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Coffee History: Who was the first to drink coffee in history?

Coffee is considered one of the most important drinks used by people all over the world, and this is due to its great benefits for concentration and attention. Many people drink it in the morning in order to wake up faster and have better concentration throughout the day. Many people also use it during study and learning times in order to maintain their energy levels. Focus and ease of understanding information. But, what was the history of coffee like until it became so important?

Because of this overwhelming popularity and great importance, it was important to go back in human history to reach the first people to understand the importance of coffee and how they tried to benefit from it until it reached us today as one of the most important drinks used by humans. Where we try to know the history of coffee, as well as the first areas where coffee trees appeared, and how were they identified?

The first person to drink coffee in history:

There are many narratives about the history of coffee and the beginning of its use. These narratives are similar in some matters and differ in others. They agree that the origins of coffee or the first place for the emergence of coffee trees and the beginning of attention to them are the regions of eastern Africa and southwestern Asia.

The most important of these narratives indicate that the history of coffee goes back to the fifteenth century, which is the beginning of human knowledge of coffee trees and coffee beans, through the Sufi monasteries in the state of Yemen, and by the sixteenth century, coffee beans had reached the rest of the Middle Eastern countries and the countries of North and East Africa and continued to spread in other countries. Such as India, Persia, and Turkey, and from there to European countries such as Italy, and also to Southeast Asia, and also to the United States of America.

These are the most correct of the many narrations that attempt to reach the history of coffee and the beginning of its use. There are also a group of other narrations about the first people to know the coffee plant and use it, including:

  • This novel indicates that the history of coffee goes back to the Yemeni Sufi Ghathul Akbar Nur al-Din Abi al-Hasan al-Shazli, through his travel to the state of Ethiopia in the tenth century, where he noticed the great vitality of birds in that region by eating the mulberry plant and also the coffee plant, which was not known in that region. Time and from here came the discovery of the coffee plant and it continued to spread through the state of Yemen to the countries of the Arabian Peninsula and from there to all parts of the world.
  • As for the other story, it is about a person called Kaldi, an Ethiopian goat herder, in the ninth century, after he noticed activity in his flock after eating the plant, which he expected to be a bright red mulberry plant, so curiosity prompted him to chew some of it, and he felt cheerful and energetic.

This prompted him to take those beans to a monk in a nearby monastery, but the monk did not believe him and refused to use those beans and threw them into the fire. After a while, a distinctive smell appeared from the coffee beans, which surprised the monk and some other monks. He quickly extracted those roasted beans from the fire, crushed them, and added water to them. Boiled coffee, which was the first cup of coffee in history.

And despite the differences between these accounts about the history of coffee and the first people to use it, they do not differ much, but rather agree that coffee trees first appeared in East Africa (the state of Ethiopia), and through communication between them and the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, the coffee plant appeared in the state of Yemen and through it to all the countries of the peninsula. Arabic and from there to all parts of the world.

Ethiopian coffee is considered the original source of this wonderful drink. Therefore, about 12 million people from the country of Ethiopia participate in the cultivation of the coffee plant, as some expressions known as “Buna Dabo Naw” refer to, which means “Coffee is our bread,” because coffee is the main source. It is also of great importance to the Ethiopian economy and their diet.

The largest coffee producing countries:

As for talking about the largest coffee-producing countries at the present time, it also indicates the presence of the state of Ethiopia as the largest coffee-producing country on the continent of Africa, but the ranking of the five countries that produce the most coffee for the year 2023 is as follows:

  1. Brazil: It produces approximately 2.55 million tons of coffee annually.
  1. Vietnam: It produces about 900 thousand tons annually.
  1. Colombia: It produces about 700 thousand tons annually.
  1. Indonesia: It produces about 410 thousand tons annually.
  1. Ethiopia: Its production reaches 390 thousand tons annually.

These statistics indicate that the country of Brazil is on the throne of coffee production around the world, in addition to the high quality of coffee beans that reach all parts of the world from Brazil. However, in contrast to the origin and history of coffee, the country of Ethiopia is ranked fifth among the largest coffee producing countries around the world. The list also includes a large group of countries such as India, Italy, Yemen, Mexico, Cameron, and other countries, with the amount of production of each country differing from the other.

Origins of coffee.. Where does coffee come from? And what are its types?

People consume about 3 billion cups of coffee daily, which makes coffee one of the most consumed beverages worldwide. However, many people do not know the origins of coffee, the reason for its great diversity, the difference between these types, and the reason for its different taste.

Where does coffee come from?

Coffee is grown in what is known as the “Coffee Belt,” which is a group of 50 countries located on the equator, where the appropriate set of factors for growing coffee are available in terms of altitude, soil, and weather. Although some may not care where coffee is grown, knowing the origins of coffee gives you a lot of information about its taste.

Coffee growing regions around the world can be divided into three main regions: Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The coffee grown in each of these regions has some distinctive characteristics in terms of strength and taste. Knowing the characteristics of each type may help you determine your favorite coffee.

African coffee: Coffee grown in Africa has a deep flavour, which makes it a favorite among many coffee lovers. Africa is considered the oldest place where coffee was grown and prepared in general.

Latin Coffee: Latin America produces most of the coffee in the world, as coffee is grown throughout the jungles of Central and South America, and in the Caribbean. This type of coffee has a nutty flavor and relatively low acidity.

Asian coffee: Indonesia, Vietnam, and some other regions of Southeast Asia are among the largest coffee producing regions in the world. Coffee grown in this region also has distinctive characteristics such as an earthy flavor and mild acidity.

Types of coffee beans

Types of coffee beans
Types of coffee beans

Coffee beans are the seeds found inside the beans of the coffee tree, which look very similar to cherries but are inedible. It can be said that there are 120 types of coffee in the world currently, but most of the coffee we drink daily comes from either Arabica or Robusta, or a mixture of the two. The differences between the two types can be identified as follows:

Arabica: Because of the extremely delicate nature of these beans, they are considered the most difficult type of beans to cultivate, as they need to grow in mountainous areas with moderate rain and constant temperatures, and they are the first type of coffee beans to be grown in general. This type of coffee beans has some distinctive characteristics, such as:

  • Softer than others.
  • There is more sweetness in its taste.
  • Very fruit-like flavor.
  • Less strong due to lower caffeine content than other pills.

Robusta: These grains have greater strength, which makes them withstand weather fluctuations, and makes them more resistant to diseases, which makes them more suitable for cultivation and growth at lower altitudes than other grains. This type of grain has some distinctive characteristics, which include:

  • More bitter than other beans.
  • Nutty flavor.
  • More strong and comes with better foam.
  • It contains a greater amount of caffeine and antioxidants.

You can get your favorite coffee with a suitable combination of the two types, as you will find all of this available through Roma Coffee Store from a group of the largest international brands.

Coffee roasting

Despite the diversity of coffee origins in terms of beans and plants, it is not possible to make a cup of coffee directly from those beans, as it must go through the roasting stage first in order for it to become the image of coffee that we know. This stage is no less important than the cultivation stage, as the degree of roasting determines many of the characteristics of the cup of coffee that you will obtain. There are three main types of roasting:

Light: Coffee gives a more acidic flavor, and a relatively pleasant taste.

Medium: This degree of roasting gives the coffee a sweeter and fruitier taste, and is also less acidic.

Dark: Stronger and more bitter flavor, with a relatively chocolate-like taste.

In general, the darker the coffee is roasted, the more bitter it is and the stronger and richer the taste.