GROUND UP
A History of Coffee.
CONTENTS
Origins Arabic Coffee Sex and Coffee Coffee and The Pope Baba Budan Coffee Reaches Vienna Italian Coffee Coffee En France The London Coffee House South America The Second Wave Vietnam Fairtrade
4
THE ORIGINS 11th Century
Ethiopia
Coffee was first discovered in the highlands of Ethiopia; its original birthplace and also ours. And, all the while that we grew, cultivated and colonised, coffee spread around the globe, capturing the continents and becoming what is now the most widely consumed beverage in the entire world, other than water.
Pt 1. The Origins
Way back in the 11th century, when man first laid eyes on the red berries in which coffee beans are encased, he was yet to discover the power these jasmine scented bushes with their blood red berries would have over the lives of so many people. There are no exact records to confirm how the first coffee was brewed, nor who laid claim to discovering the effect of the stimulant it contains but Ethiopian myth is a good a place as any to start. They tell of a goatherd named Kaldi, pitched up in the highlands, guarding his flock, when he noticed something strange happening to animals. The goats seemed more alert than usual, high spirited even and while he watched they became increasingly energetic. Determined to root out the cause of his dancing goats Kaldi studied their behaviour and eventually unearthed the source; the red berries of the coffee plant
THE FIRST CUP Kaldi had watched as his normally mild mannered animals had taken to nibbling on the fruits of this strange bush and how shortly afterwards they became skittish and energetic. He believed this to be the source of their frenzy. Kaldi was curious to experience the effects for himself and he too chewed on the berries. His sudden exhilaration was the only encouragement he needed to gather more of the fruit and bring them to an Islamic monk, housed in a nearby monastery. The monk, however, did not share Kaldi’s enthusiasm for the new found plant and he threw them into the fire to put an end to the matter However, as they burnt, an enticing aroma filled the room. The delicious scent of the roasting beans billowed out from the embers and the blackened fruits were swiftly raked from flames, ground up and dissolved in water. The world’s first cup of coffee...
The Legend of Kaldi
6
Ethiopia
In line with all good myths surrounding discoveries there is room for dissent. The leap from coffee beans burning in embers to grounds being dissolved in water to make our beloved drink is a fetched long stretch. How did that clever monk know those coffee beans needed grinding and that water would transform the black dust into a luxurious beverage? Someone did so why not him? Why not just go with the story and be grateful for crazy Ethiopian goats and their observant goatherd. The Ethiopians still hold coffee dear to them and it is very much entrenched in
their culture. The plants still grow in the mountains as they have for centuries, but now they are also farmed and harvested by families to provide a livelihood. The magic behind the bean is still prominent in their society and strong rituals are maintained to ensure that the beverage is enjoyed with the respect and care that it deserves. Women roast the beans and the drink is blessed by the spirits of fertility and prosperity before being shared amongst the rest of the family.
Pt 1. The Origins
FERTILITY & PROSPERITY Fertility and prosperity; could there be two more appropriate blessings? No one could deny that coffee is a stimulant, it’s fact. Caffeine stimulates the mind and body but can it be credited with increasing fertility? Coffee has struggled a little over time with people slapping down stamps of belief on its ability to either increase or decrease one’s sex drive. Coffee and sex have been coupled over the centuries. Surely it is a sexy drink; Its hot for a start. Then there is the tantalising smell, the downward tilt of the gaze into the rich pool of black liquid. It is dark, steamy and alluring with the promise of how good it will make us feel. All over the world customs surrounding how and when we drink coffee reflect our love affair with it. We take time and care to consider the mugs we use, the coffee we drink and the mechanisms we use to brew our favourite beverage. There is even something sexy about the smooth cylindrical shape of a cafetiere, the soft curves of the handle, the slow pour as the liquid waterfalls into our mugs. But let’s not get carried away or worse, fall prey to the grasp of the many a dire television commercial.
10
1511
ARABIC COFFEE Back to the facts. The Arabs were the first to really cultivate and trade coffee. They quickly became accustomed to beverage and accepted it warmly into their culture. Vast amounts of time and money were dedicated to coffee houses and they swiftly grew into vast social hubs attracting custom from all levels of social society. In these houses, people participated in numerous activities, games, song, dance and general merriment and of course when humans are in company with one another, sharing interests, they begin to share stories, ideas and most importantly; opinions.
THE GOVERNOR OF MECCA VS COFFEE
Pt.2. Arabic Coffee
THE SULTAN OF CAIRO However, there were those who were suspicious of the joy surrounding coffee. Some were less than delighted by the idea that men of all social status were gathering en mass to share and exchange their views. One man in particular took exception. It was 1511 and the governor of Mecca had become aware that the subject of politics was swiftly becoming the hot topic of conversation amongst these social gatherings and it began to make him uneasy. It is in such circumstances, fuelled by caffeine and a sense of togetherness, that revolutions could take shape and he found this possibility unsettling. He had begun to suspect that his name might be bandied about in less than flattering terms.
