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Wake up and smell the coffee! 
Submitted By: XXXXXDate of Submission: 2008 5-05Teachers Name: XXXXXCourse Code: XXXXXX
 
Background Info
Coffee is one of the world’s most popular drinks of all time. It has become the“worlds most widely take legal drug.” Coffee-fiends around the world drink about“500 billion cups of coffee a years are consumer around the world, half of them atbreakfast.” Coffee was not always such an internationally renowned drink. Thereare many legends on the discovery of coffee. The most popular and universallegend, “said the bean was discovered by the frisky goats of an Ethiopiangoatherd called Kaldi.” (Coffee Culture)The middle-east has its own beliefs on the origin of the coffee bean. Another legend is about how coffee’s name originated from, “An Arabian was banished tothe desert with his followers to die of starvation. In desperation, Omar had hisfriends boil and eat the fruit from an unknown plant. Not only did the broth savethe exiles, but their survival was taken as a religious sign by the residents of thenearest town, Mocha. The plant and its beverage were named Mocha to honor this event.” (The History of Coffee)Religion is also tied to the origin of the coffee bean. “Another legend has it thatthe Prophet Mohammed had forbidden his followers to consume beverages of alcohol. It was most appropriate, then, that he should lead his people to asuitable substitute. This was accomplished when Mohammed lay ill on his sickbed and the Archangel Gabriel came to him with a cup of hot, steaming, darkroast. The Prophet took a sip and was immediately restored to health andvitality.” (Coffee History, 2006)There are also some “who credit the first coffee reports to Homer in the Odyssey.Homer describes an instance where Helena, daughter of Zeus, mixes a drink in abowl ‘which had the power of robbing grief and anger of their sting and banishingall painful memories.’ Presumably, the Gods sat around Mount Olympus sippingespresso.” (Coffee History, 2006)With respect to these legends, which have become the cultural identity for manypeople of Africa and the Middle-East, today we can accurately hypothesis wherecoffee originated. There is “botanical evidence indicates that the coffee plant
‘Coffea Arabica’ 
originated on the plateaus of central Ethiopia where it still growswild.” (Coffee History) Originally, coffee was not used as a drink like today. TheEthiopians warriors would eat them as a way to boost their energy for battle.“They would wrap the beans in animal fat as their only source of nutrition whileon raiding parties.” (The History of Coffee) This use of coffee is rarly used todayin the modern world.“Arabs were responsible for the spread of coffee.” (Coffee History, 2006) TheArabs had brought Coffee into the Arabian Peninsula, where Islamic philosopher,Avicenna described coffee as a drink that "fortifies the members, it cleans theskin, and dries up the humidities that are under it, and gives an excellent smell to
 
all the body." Coffee was a tremendous success throughout the Middle-East. “Bythe 13th Century Arabian Qahveh (Coffee) houses serving the drink had becomevery popular.” (Coffee History, 2004) Arabian plantation owners and tradersmade great efforts to protect their lucrative monopoly. (Coffee History, 2006)The Arabs kept a tight position on trade of coffee, only allowing roasted coffeefrom leaving Arab nations.Eventually The Arabs lost their position in the coffee trade to the Ottomans, whoconquered the Middle-East. The Turks were in a position to control the worldwide“trade in coffee throughout most of the 15th and 16th century.” The Ottomanstried to prevent the spread of Coffee so they could maintain a monopoly buteventually the bean spread towards Europe. “Reports of coffee being smuggledacross the Alps start around 1600.” (Coffee History, 2006)At first, the Europeans believed Coffee was an evil drink, but once the Popebaptized the drink, they brought coffee into the world economy and made it oneof the largest commodities in the world. Coffee also entered European cultureand tradition, with Coffee Houses sprawling across the continent.
European Coffee Houses
Coffee was relatively unknown in the western world until “in 1615, the firstshipment of coffee arrived in Europe at Venice from Turkey. Coffee housesquickly spread through Italy and Vienna, and soon most of Europe.” (CoffeeHistory, 2004) The drink was an instant success in Europe. People of Europewere quickly addicted the caffeinated drink. The first European coffee house in atraditional sense, opened in England in 1637. (Coffee History, 2006)Coffee Houses in Europe “have been centers of political and philosophicalactivity.” They have been known a place where gentlemen could meet anddiscuss politics, social issues and religion freely. At first coffee houses were seenas a threat to the European kings, they were banned by many countries.Eventually, people were too addicted to coffee to let it go away, the kingsrealized that they also could profit from the trade in coffee and placed a tax onthe sale of coffee. “At the height of their popularity, more than 2,000coffeehouses flourished in England.” Throughout Europe, many people gatheredand gossiped “over coffee to talk about Goethe or Beethoven, as well as thelatest births, marriages and scandals.” (Coffee History, 2006)Coffee did not only change the drinking habits of Europeans but also changedhow they think socially and politically. The Europeans also created differentstyles of drinks and habits for coffee drinkers. “Espresso came from Neapolitanimpatience; they couldn't wait for coffee to be brewed.” Famous artists and socialthinkers were addicted to the aromatic coffee. “Balzac is reputed to have drunk40 cups of coffee a day.” (Coffee Culture) Coffee helped Balzac keep his workhabits which kept him asleep during the day and writing by night.
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