Buffered caffeine ramblings on the topics of coffee, healthy living and diet, mixed in with young adventures of our three boys along the way. Enjoying the opportunity to share tips and recommendations on our success to help our readers.
So how did we end up with our favorite morning beverage? The story of coffee has its beginnings in Ethiopia, the birthplace of the Arabica coffee plant.
It is said that more than 1,000, years ago a lone goat shepherd and his flock came across a strange and mysterious plant growing upon a secluded and forgotten hillside in Ethiopia’s southwestern highlands. The shepherd noticed that his sheep were behaving in an odd manner after they had eaten the berries and leaves of the strange bush; Not only were they unusually alert, but they also appeared to be extremely hyperactive, running full of excitement and energy.
The shepherd decided to try some of the berries and leaves, and to his pleasant surprise, he too began to feel energized and very alert.
After a few hours had passed, along came a wandering monk who, after being informed of the plants amazing qualities, proceeded to take some of the bush’s fruit and branches, and then set upon his journey. Back at the monastery the monks decided to try this new and exciting substance. Soon the endless hours of praying were endured with the greatest of ease.
Its widespread use took a grip in the Ethiopian lands and later migrated on to the Arabian outlands about 600 years ago. By the 15th century, coffee had reached Persia, Egypt, Turkey, and northern Africa. Here it was to be held for many years as a sacred substance, becoming the substitute beverage in spiritual practice in place of wine where wine was forbidden. It was eventually to be unlawfully exported (the Arabs were not allowed to export the plant or unroasted beans) by a merchant, thus beginning its journey around the world. From the Muslim world, coffee first spread to Europe and became popular there during the 17th century. In 1787 the story of coffee’s journey around the world came full circle when the British laid foundations of Kenya’s coffee industry by introducing plants to British East Africa right next to neighboring Ethiopia, where coffee had first been discovered. Within a few years, coffee was to emerge as one of the most valued commodities of all time.