He was not wrong. It was quite true that he had become a particularly popular source of jovial banter and a popular pastime amongst the men was to make up satirical verses, mocking the Governor. The Governor became so riled by the stories that he felt it necessary to attempt to ban coffee houses entirely and put a stop to the wrongdoings that he felt he was being subjected to. He pushed the campaign as far as he could, but his position only allowed him limited power. The next stage in the process would mean a steep move up the chain of command to the Sultan of Cairo himself.
X 12
NO ALCOHOL NO DRUGS YES COFFEE?
To have a fighting chance of the law reaching approval the Governor called on the words of The Quran to aid him not for the first or last time in history religion was brought into the debate. The line he used was that Coffee is made with beans which contain caffeine, caffeine is a drug and the Quran strictly prohibits the use of any mind altering substances. If Muslims were forbidden alcohol and other drugs, why should there be an exception for coffee? It is a fairly indisputable argument, the governor had a point. However, before the law could be set it had to be approved by the Sultan. Unfortunately for the governor, and fortunately for the rest of the world, the Sultan loved his coffee. He disputed the law immediately and the defeated Governor was left to face the bitter knowledge that not only would coffee continue to be consumed, and coffee houses remain open, but the new attention that had been brought to the beverage did anything but decrease its popularity. Rather, it fuelled it. The possibility that coffee could have been banished altogether did not only make it more valued, but also more exciting and coffee culture continued to spread until it had reached the Turks.
Turkey
Pt. 2. Arabic Coffee
‘The heart wants neither coffee or coffee houses, the heart wants a friend - coffee is only the excuse’. When coffee reached Turkey in the 1500s it was welcomed with open arms and the beverage was enjoyed at home as well as in the many public coffee houses -- called qahveh khaneh -- that had started to spring up. The popularity of the coffee houses was unrivalled and people frequented them for a fine array of different social activity. Not only did they drink coffee and engage in conversation, they listened to music, watched performers, played chess and kept up to date with the news of the day. In fact, they quickly became such an important centre for the exchange of information that the coffee houses were often referred to as ‘Schools of the Wise.’ They were so fond of the lifestyle that surrounded coffee that it was the social get-togethers that really stole their hearts. They have a phrase which is still used today and translates as ‘The heart wants neither coffee nor coffee houses, the heart wants a friend - coffee is only the excuse’.
1500s
14
Turkey
?
As social beings who have continued to gravitate towards each other over time it is interesting to consider the Turk’s ideas of the correlation between coffee and socialising in everyday life. Of course, there would be no coffee houses without coffee, but would the same be true in reverse order? Does drinking coffee hold us together? Is coffee the great social equaliser?
Turkish women might argue that coffee was just another activity that men did somewhere else. They certainly did not participate in the activities of the coffee houses; they drank coffee in the comfort of their own homes due to the segregation rule .and even among the women there was inequality of course. If you had the dubious honour of being a lady of the Sultan’s Harem you were able to involve yourself in the luxurious splendour of coffee time in an atmosphere of languorous tranquillity, set up by the Sultan. And why not extend your coffee break by spinning it out with
a new twist on an old theme. Some might call it time-wasting while the ladies of the harem called it fortune telling. Either way, the women of the harem turned these languorous moments to good use. Once they had finished their coffee tellers were required to read the grounds that remained in the bottom of their cups. The answers would tell them which one of them the Sultan loved most and whether or not they were satisfying him.
Pt. 2. Arabic Coffee
TASSEOGRAPHY Coffee fortune telling is still a tradition in Turkey and is called ‘Tasseography’. To begin the fortune telling ritual, the drinker must first drink all the liquid, leaving a small amount to mix in with the grounds. It is these coffee grounds left at the bottom of the cup that will be used for fortune telling. Before the grounds can be read, the cup must first be covered with a saucer, then turned upside down and facing the person whose fortune will be told. In this process, the small amount of coffee left in the cup will drain, leaving the grounds to settle and create patterns from which symbols can be read. There are a large range of symbols to look for and each one suggests a different meaning. Most of which are positive signs for the future, or the past.
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COFFEE CAUSES HOMOSEXUALITY?!
1571
During the 1500s Turkey’s coffee houses were strictly segregated and for a while this was a happy existence, at least for the men and the coffee merchants. But there will always be someone who sees potential for trouble This time men were seen to be spending way too much time in close proximity with one another and in 1571 the Venetian ambassador to Turkey wrote back home to inform of his suspicions. He had witnessed men spending large amounts of their time in the company of other men and what with the absence of women and the known stimulating effects of caffeine rumours started to fly. Not helped, of course, by the ambassador taking it upon himself to urge others that coffee ‘turned’ men and soldiers in particular were considered to be homosexual because of their excessive drinking habits.
Around that time there was also the ludicrous belief that if one consumed certain foods it was possible that you could actually change sex. That your genitalia could shrink back inside your body and become a vagina. So naturally, the completely logical theory that coffee caused men to become homosexual arose and followed coffee around Europe, where it was initially met by Christians with much distaste. Referred to originally as ‘The Muslim Drink’ it was greeted with great suspicion. Women, who were still kept separate from the male fuelled chatter of the coffee houses, decided to blame coffee for pretty much everything from encouraging homosexuality, to decreasing vitality.
