American Moments in Coffee History
Posted by Regular Joe on Jul 2nd 2015
According to legend, coffee was first discovered by an ancient Ethiopian goat herder who noticed how excited goats became after eating the beans from a coffee plant.
Yet while history might suggest that coffee comes from Africa, I’m not having it. Coffee is as American as touchdowns, pickup trucks and one-armed pushups.
So, as we approach America's birthday — or our Independence Day as Bill Pullman, who played the president, dubbed it in the epic film “Independence Day” — let’s reflect a bit on our great nation and the role coffee has played in our independence.
1672: An American named Pascal opened a coffee shop in Paris — the first time coffee had been sold at a public location. You’re welcome, people of France.
1765: Andrew Oliver was burned in effigy for selling stamps for England’s King George III when America was still part of Great Britain. A group of prestigious Americans — John Adams, Samuel Adams and John Hancock — gathered in a coffee house and formed the Sons of Liberty, an organized resistance to Britain. Freedom en route.
1773: The Boston Tea Party. Full on revolt, people. But also the time when many Americans switched their from tea to coffee because drinking tea had become unpatriotic and too British-ish.
1860: Gold or coffee? Gold or coffee? James Folger chose to pass on the gold rush in the Sierras and instead stayed in San Francisco to found the J.A. Folger Coffee Company, pioneering the California Caffeine Rush instead.
1902: The Barcolo Manufacturing Co., in Buffalo started giving employees something called “coffee breaks” — the first such breaks for workers. You’re welcome again, world.
1950s: U.S. coffeehouses became the birthplace of folk music, spawning careers of luminaries such as Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and more.
1971: The first Starbucks opened in Seattle. Today, there are now more than 21,000 worldwide locations in 65 countries. So really everyone all over the world should lift their mug to America this weekend.
America: great coffee and a great nation. Happy birthday, USA.
[H/T] My Coffee 'Tis of Thee
How Coffee Influenced The Course of History