The Devil's Brew: How Coffee Conquered the World
| From Ethiopian goat herds to the Venetian marketplace: tracking the controversial and revolutionary journey of the world's most popular stimulant.
The Goatherd and the Dancing Beans
The legend of coffee’s origin begins in the Ethiopian highlands around 850 AD with a goatherd named Kaldi. He noticed his goats became energetic after eating red berries from a specific shrub. He shared his discovery with a local monastery, where a skeptical monk declared them “the work of the devil” and tossed them into a fire.
The resulting aroma, however, was so intoxicating that the monks quickly raked the beans from the embers, crushed them, and mixed them with hot water—creating the world’s first accidental brewed coffee.
From Mecca to the Coffee Houses
By the 15th century, coffee had reached the Arabian Peninsula, specifically Yemen, where it was cultivated and traded through the port of Mocha. It was initially used by Sufi mystics to stay awake during long religious devotions.
When coffee arrived in Europe via Venetian traders in the 17th century, it was again met with religious suspicion and branded the “bitter invention of Satan.” The controversy was resolved when Pope Clement VIII, upon tasting the beverage, famously declared:
“This devil’s drink is so delicious… we should cheat the devil by baptizing it!”
This endorsement cemented its fate. Coffee houses quickly became known as “Penny Universities” in London, acting as vital centers for intellectual exchange, business, and political discussion, fueling the Enlightenment and the modern economy.
