Coffee Culture

Coffee is the world's most widely consumed psychoactive substance — 2.5 billion cups are drunk daily. It originated in Ethiopia (the Kaffa region, 9th century legend of Kaldi the goat herder who noticed his goats were energetic after eating coffee berries). Arab traders spread it to Yemen; the first coffeehouses (qahveh khaneh) appeared in Mecca and Constantinople in the 15th-16th centuries. Coffee reached Europe via Venice in 1600, where Pope Clement VIII was asked to condemn it as a 'Muslim drink' — he tasted it, approved it, and it spread rapidly. Coffee's economic geography: Brazil produces 35% of the world's coffee; Vietnam is second at 15%. The coffee supply chain — small-scale farmer, exporter, green coffee trader, roaster, barista — involves 125 million people worldwide. The third-wave coffee movement (since 2000) treats coffee like wine — emphasizing origin, processing, and craft roasting over commodity standardization. Specialty coffee (SCA score 80+) now commands premium prices.