The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

Coffee. Tendrils of steam curl up from my favorite red mug. The words, “Caffe Latte” and cute artwork—polka dots and scrolls—decorate its sides. I wrap my fingers around the cup enjoying the warmth of this comforting, yet invigorating beverage. Sipping this hot drink and enjoying the quiet companionship of my husband virtually every morning are pleasurable habits I formed years ago, and I’m not alone in this cozy, daily indulgence. In the United States alone, over 150 million people, who comprise more than 50 percent of the population over the age of 18, drink coffee on a daily basis.

Currently, when the word coffee is mentioned most people envision a robustly-brewed, expensive specialty drink. Not that long ago, though, “canned coffees,” such as Maxwell House, Hills Bros., and Folgers, were the brands of choice. Vintage ads featuring smiling house-wives holding raised cups helped give coffee that homey, everyday quality. Ask someone born in America in the 1930s or 40s their view of coffee during the mid-1900s and, undoubtedly, it wasn’t regarded as an exotic beverage worth $4 to $5 a cup. Instead it was a common beverage savored for its bold taste and “perky” properties.

Legends and History

Interestingly, despite the “common”
feel it has developed over the centuries,
One of the legends surrounding the
origins of coffee involves a 9th cen-
tury goat herder named Kaldi from
Kaffa, which is located in present day
Ethiopia. While tending his flock, he
noticed them frisking about and “danc-
ing” after eating the wild coffee cherries.
He tried the fruit himself, experienced
the effects of the caffeine, and took the
coffee cherries to a monk in a monas-
tery nearby to share the benefits. Instead
of trying the fruit, the monk threw
the cherries into the fire to de-
stroy them. The fire roasted
their seeds, more commonly
known today as beans, and
created a delicious aroma.
Quickly, the monk raked the
coffee beans out of the fire,
ground them, and added water
creating, supposedly, the first
cup of coffee. After this discov-
ery, legend has it that monks
used coffee to help them stay
awake during their prayer vigils.
Around 1100 A.D. Arabian
traders brought coffee beans to
their country, now called Yemen,
and cultivated them. Although
wine was forbidden by the Koran,
the beverage created from boiling
the beans in water—despite its stim-
ulating effects—wasn’t banned.

In the mid-1400s the Ottoman Turks brought the beverage to Constantinople where spices were added to create a more exotic flavor. Within In 1454 the Mufti of Aden, a ruler in Ethiopia, helped spread the popularity of coffee as far as Mecca. Consequently,