3 Cool Coffee History Facts
Many people across the world drink at least one cup of coffee every day, but few know the history of the drink. While working as a barista and pursuing my Bachelor's Degree, I had to take a history methods course. The course was designed to teach me and my fellow students how to write about history. For the course, we had to write a 15-page paper on any topic in history. I chose coffee since I worked in a coffee shop.
Turns out the history of coffee is way more interesting than I had anticipated. Since coffee is enjoyed all over the world by many different cultures, its history intersects with major events from many countries.
Coffee Grinders and Guns
During the United States Civil War, the Union Soldiers had coffee grinders in their guns. The guns were designed this way so the soldiers could have fresh coffee while in their camps. Meanwhile, the Confederate army did not have access to coffee as the Union army had cut off the South’s access to their ports.
The Oldest Brewing Methods
The oldest brewing methods used today are the Ibrik and boiling coffee grounds in a pot. The Ibrik is used to make Turkish coffee. Every other brewing method that is used today from the French press to the espresso machine and drip brewers were all invented after the year 1900. Before the 1900s in the United States, people brewed coffee by boiling it and then using eggs, fish, or eel skins to separate the coffee grounds from the coffee.
One Early Use for Coffee
Coffee started in Ethiopia and next spread to Yemen across the Red Sea. When coffee spread to Yemen, Sufi Monks used the drink to stay up all night for prayer.
The three facts that I have included above come from my research on that paper. They all come from the book Uncommon Grounds by Mark Pendergast. I highly recommend his book if you are interested at all in the history of coffee.
