In honor of National Coffee Day, I’ve put together a very brief history of coffee. Note that this post absolutely gives undue weight-in-word-count to the more entertaining aspects of our favorite drink’s past.
Thank the Goats
The histo
ry of that rejuvenating elixir of life you drink every morning (and afternoon, and night for some of us) begins in Ethiopia, where coffee originated. And you can thank the goats.
According to legend, a goat herder named Kaldi noticed that when his goats ate the berries from the Coffea plant, they seemed to have an extra pep in their step. Kaldi tried the berries himself and experienced the same boost. Excited, Kaldi took the berries to a neighboring Islamic monastery. The monks did not share Kaldi’s enthusiasm and threw the berries into the fire. The coffee beans, now roasted, were salvaged from the fire, and the world had its first cup of coffee.
Or maybe it was the birds. Continue reading A Brief History of Coffee