The Social History of Coffee 1

Running Head: THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF COFFEE

The Social History of Coffee: Ho Coffee Has I!"acted The #odern $orld Chelsea Cog%urn E&'L 11()* +ni,ersity of &orth Carolina at Charlotte

Fall )(1Introduction: Brief History of the Coffee Beverage

The Social Life of Coffee )

Coffee has %een descri%ed for centuries as a !iracle "lant. &ot only does coffee "ro,ide energy and sti!ulation* it also influences society %y creating esta%lish!ents hich encourage sociali/ation. In our !odern age* this is easily ta0en for granted %ecause "eo"le ha,e !any "latfor!s for discussing ideas and %eliefs* and for sociali/ing ith friends. Ho e,er* throughout history this has not al ays %een the case. The introduction of the coffee sho" in Ara%ia also introduced a central gathering "lace for "eo"le to discuss their %eliefs and to net or0 ith others ho shared the sa!e ideas. The de,elo"!ent of coffee %e,erages has %een said to go hand in hand ith !odernity and the %usy lifestyles that e ty"ically !aintain. Coffee has e,en had an influence on !odern !ilitary. Coffee is said to %e 1a cu" of 2oe3* na!ed after the sy!%olic '.I. 2oe. Literature Review: Social Evolution of Coffee In Ethio"ia* there is a 4aldi legend hich descri%es the disco,ery of coffee as an incident in hich a goat herder noticed that his goats ere "articularly energi/ed after eating the %erries. 4aldi re"orted his o%ser,ation to the local !onastery* here the a%%ot then !ade a drin0 ith the %erries and found hi!self to %e energi/ed throughout e,ening "rayer. He shared his e5"erience ith other !on0s ithin the !onastery and e,entually the use of coffee s"read East to the Ara%ian "eninsula. 6y the Fifteenth century* the culti,ation of coffee as co!!on in the Ye!eni district of Ara%ia. It as around the si5teenth century that coffee houses ere introduced across the &ear East. Coffee %eca!e "o"ular in 7ersia* Egy"t* Syria* and Tur0ey. Coffee houses %eca!e not only "o"ular for coffee drin0ers* %ut also for social gatherings* !usic* and sharing of 0no ledge and ideas. These coffee houses %eca!e 0no n as 8Schools of the

The Social History of Coffee -

$ise9 %ecause they ere a "lace in hich "eo"le could discuss their %eliefs and learn fro! others.1 6y the Se,enteenth century* Euro"ean tra,elers had %egun to %ring the !ysterious dar0 %e,erage ho!e fro! their tra,els to the &ear East. $hen the drin0 as introduced to :enice in 1;1<* the local clergy initially conde!ned it* calling it the 86itter in,ention of Satan9. The o""osition to the %itter %e,erage as so great %y the clergy that 7o"e Cle!ent :III as called in order to gi,e his o"inion on the %e,erage. He found the drin0 satisfying and i!!ediately ga,e the drin0 7a"al a""ro,al. =es"ite the disagree!ents %et een clergy !e!%ers and citi/ens* coffee houses %eca!e enor!ously "o"ular in the !a>or cities of Euro"e* here coffee %eca!e a social center for 0no ledge dis"ersal. 6y the !id?1@th century* London had o,er three hundred coffee sho"s. These sho"s each had uniAue custo!ers* hich generally shared co!!on interests. One sho" !ight %e %est suited for %usiness o ners* hile others ere %est for !erchants or artists. So!e of these coffee sho"s %eca!e 0no n as 87enny +ni,ersities9. They %eca!e called this %ecause of their "latfor! for dis"ersing 0no ledge and infor!ation. For the "rice of a "enny* rather than a coffee* custo!ers could congregate inside of these coffee sho"s and gain ,ast a!ounts of 0no ledge on !any different su%>ects.) As 6rian Co an states* 1For those as"iring ,irtuosi of lesser !eans* ho e,er* ho could not afford to go on grand tours or a!ass great collections in their country houses* the coffeehouses o"ened u" a hitherto restricted or se,erely regulated orld of infor!ation and social access.3-

1 National Coffee Association. The History of Coffee. Accessed on October 23, 2013 2 ibid. NCA. The History of Coffee. 3 Cowan, Brian. The Social Life of Coffee: the emergence of the British coffeehouse. (New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2005), 112.

