A HISTORY & LINEAGE OF COFFEE
COFFEE PLAYED A LARGE ROLE IN HISTORY AND LITERATURE FROM BACH’S COFFEE CANTATA TO
NAPOLEON’S MUSSING THE FINER POINTS OF COFFEE WHILE CONQUERING EUROPE. COFFEE HAS HAD
PROFOUND EFFECTS ON THE CULTURES WHEREVER IT IS PRODUCED OR CONSUMED. COFFEE AS A SPECIES
HAS ITS GENESIS IN ETHIOPIA. THROUGH CENTURIES OF CULTIVATION AND TRADE, THE PLANT WAS
TRANSPORTED TO THE ISLAMIC WORLD THROUGH THE PORT CITY OF AL MUCHTA (MOCHA) IN YEMEN THEN
SPREAD TO THE WIDER WORLD.
FOR CENTURIES THE MUSLIM WORLD HELD A MONOPOLY IN THE INTERNATIONAL COFFEE TRADE. THIS TRADE WAS SO FIERCELY PROTECTED; THAT THE EXPORT “LIVE” SEEDS AND PLANTS OUTSIDE OF THE MUSLIM WORLD WAS ILLEGAL. THAT IS UNTIL THE DUTCH ESTABLISHMENT OF THE UNIVERSAL COFFEE NURSERY IN 1706, AN EVENT THAT CHANGED THE COFFEE WORLD FOREVER. TODAY, ONE CAN TRACE THE LINEAGE OF VIRTUALLY EVERY COMMERCIAL COFFEE PLANT OUTSIDE OF THE ETHIOPIAN AND ARABIC WORLD TO THE UNIVERSAL COFFEE NURSERY AT THE AMSTERDAM BOTANICAL GARDEN.
A GIFT OF A SINGLE PLANT FROM THE UNIVERSAL COFFEE NURSERY TO FRENCH KING LOUIS XIV SPAWNED TWO ADVENTS IN COFFEE. FIRST THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BOURBON LINE OF COFFEES, INCUBATED ON TINY REUNION ISLAND OFF THE COAST OF MADAGASCAR. THE SECOND CONSEQUENCE WAS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF COFFEE PLANTATIONS THROUGH THE FRENCH COLONIES IN THE NEW WORLD WHEN REUNION'S PLANTATIONS PROVED LESS THAN PROFITABLE.
THE LEADING EUROPEAN PORT CITY OF VENICE ENJOYED VIBRANT TRADE BETWEEN THE NORTH AFRICAN MUSLIM WORLD WHICH BROUGHT A LARGE VARIETY OF AFRICAN GOODS, INCLUDING COFFEE TO ITALY. VENETIAN MERCHANTS INTRODUCED COFFEE TO THE WEALTHY IN VENICE AND WAS LATER "BAPTIZED" BY POPE CLEMENT VIII IN 1600 DESPITE APPEALS TO BAN THE MUSLIM DRINK. THE FIRST EUROPEAN COFFEE HOUSE OUTSIDE OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY OPENED IN ITALY IN 1645.
IN THE 16TH CENTURY THE BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY AND THE DUTCH EAST INDIA COMPANY INTRODUCED COFFEE TO ENGLAND. THE FIRST COFFEEHOUSE IN ENGLAND WAS OPENED IN ST. MICHAEL'S ALLEY IN CORNHILL BY PASQUA ROSÉE, THE SERVANT OF DANIEL EDWARDS, A TRADER IN TURKISH GOODS. EDWARDS IMPORTED THE COFFEE AND ASSISTED ROSÉE IN SETTING UP THE ESTABLISHMENT. BY 1675, THERE WERE MORE THAN 3,000 COFFEEHOUSES IN ENGLAND ALONE A TRADITION THAT WOULD EVENTUALLY SPREAD TO AMERICA.
FOR CENTURIES THE MUSLIM WORLD HELD A MONOPOLY IN THE INTERNATIONAL COFFEE TRADE. THIS TRADE WAS SO FIERCELY PROTECTED; THAT THE EXPORT “LIVE” SEEDS AND PLANTS OUTSIDE OF THE MUSLIM WORLD WAS ILLEGAL. THAT IS UNTIL THE DUTCH ESTABLISHMENT OF THE UNIVERSAL COFFEE NURSERY IN 1706, AN EVENT THAT CHANGED THE COFFEE WORLD FOREVER. TODAY, ONE CAN TRACE THE LINEAGE OF VIRTUALLY EVERY COMMERCIAL COFFEE PLANT OUTSIDE OF THE ETHIOPIAN AND ARABIC WORLD TO THE UNIVERSAL COFFEE NURSERY AT THE AMSTERDAM BOTANICAL GARDEN.
A GIFT OF A SINGLE PLANT FROM THE UNIVERSAL COFFEE NURSERY TO FRENCH KING LOUIS XIV SPAWNED TWO ADVENTS IN COFFEE. FIRST THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BOURBON LINE OF COFFEES, INCUBATED ON TINY REUNION ISLAND OFF THE COAST OF MADAGASCAR. THE SECOND CONSEQUENCE WAS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF COFFEE PLANTATIONS THROUGH THE FRENCH COLONIES IN THE NEW WORLD WHEN REUNION'S PLANTATIONS PROVED LESS THAN PROFITABLE.
THE LEADING EUROPEAN PORT CITY OF VENICE ENJOYED VIBRANT TRADE BETWEEN THE NORTH AFRICAN MUSLIM WORLD WHICH BROUGHT A LARGE VARIETY OF AFRICAN GOODS, INCLUDING COFFEE TO ITALY. VENETIAN MERCHANTS INTRODUCED COFFEE TO THE WEALTHY IN VENICE AND WAS LATER "BAPTIZED" BY POPE CLEMENT VIII IN 1600 DESPITE APPEALS TO BAN THE MUSLIM DRINK. THE FIRST EUROPEAN COFFEE HOUSE OUTSIDE OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY OPENED IN ITALY IN 1645.
IN THE 16TH CENTURY THE BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY AND THE DUTCH EAST INDIA COMPANY INTRODUCED COFFEE TO ENGLAND. THE FIRST COFFEEHOUSE IN ENGLAND WAS OPENED IN ST. MICHAEL'S ALLEY IN CORNHILL BY PASQUA ROSÉE, THE SERVANT OF DANIEL EDWARDS, A TRADER IN TURKISH GOODS. EDWARDS IMPORTED THE COFFEE AND ASSISTED ROSÉE IN SETTING UP THE ESTABLISHMENT. BY 1675, THERE WERE MORE THAN 3,000 COFFEEHOUSES IN ENGLAND ALONE A TRADITION THAT WOULD EVENTUALLY SPREAD TO AMERICA.