Pt. 3. Sex & Coffee In fact, the issue was neither. The real root of the problem was not in the drink itself but the nature of the activities that surrounded the social grandeur. A man’s world was created and gentlemen would gather in their coffee houses and muse over ideas. Encouraged by the fact that rather than drinking quantities of alcohol, that made them drowsy and less coherent, they were suddenly blessed with feeling more alert, sharper, wittier, more profound and this made them able to chatter away their time and ideas and theories would begin to develop. Men absolutely loved these opportunities to talk about themselves, amongst themselves and the phenomenon of coffee houses reached London.
COFFEE KILLS... It was the 1600s when coffee houses began to take off in Britain’s capital city and although pubs and taverns were open to all, coffee houses were still considered a place for men. It is no wonder that the ‘Maidens of London’ were a little put out by their exclusion from these venues and the idea that coffee was to blame for their husband’s lack of sexual interest began to spread quickly. The fact of the matter is that although coffee was not to blame for the lack of sexual urges, the neglected women were not entirely off the mark.
...VITALITY
1600
20
1664
'COFFEE LE TO TRIFLE A TIME, SCA CHOPS, AN THEIR MON A LITTLE BA THICK, NAS STINKING N PUDDLE
Pt. 3. Sex & Coffee
EADS MEN AWAY THEIR ALD THEIR ND SPEND NEY, ALL FOR ASE, BLACK, STY, BITTER, NAUSEOUS WATER.'
22
Brothels had been moved to sit above coffee houses and after an afternoon of bravado in the presence of other males, the men would retire to the brothels above for a final treat for themselves. It is no shock that after these endeavours, men were coming home to their wives a little less than up for it and rumours escalated that coffee was to blame for their notable lack of performance. These associations naturally caused women to be very anti-coffee and men, naturally, quite the opposite. They of course did not waste their breath telling their wives of all the features of coffee culture and so, in 1664, the ‘Women’s Petition against Coffee’ was published...
*heathen: not acknowledging the God of Christianity and Judaism and Islam
1664
London
...Excessive use of that newfangled, abominable, *heathenish liquor called coffee, which riffling nature of her choicest treasures, and drying up the radical moisture, has so eunucht our husbands, and crippled our more kind gallants, that they are become as impotent as age, and as unfruitful as those deserts where that unhappy berry is said to be brought.
Pt. 3. Sex & Coffee The women were not successful and their petition was ignored. Flying in the faces of their female adversaries coffee houses began to not only house the coffee, but in some respects the men too. They were getting mail and newspapers delivered to these addresses, rather than their actual homes and as their frivolity continued, women became increasingly bitter, and as you would imagine, rather frustrated. By the 1700s, there had been a bit of a turnaround. Coffee was now being branded by ‘experts’ as a provider of increased sexual pleasure. Wives has unofficially outlawed coffee on the grounds that men were now beginning to think for themselves as opposed to going about their days under a blanket of alcohol and were actually, generally just far more sober than they had been previously. Could it be that actually, coffee was not the cause for lack or gain of sex drive, it was alcohol. Shock horror, if your husband isn’t
drunk he tends to tackle sex with a little more vigour and by the time the women got their hands on the stuff too, attitudes took a dramatic U-turn. It now became a matter of make or break and men were forced to provide coffee for their wives. If they did not, this was considered grounds for divorce. No pun intended... Coffee became such an important factor in women’s lives that they began to make claims on the apparatus to ensure that it would never leave their persons. Should a divorce paper be issued, the contracted terms were that the women would be left in procession of the coffee pot. It was a world full of coffee junkies and they were not prepared to give up their new found alertness, or their newly improved sex lives.
1700s
24
COFFEE CAUSES...
INCRE
Pt. 3. Sex & Coffee
EASED SEXUAL PLEASURE
21st Century
Pt. 2. Sex & Coffee
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In the modern day, eyebrows would be raised at the theory of coffee being the catalyst of good sex, but consider what high percentage of people still meet for coffee on first dates and it is not all that far-fetched to consider that caffeine, a stimulant, could encourage better sex, rather than alcohol, a sedative. High-end coffeemaker and machine company Capresso were not adverse to the claims and in 2001 they carried out a survey to see how serious people were about their coffee. They asked sexually active, coffee drinking adults if they would rather give up coffee, sex, internet, chocolate or excuses. Naturally no one chose sex, but it is well worth noting that coffee was seconded on the list of priorities. Whether we admit it or not, sex and coffee are both up there together in our list of human needs and life would be rather less exhilarating without them.
COFFEE & THE POPE Pt. 4. Coffee & The Pope
28
?
So, if coffee was initially seen as such a sinful beverage and so heavily shunned by the Europeans, what was it that allowed it to enter our homes at all? How did this ‘Muslim Drink’ with its devilish connotations, become welcomed into the heart of our culture?
Well, it was all thanks to the Pope really...
1615
European travellers visiting the Near East had brought back stories of this new, 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.’ When coffee had reached Venice in 1615, the local clergy condemned it. It was engulfed in such great controversy that the Pope Clement VIII was called to intervene. Before making a decision however, he decided to taste the beverage for himself. He succumbed to the satisfaction of the drink and developed such a taste for it that he baptised it and it was given the Papal approval. Once again, religion steps in and plants a holy foot right in the middle of an argument, leaving more confusion and opportunity for trouble than before.
