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The-Not-So-Secret Origins of Coffee

Tracing coffee’s journey through culture and landscapes

@aliyajasmine Iconic Landscapes Reveales

A pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks, a Timmies iced cappuccino from an EnRoute in Canada, a Cortado in Spain or a café noisette on a terrasse in France … but where does coffee actually come from?

It all began in Ethiopia. Legend has it that a goat herder named Kaldi noticed his flock behaving energetically after eating red berries from a certain tree. Curious, Kaldi shared the berries with local monks, who used them to stay awake during long hours of prayer. Thus, coffee was born—rooted in Ethiopia’s rich cultural landscape.

From there, coffee traveled to Yemen. Rugged mountain landscapes were transformed into intricate terraced farms to cultivate the beans. The Yemeni port of Mocha—yes, the inspiration behind your mocha latte—became the epicenter of the coffee trade, spreading the drink across continents.

Then came the Ottomans, who elevated coffee to a cultural staple. Ottoman coffeehouses weren’t just places to grab a drink—they were buzzing hubs of conversation, politics, and connection. These spaces became the social heartbeat of cities, shaping community life across the empire.

SOURCES:

  • Wild, Anthony. Coffee: A Dark History. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005.
  • Pendergrast, Mark. Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World. New York: Basic Books, 2010.
  • “The History of Coffee.” National Coffee Association USA, ncausa.org.
  • Topik, Steven, and Clarence-Smith, W. G. The Global Coffee Economy in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, 1500–1989. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
  • Hattox, Ralph S. Coffee and Coffeehouses: The Origins of a Social Beverage in the Medieval Near East. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1985.