Coffee has been around for a really long time and has a very interesting story that goes all the way back to the olden days. Although it's not clear where it first came from, many people think it was found in Ethiopia, which is in East Africa.


History of Coffee

According to a story, a goat herder named Kaldi discovered coffee in Ethiopia around the 9th century. He saw that his goats got really active after eating red cherries from a certain tree. Interested and curious, Kaldi tried the cherries and felt a sudden surge of energy. He told a monk nearby about what he found, and the monk started using the cherries to make a drink that helped him stay awake during long times of praying and meditating. This mixture is thought to be one of the first types of coffee.

Coffee became increasingly popular among people and started to be known in the Arab world during the 13th century, after initially being discovered in Ethiopia. Yemen was really important in growing and selling coffee in Arabian Peninsula, and the city of Mocha was a big place for trading coffee. The beverage became popular among Sufi mystics because it helped them stay awake during their late night prayers.



In the 16th century, coffeehouses started to appear in the Middle East. These places were important social centers where people came together to drink coffee, talk about politics, discuss deep thoughts, and take part in cultural activities. In Arabic, they call coffeehouses "qahveh khaneh. " This term later influenced the English word for coffeehouse.

Coffee became more and more popular and eventually made its way to Europe and other places in the 17th century. The first coffee shop in Europe started in Venice in 1645. After that, more coffee shops opened in major cities across Europe. These coffee shops were very important for people to have smart conversations and learn from each other during a time called the Age of Enlightenment. Philosophers, writers, and artists would go there to share their ideas.


   

As people started to like coffee more, coffee farms were created in hot places all around the world, like the Caribbean, South America, and Central America.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, coffee became a popular and widely-traded product around the world. European countries started growing a lot of coffee in their colonies, like Brazil, Colombia, and other places in Latin America. This made these countries become important coffee producers for the rest of the world.




In the 20th century, people started to really like coffee. This made coffee shops become popular, and new coffee machines were made that were very fancy. People also started to make instant coffee. Nowadays, people from different countries love to drink coffee as it has a lot of importance in various cultures. 



This drink is made in more than 70 countries around the world. Each country has its own special kinds of coffee with different flavors. People who really like coffee enjoy drinking it all around the world.