Pt. 4. Coffee & The Pope
‘BITTER INVENTION OF SATAN.’
Coffee makes us sev philoso
vere, and grave, and ophical.
Jonathan Swift
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BABA BU 17th Century
India
Back in Turkey, the life of your average man had been so enriched by the discovery of coffee that he took full ownership of the drink and was in no hurry to share the secrets of his precious coffee culture. Money could of course be made by exporting the bean but merchants put forward measures to insure that coffee was kept well within their reign and any coffee beans that were exported were hard boiled first so that they could not be used to grow further plants and therefore were theoretically able to prevent the spread of their highly treasured produce. Of course, if you try and keep something out of reach of others, it only makes them want it more and the Turks faced the threat of many intruders attempting to smuggle beans out to their own countries. It has been suggested that one man, Baba Budan, was the bean smuggling genius of the age.
Baba Budan was an Indian. A religious man who first travelled to the Middle East on a pilgrimage in the 17th Century. But his journey became less about the spiritual and more about the actual. He was said to have taped seven fertile seeds around his stomach, risking severe punishment for the chance to cultivate his own coffee in India. It would seem he was successful as not only did the beans germinate into a thriving coffee plantation in his own land but it launched the global spread of coffee. After this, the progression of the beans marched rapidly across the rest of the world. The Dutch got hold of the seeds and set to work growing their own coffee in greenhouses in Amsterdam before moving them over to their colonies in Java where they enslaved natives and forced them to work on coffee plantations. From there the farmers gifted plants to friends, allies and royalty and the spread, reputation and future of the coffee plant was assured.
Pt. 5. Baba Budan
UDAN
1683
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THE SIEGE OF
VIENNA 1683
Vienna
It was during a penultimate moment in the Siege of Vienna in 1683 that coffee received another fortunate push. The siege was attempted by the Ottoman Empire (or the Turkish Empire as it has been known more simply). The Arabic army who had been sent by the Sultan to conquer the west, had taken up their post around the gates of Vienna. The city was surrounded and about to succumb to their fate, the Viennese frantically made plans to call for allies and a plan to contact the French troops was conceived. A Polish nobleman named Jerzy Franciszek Kulczycki who had lived amongst Arabs for a while after being captured by the Turks and later sold to Serbian merchants who needed a translator. He was fluent in Ukrainian, Turkish, German, Hungarian, Romanian, and Polish and he habitually dressed himself in Turkish attire
and passed through the Arab groups undetected, singing Ottoman songs. His disguise was so believable that slipped his way through Europe and successfully delivered an SOS to France. The message was received and reinforcements were sent, causing the Arabic army to flee in panic. In their haste, they left behind a treasure; their coffee. The people of Vienna were not familiar with the bean and naively began to burn the bags in which they were contained, under the pretence that they were merely useless camel fodder. Kulczycki however, with his knowledge of Arabic culture knew the value that they held and did his best to intervene. He rescued the coffee and it was he that opened Vienna’s first ever coffee house - The Blue Bottle..
Pt. 6. Coffee Reaches Vienna
Jerzy Franciszek Kulczyck
*
The people of Vienna were not used to the bitter taste of this new dark beverage and so they added milk and sugar to sweeten the drink, The first flat white with sugar.
40
30 YEARS
200 Italy
As coffee exports continued to grow the Turks decided it was time to openly share their once so heavily protected plant with Venice and within a timescale of 30 years 200 cafes had opened in the city. The most famous being The Florian. Cafe culture hit Italy by storm and it is now one of the most renowned coffee strongholds in the entire world. Creating the Cappuccino, and of course the Espresso.
Pt. 7. Italian Coffee
*
The Espresso is a strong flavoured coffee served in a small cup and the Italians love them. They came about thanks to impatient customers wanting their daily coffee fixes as quickly as possible, drumming their fingers on the counter and demanding poor baristas speed up, thereby causing them to apply more pressure. This is how the espresso machine was also invented. Contrary to belief, although the espresso is strong in flavour it is actually weak in the amount of caffeine it provides and this is why the Italians are able to drink them so frequently – on a good day as many as ten. Should they attempt to drink as many American coffees as they do their own espressos, we would probably witness a lot of the signs of caffeine overdosing. It will come as no surprise that the Italians are as keen to make up rules surrounding the drinking of coffee as every other culture before it.
42
Italy
Pt. 7. Italian Coffee
EARNESTO ILLY. CHAIRMAN - ILLY COFFEE
“Coffee produces alertness and relaxation and this is what makes coffee so magic”.
44
MILKY COFFEES SUCH AS CAPPUCCINO, CAFÉ LATTE, LATTE MACCHIATO SHOULD ONLY BE DRUNK IN THE MORNINGS AND NEVER AFTER A MEAL. Italy
Pt. 7. Italian Coffee The Italians thoroughly disapprove of the idea of milk hitting a full stomach so bare that in mind after you have polished off your pasta. Also, coffee is to be consumed in hit; being seated is not required. It is seen rather more as a pleasurable drug, rather than a reason for sitting. To further ease the ability of fast consumption, coffee is also served at a temperature that allows it to be drunk straight away, do not expect your coffee to be served to you piping hot. You have to respect their style. Unfussy and effective. They package their coffee along the same lines often silver with minimal branding, to give an distinctive, quite clinical feel. If Italians and coffee go well together then the French are inseparable.
