Coffee has been a beloved beverage for centuries, and its history is as fascinating as its flavor. It all began with an Ethiopian legend, in which a goat herder named Kaldi discovered the energizing effects of coffee beans after his goats ate the berries of a certain tree and refused to sleep at night. From there, the modern version of roasted coffee spread to Arabia, where it was used for its stimulating powers during long prayer sessions. The Arabs were able to corner the market for coffee crops by drying and boiling the beans, making them infertile.
In the 17th century, Baba Budan, an Indian pilgrim, left Mecca with fertile grains attached to his abdomen and sparked a new and competitive European coffee trade. Wild coffee plants from Kefa (Kaffa), Ethiopia were brought to southern Arabia and cultivated in the 15th century. This led to the creation of coffee shops in Mecca and Constantinople in the 15th and 16th centuries, respectively. One of the many legends about the discovery of coffee is that of Kaldi, an Arab goatherd who was perplexed by the strange antics of his flock.
Around 850 d. C. Kaldi allegedly tasted the berries of the evergreen shrub that goats fed on and, experiencing a sense of euphoria, proclaimed his discovery to the world. However, it is generally believed that coffee beans were originally exported from Ethiopia to Yemen.
Later, Yemeni merchants brought coffee plants to their homes and began growing them there. This was not the end of coffee growing days in the Philippines, but there was less area allocated to coffee because many farmers had moved to other crops. One of the most important early coffee writers was Abd al-Qadir al-Jaziri, who in 1587 compiled a work on the history and legal controversies of coffee entitled Umdat al Safwa fi hill al-qahwa. Due to the growing popularity of coffee and the shipping of coffee from the port city, Mocha became synonymous with coffee. The glory days of the Philippine coffee industry lasted until 1889, when coffee rust hit the shores of the Philippines. After years of research, the freeze-drying process of coffee to prepare an instant cup of coffee emerged. After this huge drop in production, the Philippine coffee business was devoured by the coffee giant that is Brazil. In its most basic, unprocessed form, coffee is a cherry-like fruit which turns red when ripe; the coffee bean is located in the center of this red fruit.
Coffee Board is a department located in Chikmagalur that oversees production and marketing of coffee grown in this district. Craft Coffee Guru is a website created by an adventurer who has traveled around the world for 25 years and learned about coffee. He shares his knowledge on this website for others to learn from.
