A Tale As Old As Coffee

Coffee has a wonderfully colorful history around its origins, but like the authentic Ethiopian Mofer Coffee we offer here, coffee’s origins can be traced back to ancient Ethiopia. There is a tale that has been passed down about a man and his herd of goats. It is said that a shepherd named Kaldi was watching over his herd of Goats one day when he found them to be excessively energetic. He discovered that they were munching on the red fruit from a coffee shrub. He took a few berries himself and tried them in his curiosity, only to find himself with excess amounts of energy to perform his daily duties. He passed these berries along to others, and they each proved to be filled with new levels of energy fueled by these small red berries that Kaldi’s goats had been eating in the fields.

This tale is said to have sparked the growing love for coffee that we now experience in full force in the 21st century. But how long did it really take for coffee to find its way across the globe? As coffee became more popular, it migrated to the Arabian Peninsula, and from there, it never stopped expanding its reach. Coffee first left Ethiopia and grew in demand through the 15th and 16th centuries, reaching the Yemeni district of Arabia, then migrating to Egypt, Persia, Turkey, and Syria.

This brings us to the 17th century, when coffee finally landed in Europe and began growing rapidly in popularity. As with most new experiences, the popularity of coffee arose some fear and controversy about whether or not it was good to be consuming it the way that society had rapidly been accepting as normal. Despite these concerns, coffee was too good to be kept at bay, and coffee shops rapidly rose all across the continent.

Coffee quickly took the role of the morning beverage people drank with breakfast. This was a good thing for many people in this century, considering beer and wine was the early morning energizer for many before coffee was introduced.

Finally, we see Early North America hang tightly onto their love for tea until the mid-1600s, when we finally see coffee grow in popularity and take its place on shelves next to our beloved tea. This happened largely due to the tea tax that made access to tea overwhelming for many who could not afford the tax in North America at the time. Coffee quickly tooks its place as the first most popular drink because of its accessibility, while tea stayed a close second.

Now that you understand a bit more about how coffee made its way to a globally enjoyed drink let’s talk about how coffee interacts with our bodies. We know that coffee is a stimulant, but what exactly does it do to your body?

The caffeine in coffee is the main culprit for our favored energy boost that comes naturally from coffee. When caffeine is introduced to our bodies, it acts as a nervous system stimulant. Caffeine has the ability to combat fatigue and helps to increase our energy levels for a given amount of time.

On top of this, many studies have been done on coffee that suggests it helps lower the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and even some forms of cancer. Coffee contains antioxidants that protect your body and have proven to lower the inflammation throughout the body. Chronic inflammation is known to cause issues over time, and coffee works to combat this issue inside our bodies directly.

While coffee serves the most health benefits when you drink it black, it has a very bitter natural flavor that could do with some sweetening. Coffee has proven to be one of the most popular drinks across the world and one of the most versatile as well. No matter what your tastebuds crave, you can find some way to spice up your coffee perfectly.

Whether it’s flavour shots of French Vanilla or a classic Hazelnut creamer, you can’t miss the opportunity to make your coffee unique to your preferences. Some people enjoy their coffee with honey and cinnamon, while others love an Americano to dilute some of the bitterness away. You can even mix coffee with your favourite vanilla ice cream for a coffee milkshake. You can take coffee hot or over ice with a bit of caramel syrup and whipped cream. Whether you want a classic latte or a decorative cappuccino with a pretty foam picture on top, it’s easy to see why coffee expanded the way that it did and has easily become the number one beverage on almost every continent.