48
HONORÉ DE BALZAC. FRENCH AUTHOR AND POET
France
‘40 A DAY’ COFFEE DRINKER
Pt. 8. Cafe en France
SPARKS SHOOT ALL THE WAY TO THE BRAIN AND THE CALVARY OF METAPHOR DEPLOYS WITH A MAGNIFICENT GALLOP.
50
CafĂŠ en France 1600
Paris
By the 1600s the French had become quite famous for their love affair with coffee. Partially fuelled by the ambassador of Paris being a Turkish Sultan who set a craze for anything Arab; the dress, the interiors, coffee had taken Paris by storm.
...the french cafe was actually introduced by an Italian.
Moving on 300 years to the Belle Epoque we picture smoke filled cafes peopled with the most esteemed, talented, creative and intellectual beings. Artists and actors, politicians, writers and philosophers gathering together to drink coffee, muse and generally push the envelope. Subversive but somehow still chic, French coffee culture meant so much more than somewhere to dunk your croissant, delicious though that is. The French cafe was a breeding ground for ideas and creativity. The Parisian women embraced the new fashion and gathered to divulge in coffee, but also tea, cakes, chocolate and pastries. Particularly the rather delightful Turkish pastries, shaped and named after the crescent of the Turks that had been defeated that day in Vienna. What is being referred to is of course, the Croissant.
Pt. 8. Cafe en France
SACRÉ BLEU!
Pt. 8. Cafe en France
52
Women and men frequented the coffee houses in vast numbers to observe, drink and enjoy the splendour of cafe culture and the cafe society we enjoy today began to really emerge. With no beer or wine on the scene, here was a new way to make acquaintances, start relationships and just be seen. It was the conversation that made the coffee a success here, the French loved to talk and the coffee broke down barriers of conversation. It built bridges between the different classes, races and genders and ever since, the French set the standard.
France
LON DON
Pt. 9. The London Coffee House
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THE JAMAICA WINE HOUSE 1652
1700
At last in 1652 the first coffee house was opened in London by Pasqual Rosée. The Jamaica Wine House, now a pub, sits in the heart of London in a labyrinth of medieval ally ways. If you go there today you will be able to see the plaque on the wall outside which reads: ‘Here stood the first London Coffee house at the sign of the Pasqual Rosee’s Head 1652’. Like the Great Fire that was soon to engulf London the passion for coffee tore through the streets. By 1700, there were 2000 coffee houses in London alone! These coffee houses were known as Penny Universities as the cream of London’s intellectuals gathered to talk business and politics. With an entrance fee of a penny, your coin bought you access to all the coffee and conversation. The men discussed, gossiped and shared news and “runners” who were reporters went to each of the coffeehouses announcing bulletins of news to ensure these socialites were kept up to date.
By 1700 there were 2000 coffee houses in London alone! London
The concept of the Penny University meant that men from all social class and status were mingling together. As long as you could afford a penny you were allowed entry. Social classes were brought together under one roof and students often skipped class to come and converse with elders. Not for the first (or last) time it was women who were missing out. Segregated and unable to enter the coffee shops they sat at home in disapproval, jealousy and general discontent over the lure of the new drink.
Pt. 9. The London Coffee House
‘Here stood the first London Coffee house at the sign of the Pasqual Rosee’s Head’
The powers of a ma proportioned to the he dr
an’s mind are directly e quantity of coffee rinks.
SIr James Mackintosh
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A NICE CUP OF TEA. London
Leaving the women at home, the coffee house continued to thrive and before long they evolved into private men’s clubs. One can well imagine the sort of discussions and behaviours that such a testosterone and caffeine fuelled environment was promoting and it is no surprise that the women were keen to move swiftly on to something a little more refined. They began to cultivate the then lesser culture of the tea room, a place where women were allowed to reign free, and what’s more, bring children. The new clubs were no place for the young ones and the importance of ‘tea time’ became an essential part of the women’s day. A time to focus full attention on their children, gathered round a table, without bravado, just simple, quaint, tea.
Pt. 9. The London Coffee House The tea room was altogether a more democratic place for families to gather and like the coffee shops, the tea rooms were a sociable affair. Eventually, the women got what it was they had so desired and tea culture began to take over. The Brits had never been particularly good at making coffee and tea provided an altogether easier alternative. None of that roasting, grinding and brewing business. Just a pot, leaves and hot water. It took off and England never really looked back. Tea became the country’s drink of choice.
Tea had a certain charm, but mostly it had a price tag attached to it. As demand increased for tea to the British Isles, it was seen as a rare commodity and so the price rose. In 1660 two pounds, two ounces were formally presented to Charles II by the British East India Company and it was Charles’s Portuguese queen, Catherine of Braganza that introduced the act of drinking tea. The British East India Company began importing tea directly from China. Between 1720 and 1750 the imports of tea to Britain through the British East India Company more than quadrupled and the rest is history. Coffee was forgotten and until recently, the average Englishman drank as much coffee in a year as an Italian in two days!
