largely believed that coffee beans were originally exported from Ethiopia to Yemen. Later, Yemeni traders brought coffee plants back to their homeland and began to grow them there.

The Word Quickly Spread

As it’s thought that coffee originated in Ethiopia, it’s also believed it made its way north, across the red sea into Yemen in the 15th Century. It then started to be grown here in the Yemeni district of Arabia, and by the 16th century it was known in Persia, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey.

It was immensely popular for its qualities to help improve alertness and wakefulness, allowing people to devote more time to spiritual matters and praying.

The world’s first coffee house was opened in Constantinople in 1475, now known as Istanbul. Coffee was drunk at home as part of the daily routine, as well as to show hospitality to guests. Outside of the home, people visited coffee houses to not only drink coffee but to engage in conversation, listen to music, watch performers, play chess, gossip and catch up on news. Without the modern technologies we have today, coffee houses quickly became the epicentre for exchanging and gaining information. They were often referred to as “Schools of the Wise”.

And with thousands of pilgrims visiting Mecca each year from all over the world, knowledge of this “wine of Araby”, which it quickly became referred to, began to spread.

Over To Europe

Then the course of coffee history begins to change. This exotic beverage certainly caused a stir for European travellers who were filled with intrigue and fascination. So, by the 17th century, coffee had made its way to Europe and became increasingly popular across the continent.

European coffee history begins in Italy, where it was imported from the Ottoman Empire. In particular, Venetian merchants contributed to the widespread popularity of coffee in European regions and in 1645, the first ever European coffee house was opened in Venice. Drinking coffee became a great commodity, especially for wealthy people.

Through the Dutch East India Company and British East India Company, coffee also became very popular in England. The first coffee house in England opened in Oxford in 1651 and many others quickly popped up, particularly in London. Coffee houses were strictly for men only, where they could discuss business and news, as well as socialise. It is said that many business ventures and ideas started in London coffee houses.

Coffee was then introduced to Paris, France in 1669 by Suleyman Aga, the ambassador to the court of King Louis XIV of France. He was armed with bags of coffee described as a “magical beverage”. Only two years later in 1671, an Armenian who went by the name Pascal, opened a coffee-drinking booth at the fair of St.-Germain. Visitors very quickly learned to look for the “petit noir" a name that still endures. This marked the beginning of Parisian coffee houses, which of course, inspired coffee houses to open across France.

Over the next 30 years, coffee became cultural staples in Austria, Germany, Spain, and the rest of Europe. However, growing coffee in Europe was a struggle, due to its naturally colder climates. European traders would later start to grow coffee elsewhere.

Crossing The Atlantic Coffee Origins In The New World

The founder of the Colony of Virginia, Captain John Smith, introduced coffee to other settlers of Jamestown in 1607. However, it wasn't well received at first and tea was much more preferred.

In 1670, Dorothy Jones became the first person to receive a license to sell coffee in Boston. By the mid-1700's, many taverns were also dubbed as coffeehouses, but tea was still the drink of choice. It was only when a rebellion against Great Britain caused all the tea to be thrown into the sea and it was considered unpatriotic to drink it any longer. Coffee then became increasingly popular.

The New World's hot, tropical weather was seen as a new ideal for the cultivation of coffee, and coffee plantations quickly spread throughout Central America, with their first coffee harvest occurring in 1726.

Latin American countries also have ideal coffee-growing conditions, such as a good balance of sunshine and rain, high and humid temperatures, and rich soil. By the mid-18th century, Latin American countries evolved into being some of the top coffee producers, able to clear big tropical forests, ready for plantations. And today, Brazil is the world's biggest coffee producer.