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The King, a Thief & Pirates: How Coffee Came to America
The story of coffee’s journey to the New World involves Dutch traders, mystics, and royalty. This is a tale of deception and thievery, but against unbelievable odds, the popular commodity eventually found it’s way from the court of Europe to far-flung places around the globe.
The love of the bitter brew would drive one man to risk storms, pirates, and even death to bring this product to coffee lovers today.
It’s a Shrub. It’s a Tree. It’s Coffee.
The humble and wild shrub (genus Coffea, family Rubiaceae) was first discovered hundreds of years ago growing in Ethiopia, then known as Abyssinia, in an area called Kaffa.
A legend tells of the berries of a small tree that made goats dance. Another colorful version tells of how eating the fruit kept a priest, Omar the Dervish, alive after his exile from Mocha.
A more plausible explanation for the origins of coffee comes from the nomadic Galla tribe, also known as the Oromo or “free men”, who wrapped the ripe berries of the plant in animal fat. These round balls were carried on their migrations as food as well as…
