Coffee is a brewed beverage prepared from the roasted or baked seeds of several species of

an evergreen shrub of the genus Coffea. The two most common sources of coffee beans are
the highly regarded Coffea arabica, and the "robusta" form of the hardier Coffea canephora.
The latter is resistant to the coffee leaf rust (Hemileia vastatrix), but has a more bitter taste.
Coffee plants are cultivated in more than 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America,
Southeast Asia, and Africa. Once ripe, coffee "berries" are picked, processed, and dried to
yield the seeds inside. The seeds are then roasted to varying degrees, depending on the
desired flavor, before being ground and brewed to create coffee.

Coffee is slightly acidic (pH 5.05.1[1]) and can have a stimulating effect on humans because
of its caffeine content. It is one of the most popular drinks in the world.[2] It can be prepared
and presented in a variety of ways. The effect of coffee on human health has been a subject of
many studies; however, results have varied in terms of coffee's relative benefit.[3] The
majority of recent research suggests that moderate coffee consumption is benign or mildly
beneficial in healthy adults. However, coffee can worsen the symptoms of conditions such as
anxiety, largely due to the caffeine and diterpenes it contains.[citation needed]

Coffee cultivation first took place in southern Arabia;[4] the earliest credible evidence of
coffee-drinking appears in the middle of the 15th century in the Sufi shrines of Yemen.[4] In
East Africa and Yemen, coffee was used in native religious ceremonies. As these ceremonies
conflicted with the beliefs of the Christian church, the Ethiopian Church banned the secular
consumption of coffee until the reign of Emperor Menelik II.[5] The beverage was also
banned in Ottoman Turkey during the 17th century for political reasons[6] and was associated
with rebellious political activities in Europe.

An important export commodity, coffee was the top agricultural export for twelve countries
in 2004,[7] and it was the world's seventh-largest legal agricultural export by value in 2005.[8]
Green (unroasted) coffee is one of the most traded agricultural commodities in the world.[9]
Some controversy is associated with coffee cultivation and its impact on the environment.
Consequently, organic coffee is an expanding market.
In the Ethiopian highlands, where the legend of Kaldi, the goatherd, originated, coffee trees grow
today as they have for centuries. Though we will never know with certainty, there probably is some
truth to the Kaldi legend.

It is said that he discovered coffee after noticing that his goats, upon eating berries from a certain
tree, became so spirited that they did not want to sleep at night.

Kaldi dutifully reported his findings to the abbot of the local monastery who made a drink with the
berries and discovered that it kept him alert for the long hours of evening prayer. Soon the abbot
had shared his discovery with the other monks at the monastery, and ever so slowly knowledge of
the energizing effects of the berries began to spread. As word moved east and coffee reached the
Arabian peninsula, it began a journey which would spread its reputation across the globe.

Today coffee is grown in a multitude of countries around the world. Whether it is Asia or Africa,
Central or South America, the islands of the Caribbean or Pacific, all can trace their heritage to the
trees in the ancient coffee forests on the Ethiopian plateau.
Coffee Comes to Europe

European travellers to the Near East brought back stories of the unusual dark black beverage.
By the 17th century, coffee had made its way to Europe and was becoming popular across the
continent. Opponents were overly cautious, calling the beverage the 'bitter invention of
Satan.' With the coming of coffee to Venice in 1615, the local clergy condemned it. The
controversy was so great that Pope Clement VIII was asked to intervene. Before making a
decision however, he decided to taste the beverage for himself. He found the drink so
satisfying that he gave it Papal approval.

Despite such controversy, in the major cities of England,

Austria, France, Germany and Holland, coffee houses were quickly becoming centers of
social activity and communication. In England 'penny universities' sprang up, so called
because for the price of a penny one could purchase a cup of coffee and engage in stimulating
conversation. By the mid-17th century, there were over 300 coffee houses in London, many
of which attracted patrons with common interests, such as merchants, shippers, brokers and
artists.

Many businesses grew out of these specialized coffee houses. Lloyd's of London, for
example, came into existence at the Edward Lloyd's Coffee House.