The Origins Of Coffee...

   Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee.  The Oromo people are believed to be the first to discover the energizing effect of the coffee plant.  The story of Kaldi the goat herder, remains the seed in the timeline of coffee's life (pun intended).  The 9th century goat herder Kaldi, discovered coffee by accident when he noticed his goats were becoming more active from eating the coffee berries.  After stumbling upon monks, he shared his findings with them and they became quite fond of the reaction it gave them.  Resulting in more energy for longer hours of prayer.  Although the story of Kaldi is believed by most, there are other stories that attribute to the discovery of coffee.

Sheik Omar, was believed to cure the sick through prayer.  Omar was once exiled from Mocha, Yemen to Ousab.  While in a desert cave in Ousab he noticed berries growing off of a shrubbery, but didn't favor them due to the bitter flavor.  He then tried roasting the seeds but they became hard, so to soften them he boiled them in water which resulted in a fragrant brown liquid which would soon be coined as the "miracle drug."  After drinking this liquid, he became revitalized and sustained for days.  Stories of this "miracle drug" reached Mocha, and Sheik Omar was asked to return and was made a saint for his findings.

In the 15th century, the first credible evidence of coffees existence appears around Mocha, Yemen in Sufi Monasteries.  In Arabia, coffee seeds were first roasted and brewed, done in a similar way to this very day.  By the 16th century, coffee knowledge reached the rest of the Middle East, Persia, Turkey, and North Africa.  Yemeni traders brought coffee back to their homeland to cultivate the seed.

Portrait of Baba Budan

In 1670, coffee was first smuggled out of the Middle East by Sufi Baba Budan from Yemen to India.

This picture explains how Baba Budan smuggled coffee out of the Middle East by strapping seven coffee beans to his chest.  The first plants grown from these smuggled seeds were planted in Mysore, India followed by it's spread to Italy and the rest of Europe, then to Indonesia, and the Americas.

Coffee has made an incredible impact on all of these cultures even to this day.  Then, used as a medicine, or to form social gatherings, and even possibly the beverage that brought War Generals together to discuss battle strategies.  Now, coffee is the heart of some nations, nurturing a blooming economy.  

Discovery, curiosity, innovation, and passion is what bridged the gap between coffee being just a berry on a shrub to a delicious cup in the hands of millions every day...

-Jordan Alejandro