A Brief History of Coffee – The Noble Tree, The Dutch and Stolen Seeds

Coffee was, and still is a very valuable commodity with both social and economic benefits. Because of these values, legend has it that the Arabs closely guarded the fertile seeds of the Coffea Arabica tree.

Sometime around 1650 AD, Baba Budan, a Moslem from India pilfered coffee seeds from the Ethiopia region of Africa and returned with them to southern India. Once he was back in India, he planted the stolen seeds in the Chikmagalgur hills. These few seeds began to grow and flourish, marking the beginning of the growth of the original Indian coffee trees known as Old Chick. This variety now provides approximately one-third of India’s coffee crop.

Sometime around 1715 AD, Louis XIV of France learned of this heaven sent beverage, coffee. He quickly developed a passion for the beverage and soon after, he had to have a tree. At that time, he was granted a favor from the Dutch, who went to great lengths to obtain a coffee tree. This tree came to be known as the infamous Noble Tree. Through the Dutch, this tree traveled from the Arabian port of Mocha then to Java across Holland to its final destination in Paris, France. Louis was so happy with his prize, the he felt it needed a special place to grow and live. The first greenhouse in Europe was built to shelter the Noble Tree.

Who Discovered Coffee?

Coffee comes from Ethiopia. It was discovered some 1500 years ago or so by a young man with a very interesting story. His name was Kaldi, and he was a simple man until he discovered this wonderful black elixir that is now one of the most popular beverages on the planet!

A Brief History of Coffee – The Origins of Coffee – Goats, Cherries and Monestaries

Coffee… and the Dancing Goats

The origins of coffee are surrounded by legend. One of the most famous legends dates back to 600 AD. This particular legend recognizes Kaldi, an Ethiopian goat-herder. One day, while out walking with his normally lethargic goats, Kaldi noticed they were dancing on their hind legs and bleating with glee. Wondering why, he began to look around to see what they had been eating to change their moods. Finally, he also noticed that they had been feeding on the red berries of a shiny dark-green shrub nearby.

Kaldi decided to sample the bright red berries himself. He experienced an immediate boost in his spirits and energies. Having never felt something like this before, and puzzled by it, he took some of the berries to the local monastery where the head monk put them through various experiments. These including parching, crushing in a mortar and pestle and stirring in boiling water. After some time, the beans yielded a fragrant and tasty beverage. The monk, excited with his find, termed the beverage “heaven sent,” and decided to give it to all of the monks in order to keep them from falling asleep during their evening prayers.

The “heaven-sent” beverage was came to be known as “coffee,” and it quickly spread from the monastery to the town and eventually throughout the world.