The Fascinating Mythos Behind The First Cup Of Coffee

Coffee is one of the most traded agricultural commodities in the world, but for such a vital cornerstone of society, we know surprisingly little about its origins.

The first verified references to coffee drinking come from the 15th century, in the region of present-day Yemen. Sufi monks used the drink to stay alert through long prayer hours.

However, the coffee plant originated in sub-Saharan Africa and appears to have come to Yemen across the Red Sea from Ethiopia. It’s unclear when and how coffee made that jump.

The tale of Kaldi, the goat herder from Abyssinia (modern-day Ethiopia) in the year A.D. 850, remains one of the most widely circulated tales surrounding the origins of coffee.

Per the story, while herding his goats, Kaldi noticed a change in their behavior that led him to sample the red berries they were consuming, causing him to feel a jolt of energy.

Kaldi brought the berries to a monastery where a monk denounced them as diabolical and cast them into a fire. However, as they roasted, the aroma of coffee enticed the monk.

The monk attempted to retrieve the berries from the fire, inadvertently crushing the coffee beans in the process and then steeped them in hot water in an attempt to salvage them.

Thus, the first cup of coffee was born. While Kaldi’s tale is the most widespread theory regarding coffee’s origin, there are many others, all of which equally lack evidence.