The Social Life of Coffee B

There ere !any other %usinesses hich gre fro! these coffee sho"s as ell. One e5a!"le of such is Ed ard Lloyd9s coffee sho"* hich later de,elo"ed into Lloyd9s of London. Lloyd9s of London e5ists as a !ar0et"lace for %usinesses to %uy insurance. As a coffee sho"* there ere !any %usiness o ners ho s"ent ti!e at Ed ard Lloyd9s coffee sho" in London and they each shared a need for insurance that as uniAue to their indi,idual %usiness needs. 6eginning as a "lace for "eo"le to s"ea0 casually a%out insurance o"tions for their %usiness* it %eca!e a ell structured insurance !ar0et for "eo"le around the orld in al!ost any ty"e of %usiness.B Is coffee a social drugC Coffee* or Coffea Arabica as it is in Latin* is a "lant ith sti!ulant effects. It is also used as "art of se,eral o,er the counter and "rescri"tion drugs. It is !ildly addicti,e* and can ha,e ill effects if consu!ed in high a!ounts or o,er an e5tended "eriod of ti!e. It is the orld9s !ost "o"ular drug* %oth socially and "har!aceutically.< Ho has coffee influenced !odernityC In the $estern orld* es"ecially the +nited States* it see!s that the consu!"tion of coffee is lin0ed ith "roducti,ity. The increase in coffee consu!"tion o,er the "ast fe centuries see!s to %e related to the increase in the co!!onality of the 1D to <3 or0day. The "o"ulari/ation of the coffee %rea0 also increased coffee consu!"tion in the $est. The Industrial age also influenced the increased consu!"tion of coffee in the $est. For those ho could9t afford coffee* coffee su%stitutes could %e !ade. These could %e !ade fro! a range of %erries ith natural caffeine contents. 6y the 1E((9s* coffee cost only a fraction "er "ound as it had in the centuries "rior. It as also !ore a%undantly a,aila%le and i!"ort ta5es ere !ini!i/ed in A!erica. 6y 1E-)* Andre 2ac0son eli!inated the i!"ort ta5
4 Lloyds. Corporate History. Accessed on October 25, 2013. 5 Topik, Steven. Coffee as a Social Drug. Cultural Critique, No. 71. (University of Minnesota Press, Winter, 2009) 81-106

The Social History of Coffee <

altogether for coffee and it soon %eca!e a ,ery "o"ular %e,erage for the A!erican "o"ulation. As trans"ortation and regular co!!erce i!"ro,ed and de,elo"ed* so did the gro th of the coffee %e,erage. 2ust as so!e "eo"le en>oy an alcoholic %e,erage together socially* others en>oy a cu" of coffee.; Coffee has %eco!e "art of our daily routine* e,en if e "ersonally don9t drin0 coffee* e surely encounter in our daily li,es. Coffee sho"s ha,e %eco!e not only a !orning routine for a0ing u" and increasing our alertness* %ut also an after or0 routine* as ell as a ee0end hang out s"ot. So!e coffee sho"s e,en arrange li,e !usic and "oetry nights in order to encourage ee0end %usiness. In discussing the !odern de,elo"!ent of the coffee sho"* it is crucial to note the largest coffee e!"ire in the orld. $ith o,er 1E*((( retail stores in si5ty different countries around the orld fro! the +nited States to Asia* Star%uc09s is the leading coffee retailer in the orld !ar0et today. As the es0it itself says* 1It9s not unusual to see "eo"le co!ing to Star%uc0s to chat* !eet u" or e,en or0. $e9re a neigh%orhood gathering "lace* a "art of the daily routine ? and e could9t %e ha""ier a%out it. 'et to 0no us and you9ll see: e are so !uch !ore than hat e %re .3@ This state!ent could not %e any !ore true* %ased on !y "ersonal e5"eriences at Star%uc0s. Es"ecially as a student* Star%uc0s "ro,ides a great ,enue for studying and hanging out ith !y friends. Enter the Conversation: Fro! !y o%ser,ations in coffee sho"s throughout the years* it is Auite a""arent that coffee* e,en as a si!"le %e,erage* has an a%ility to %ring "eo"le together. 7eo"le are illing to connect ith strangers o,er coffee in a ay that you don9t see in !any other "laces. First dates
6 ibid. NCA. The History of Coffee. 7 Starbucks. About Us: Our Company. (Accessed October 26, 2013)

The Social Life of Coffee ;

are often arranged in coffee sho"s as ell. 7eo"le tend to de,elo" a routine and !ost "eo"le de,elo" a relationshi" ith their %arista. The %enefit to de,elo"ing a relationshi" ith your local %aristas is that they tend to re!e!%er your ty"ical order. This ty"ically leads to faster and friendlier ser,ice. Although coffee sho"s ha,e de,elo"ed drastically fro! their days as 87enny +ni,ersities9* they still hold so!e intellectual ,alue as they create a great "latfor! for discussing ideas and %eliefs. Although* there ill al ays %e so!e "eo"le ho "refer to hide %ehind their co!"uter screens. Coffee sho"s ill al ays %e a "o"ular destination for early !orning e!"loyees and students. Conclusion: Is it the coffee sho" itself or the caffeinated %e,erage hich %rings "eo"le togetherC I ha,e noticed "eo"le drin0ing coffee in a sho" ith friends* ho ouldn9t nor!ally drin0 coffee on their o n. This leads !e to %elie,e that coffee* a "sychoacti,e drug* is !uch the sa!e as other su%stances. 7eo"le tend to %ond !ost hen they drin0 together* hen they s!o0e