*
Tea consumption grew in england but the rest of the continent continued their affair with coffee. By 1800, 100 million pounds of coffee was being consumed.
62
1720 Coffee reache Caribbea The Caribbean
Pt. 10. South America
es the an While Britain was sipping tea, the rest of the world would do anything for a decent cup of coffee. In 1720, a French lieutenant, Gabriel de Clieu, charmed one of the French king’s mistresses. After sleeping together she gave him a coffee plant which he carried with him on an ocean voyage to the Caribbean. He protected and nurtured the plant, even sharing half his water ration with it during times of drought. He fought off other passengers; a Dutchman ripped off the seedlings leaves in a bid to destroy it in the arms of the Frenchman. The lieutenant even protected the plant from pirates who boarded the ship during its perilous journey! Eventually, and somewhat deservedly, the lieutenant and the plant safely reached the island of Martinique where it was planted and soon plantations grew from French Guyana to Brazil and Central America. By 1790, half of all the coffee in the world was grown in Haiti and it is likely that many of the coffee plants covering the land to this day are descended from that one plant.
1720
1790
By 1816 there were o slaves in Brazil makin population and half o coffee pla
one and a half million ng up one third of the of which lived on the antations.
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1816
Brazil
BRAZIL LAST TO ABOLISH SLAVERY During the 18th century the French established huge coffee plantations, all run by slaves from Africa. The conditions were appalling and the slaves treated horrendously. That’s if they made the journey. Conditions on the boats were the worst imaginable. Apart from sheer will power, the only thing on their side was inherent value and their number. The price of a slave was that of 16 cows and by 1816, one third of population of Brazil were slaves. This meant one and a half million, half of which were there on coffee plantations. The slaves were made to work from sunrise to sunset, continuous labour, with only one chance to eat each day. The 1800s saw an elitist group of rich ‘noblemen’ come into play. Officially named ‘Coffee Barons’ they cared for nothing more than money. The slaves were forced to work under conditions even worse than before. Any objections were dealt with by torture and rape. Murder was rife. The Barons were super powers with pockets full of gold. Brazil was the last nation in the Americas to abolish slavery.
Pt. 10. South America Away from Brazil there are many instances of slaves fighting back. In 1791 they started a true revolution, systematically targeting and destroying sugar and coffee plantations with many areas left unmanned and unfarmable. Haiti, which once held such a vast majority of the coffee business, has since been one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere. The coffee slave revolution lasted twelve years. Napoleon tried and failed to defeat the slaves and he is known to have cursed; ‘Damn colonies, damn coffee’.
*
A slave cost the price of sixteen cows.
1791
‘DA COLO DAM COFF
AMN ONIES, MN FEE!’
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1773
REVOLUTION PLEASURE CHANGE.
Coffee was generally causing a stir. Only two years earlier the French revolution had been started after plans mustered up in - of course - coffee houses. Coffee wasn’t just refreshing, it was revolutionising. Bringing pleasure to Europe, pain to Africa and a sea of change to the colonies..
Sao Polo, once covered in rainforrests, has only 10% remaining. Coffee dominates. Brazil
Meanwhile, another storm was brewing. This time in a tea cup. In 1773 the British put tax on tea, the colonies didn’t like it and plotted to destroy the tea. They sneaked onto a trade boat disguised as natives and dumped a load in Boston harbour - The Boston Tea Party.
Pt. 10. South America
A division arose and it became a patriotic duty to refuse tea and to only drink coffee. To walk into a coffee house and order tea would be a bold statement. On the other hand walking into a tavern and ordering coffee was seen as a slap in the face for the radicals. It was a matter of sides. So now we go over the water and look at coffee in the land of the free. The bean was closer to home than the tea leaf so what with logistics and politics the coffee industry was born by way of Brazil. Still illegal to export, an enterprising wife of the governor for French Guinea gave her Brazilian lover, Francisco Polletta, fertile coffee beans hidden in a bunch of flowers. He smuggled the beans back to Brazil, enabling it to become the world powerhouse in coffee production, driving the country’s modernisation. Railways and ports improved as did Brazil’s infrastructure but to great environmental cost it brought coffee to America. America is a big place with a lot of cups to fill and the concept of coffee culture in the European sense seems to have been lost a little in translation. And now of course instant coffee has diluted the culture even further.
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1906
1930
BURN THE COFFEE! For a large part of the 20th century the quality of the coffee that was being drunk across America and indeed much of the rest of the world, was by the standard of today’s coffee devotees - pretty appalling. The freeze dried instant coffee was in an abundance and the introduction of supermarkets meant that coffee was just another convenience product. The ease of access and the ease of making combined to form a phenomenon and soon everyone was drinking the bad stuff. The increase in popularity meant that more and more coffee was needed to be produced to supply for the demand and as more inexperienced farmers jumped on the coffee growing bandwagon, the worse the quality became.