together* or hile in a dangerous or adrenaline?inducing situation together. Coffee is a "sychoacti,e drug li0e any other* %ut !ore than that* its so!ething you can en>oy ith friends. Coffee is not li0ely to influence you decisions. Although* it is li0ely to gi,e you the >itters if you consu!e !ore than your %ody is accusto!ed to. Coffee s"read around the orld in only a century and %y the 1Eth century* it had %eco!e one of the !ost ,alua%le e5"orts a,aila%le. Coffee has had a ides"read i!"act on "eo"les around the orld. So!e of the i!"act is so!e hat !inor* so!e of it is !a>orF ranging fro! coffee "lantations and econo!ic gro th* to si!"ly ha,ing a "lace to hang out ith friends. For further research* it ould %e interesting to find out hy coffee is left unregulated* unli0e !any

The Social History of Coffee @

other drugs hich ha,e also for!ed their o n sho"s. There ere entire econo!ies %uilt fro! the coffee %ean. Coffee sho"s ha,e %eco!e not only a great social en,iron!ent* %ut also ha,e %eco!e re"resentations of the culture in that "articular area. E,ery coffee sho" has its o n uniAue fla,or. If you ant to e5"erience the local culture of the "lace you are ,isiting* ,isit a coffee sho"F not si!"ly for the taste of a uniAue fla,or of coffee* %ut also for the uniAue fla,or of the "eo"le.

Selected Bibliography: 6arclay* Eli/a. hy Caffeine In Coffee Is A !iracle "rug #or $he $ired% &7R.org. htt":GG .n"r.orgG%logsGthesaltG)(1-G(BG)-G1@E;)@D(EG hy?caffeine?in?coffee?is?a?!iracle? drug?for?the?tired. HAccessed on Octo%er )E* )(1-I

The Social Life of Coffee E

Co an* 6rian. $he Social Life of Coffee: the E&ergence of the British Coffeehouse. &e Ha,en* CT: Yale +ni,ersity 7ress* )((<. 4i"le* 4enneth* and 4rie!hild Ornelas. $he Ca&bridge orld History of #ood: 'olu&e I. Ca!%ridge* +nited 4ingdo!: Ca!%ridge +ni,ersity 7ress* )(((. Lloyd9s. Corporate History% htt":GG Octo%er )<* )(1-I .lloyds.co!GlloydsGa%out?usGhistory HAccessed on

&ational Coffee Association. $he History of Coffee% Accessed on Octo%er )-* )(1-. htt":GG .ncausa.orgGiBaG"agesGinde5.cf!C"ageidJ;E 7endergrast* #ar0. (nco&&on )rounds: $he History of Coffee and How It $ransfor&ed *ur orld. &e Yor0* &e Yor0: 6asic 6oo0s* 1DDD. Scientific A!erican. 1The Culture of Coffee =rin0ers.3 Scientific A!erican 6logs. htt":GG%logs.scientifica!erican.co!Ganthro"ology?in?"racticeG)(11G(EG11Gthe?culture?of?coffee? drin0ersG HLast #odified August 11* )(11* Accessed Octo%er -* )(1-I Star%uc0s. Starbuc+s Co&pany ,rofile. htt":GGglo%alassets.star%uc0s.co!GassetsGDa;;1;%DEdc;B)@1acEcD1(f%eeB@EEB."df HLast #odified August )(1)* Accessed on Octo%er )B* )(1-I Star%uc0s. About (s: *ur Co&pany. htt":GG infor!ation. HAccessed on Octo%er );* )(1-I .star%uc0s.co!Ga%out?usGco!"any?

To"i0* Ste,en. Coffee as a Social "rug% Cultural Criti-ue. &o. @1* =rugs in #otion: #ind? and %ody?altering Su%stances in the $orld9s Cultural Econo!y. +ni,ersity of #innesota 7ress* )((D. htt":GG .>stor.orgGsta%leG)<B@<<() +S=A Forest Ser,ice. Coffea arabica L% Rubiaceae% Last #odified )((@. htt":GG .fs.fed.usGglo%alGiitfG"dfGshru%sGCoffeaK)(ara%ica."dfLsearchJK))K))Coffea K)(Ara%icaK))K)(nati,eK)) Haccessed on Octo%er )1* )(1-I