So much coffee was being produced and by inexperienced hands that the value of coffee exports plummeted. The value of the commodity that had once seemed to be almost worth its weight in gold was in rapid decline and in 1906, in a desperate attempt to protect the wealth of the country and the coffee elite, the government tried to gain some control of the price by buying up bountiful harvests and selling them on the international market. The scheme offered a reasonably successful temporary solution as far as Brazil was concerned. It prompted a rise in price and exhorted the continuation of coffee production but had knock on effects globally as coffee became in oversupply. This then increased the negative fallbacks from the 1930s ‘Great Depression’. This was not the only occasion that Brazil attempted to restore the value of their coffee as prices continued to fluctuate, in the 1930s it was ordered that vast quantities of coffee would be burnt so that exports were capped. This turned out to be a rotten idea and the price did not recover.
Pt. 11. The Second Wave
THE SECOND WAVE
In the mid 50s bad weather caused a rise in price and at this point an advocate for South America deemed a need for development in the south and suggested that if a fairer price for coffee could be established it would result in a lift in wealth and potentially help millions out of poverty but the statement was largely ignored and it wasn’t until the 60s that attitudes really began to be altered. What is referred to by baristas as the ‘Second Wave of Coffee’ or the ‘Speciality Coffee’ revolution kicked in. It stemmed mostly from a desire for better quality coffee in a time where attitudes were notably refreshed. On the hunt for better coffee roasters had to follow the beans back to their home turf and this better knowledge of where the beans were actually coming from sparked a change in beliefs towards pricing and towards quality.
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1960s 1960
Coffee houses had increasingly become a place to provide entertainment and in the 1960s there was a surge in folk music which had become at home in the coffeehouses. Many folk artists regularly performed here and the political nature of their music was associated with political action. People began to want to be more aware and more opinionated. Once again coffee creates conversation.
1966
In 1966 a man named Alfred Peets opened ‘Peets’ Coffee and Tea’. He was born in Holland and had grown up in the coffee trade. He had moved to America after World War II and was shocked to taste the coffee that the American’s had been drinking. It was this that inspired him to open his store, serving small batches of fresh beans of a superior quality that was nothing like anything the American’s had tasted before. It was his store that paved the way for a coffee revolution and the ‘Speciality Coffee’ was born.
America
Pt. 11. The Second Wave Many followed in the footsteps of Peets, but none more famous than the coffee house opened in 1971. Named after the coffee drinking first mate in Moby Dick - Starbucks hit the streets.
1971
SO, W MAK GOOD C COF
WHAT KES A CUP OF FFEE?
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ROBUSTA
Used predominantly for instant coffee and usually supermarket coffee, Robusta beans are easier to grow and therefore are cheaper than Arabica beans. They have a stronger, harsher flavour with a grain-like overtone and the hint of a peanutty aftertaste. They contain double the amount of caffeine as Arabica beans and are generally considered to be of lesser quality. Although Arabica beans are more expensive and so is the coffee, just because a label reads Arabica, doesn’t necessarily always equal quality. However, it is worth considering that the instant coffee you find yourself drinking in contempt in office environments, will almost certainly be from the Robusta bean. Robusta beans can be of quality when used for espressos, because of their strong flavour and caffeine content Robusta is grown exclusively in the Eastern Hemisphere and can be grown at lower altitudes than Arabicas. They produce fruit considerably more quickly than Arabica beans and are less vulnerable to pests and weather conditions.
Arabica beans are less harsh in flavour and have a sweeter tastes with fruity, sugary undertones. They have a higher acidity giving them a wine-like flavour. Arabica beans need a higher altitude to grow and don’t reach maturity until far after than the Robustas, meaning it takes longer for them to produce fruit, although when they do they usually give a greater yield, per tree, than the Robustas. Arabica can also be grown in Africa and Papua New Guinea, but is produced predominantly in Latin America. Colombia, for example, only produces Arabica beans. Some countries, like Brazil and India, produce both. Some people may find Arabica beans too sweet and too floral and prefer the harshness of the Robusta coffee. Again, people may also chose to drink Robusta for the higher caffeine content, and visa versa.
Pt. 11. The Second Wave
ARABICA
It’s a stimulant for countries all consu The moment you sw tea the countr
the brain. The rich ume a lot of cofee. witch from coffee to y slows down. Chairman Vu Vietnam’s coffee billionaire
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VIETNAM. The second largest coffee exporter in the world.
1970 - 1990
Vietnam is second only to Brazil in its coffee exports and produces the Robusta beans, exported predominantly for instant coffee, which accounts for 80% of the coffee drunk in Britain and hugely impacted the sudden coffee boom that grew in Vietnam from the 1970s/80s. It was the trend of drinking instant coffee in the 1980s, mostly by the middle class, that sparked a rocket in popularity of the instant stuff which allowed Vietnam’s economy to flourish and now less than 10% of all citizens live below the poverty line, a dramatic reduction from the 60% calculated only two decades earlier. By the 1990s Vietnam’s coffee production was increasing by 20%-30% annually and the industry now employs 2.6 million people.
Vietnam
Less than 10% of all citizens now live below the poverty line, a dramatic drop from the 60% calculated only two decades ago.
Pt. 12. Coffee in Vietnam
Although the Vietnamese export 22 million bags of coffee per year (60kg) they are not huge consumers themselves, preferring to drink tea. If they do drink coffee it’s usually drunk with an egg or condensed milk. Experts say that the reason behind Vietnam’s poor quality beans is the amount of fertiliser and water they use on their crops. Dr Dave D’Haeze, a Belgian soil expert says that this is due to the farmers never having been fully trained in coffee growing, as most of them have built up their plots themselves and have learnt to grow coffee just through the experience they have had.
Where the coffee boom has had positive effects on the economy, like Brazil, the mass production has lead to severe environmental damage. In the 1990s, when coffee price was high, entire forests were razed to make space for more coffee. The areas were then over fertilised and farmed with heavy use of agrochemicals and over-irrigation; again a problem derived from a lack of training and the sudden huge burst of inexperienced farmers attempting to crack the coffee trade. The above issues mean that beans are cultivated with little regard for the effects on the environment, which resulted in a surge of low quality beans being exported and the value dropping, contributing to the global collapse of coffee prices in the 2000s. The amount of coffee farms that were appearing meant that habitats were being destroyed and pollution was spreading. These factors have caused a loss of biodiversity in what was once one of the most biologically diverse countries in south-east Asia.
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CUT OUT THE MIDDLE MAN
Pt. 13. Fairtrade
FAIRTRADE The farmers working on coffee plantations work long and hard to harvest as much coffee as they possibly can in order to support their families. Many children don’t go to school in order to help their families work on the farm. A good days wage could be as much as 18 dollars. Which is put into perspective when you consider the price most people are prepared to pay for just one cup of coffee in establishments like Starbucks. The annual income of these farmers can fluctuate from being as little as $300, once a year, to maybe $500. The farmers rely on their coffee as their only source of income and a bad harvest or indeed a bad price can have hugely detrimental effects on their wellbeing. Organisations like Fairtrade have been set up to help with the procedures to cut out the middle man and ensure a fairer price for the farmers.
Not everyone agrees that Fairtrade is the best way to share the wealth. In the late 80’s the coffee market was beginning to collapse and at this point La Manita was started. The coffee was taken directly from the growers to the small, speciality roasters and offered at a set price. La Manita pays more money, to ensure the coffee is produced in the right way. La Manita’s concerns with Fairtrade is that it is too reliant on charity which is a potentially unreliable support plan. Not everyone has the business mind of La Manita, however, so Fairtrade does offer an extremely helpful alternative for the regular small farmer.
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If the farmers receive a better reward for growing good quality coffee, they will of course be more inclined to do so. If the world wants premium coffee, it should offer a premium price.
1980s
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1999
Starbucks, a company worth over two billion dollars actually buy less than two percent of the world’s coffee, but they still make more money per pound of coffee than pretty much any of the other coffee giants. Starbucks have had a hard time in the public eye and have been targeted many a time buy protesters and rioters for what many would see as an apparent lack of care and awareness for where their coffee is coming from and how much is being paid to the farmers. As a coffee giant they should be leading the way and setting example. In 1999, in their home in Seattle, Starbucks were targeted by the World Trade Organisation, at this point they were serving no Fairtrade coffee and although they were doing some good in regard to care, it was seen as not enough. The activist at this point were a crucial push in the right direction for Starbucks and they were forced to introduce Fairtrade coffee into their establishments, although most would say they are still not doing enough. They now sell 1.6% of Fairtrade coffee as well as organic and shade grown coffee, which helps protect the birds.
The Speciality Coffee has really lead a path for a fairer price for the farmers and it is fundamental that is trend continues in order to support the demand for the commodity and the wellbeing of the working hands behind it.
Pt. 13. Fairtrade Meanwhile, for the mass produced product there is the constant danger of a continuation of low priced coffee with the obvious result that farmers having to turn, in desperation, to other ways of making money. And if you are a farmer, who has land and has been successful in growing coffee it is no surprise that there is a temptation to grow other products that can bring in more money, fast. Coca plants, for example.
If coffee growing is full of risk then this other world is a whole lot worse.
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WIN WIN 1970s
It is not only the wellbeing of the farmers that needs to be considered, but also the environment. Coffee plants naturally thrive in the shade of trees and had done so throughout time but in the 1970s it was learnt that you can cut back the rainforests, exposing the coffee plants to full sun but, given enough agrochemicals they will survive. This would double or even triple the production. Steps are being taken to attempt to regain some of the rainforest. Trees are being replanted on the full sun farms in the hope that over time, they will grow and coffee production can revert back to how it was before. In the shade of the trees. In a world where too much coffee is being produced, where people are hungry for better quality coffee and prepared to go that bit extra to find it, it would seem now is a perfect time to repave the way for coffee growing and make it a more sustainable industry. Save the trees. Save the birds. Save the farmers. Save the coffee. Fancy another cup?
Pt. 13. Fairtrade
SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES AND SUPPORT SPECIALITY COFFEE.
So, it looks like coffee is here to stay and quite rightly so. The bean that has captured continents, sparked conversation, fuelled ideas and stimulated the mind, body and soul. Could we ever really quit our addiction to this marvellous social drug? I think not. We will continue to meet in coffee houses to enjoy the black beverage and whilst doing so, continue to revel in the aspect of coffee culture that really stole our hearts; conversation.