Hello, my friend living in the future,
I'm excited to tell you that I just made a fascinating new friend and witnessed one of the most influential moments in modern society. If not for this moment, your whole day in 2024 would look different.
As I write this to you, I sit in the shade of an acacia tree, overlooking the beautiful and endless Ethiopian highlands. It's the year 800, and next to me is Kaldi, a young goat farmer whom I met a few hours ago.
I wasn't aware of any significant historical person from this time, so when I saw the year and location I was at, I expected a fun, small, maybe local tale but no significant discoveries - oh, was I wrong! I stood in the middle of a beautiful nowhere and only saw a lonely goat herder standing in the distance. So I decided to approach him.
He seemed in thought and didn't pay much attention to me initially, but then pointed at his herd and asked: "Do you see what they are doing?" Indeed, his goats were acting strange. It looked like they were dancing around. "They started doing this ever since they ate from that small bush over there. I've never seen them so energetic and excited. I wonder whether it has something to do with those red berries. Do you think we should have a look at them?" He didn't wait for a response but walked over and inspected the mysterious bush. He picked a few of its bright red berries and studied them. "Do you think they are safe to eat? The goats seem to love them - maybe I should try one." I, again, didn't have time for a response as Kaldi was already chewing on that berry, and soon after, he was the first human to experience the awakening rush of caffeine.
A few hours have passed since that moment, and while having beautiful conversations with Kaldi, I helped him watch over his goats, who have calmed down again and are back to their typical habit of slowly eating away the highlands. I'm fascinated by this man who, even though he doesn't know about other civilizations, has never left his village and probably never will, is so interested in the world around him.
While I'm writing you this letter, Kaldi is preparing to return to his village. His pockets filled with red berries. He plans on showing them to his tribe, and while he can't guess the significance of his discovery, he's just about to introduce coffee to the world.
Coffee's expansion around the world is an epic tale that mixes myth and reality, and I'm sure we'll see little glimpses of this tale in many of my future adventures. I'll be sure to include future encounters with the history of coffee in my letters to you.
Initially, the berries were eaten either raw or incorporated in some form of bread. While some legends say that monks threw the beans into the fire for the first time because they thought the stimulating effect of caffeine was a temptation by the devil, it was more likely in the 15th century in Arabia that the beans were first roasted and brewed. In the 17th century, coffee conquered Europe, and by fueling the Industrial Revolution, it became an essential part of many daily routines. Today, we drink over 2.25 billion cups of coffee daily.
A modern coffee house. Did you know that the coffee house first got popular in London during the 17th century? It was considered a place of thought where intellectual people go to fuel and use their minds and dive into deep discussions rather than numb their senses with beer.
Kaldi is one of the most extreme examples of how a single moment can change the world forever. What if he hadn't cared for his goat's funny behavior or just tried to get them away from the bush? Would someone else have discovered coffee? Or would this tiny red bush still stand only in Africa without anybody noticing it? What would we drink for breakfast then?
I wonder what other drinks are still waiting to be discovered.
Until next time, where and whenever that might be,
🧳
Albert Your time-traveling uncle
Quick facts
Coffee in 2024
We consume around 10 billion kilos of coffee a year. That is over 2.25 billion cups per day.
Finland has the highest coffee consumption per person.
Technically, the coffee bean is not a bean but a seed.
Today, Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world.
The two main types of coffee beans are called Arabica and Robusta. The Robusta has more caffeine and tastes bitter, while the Arabica has complexity.
Espresso means “pressed out” in Italian.
A cup of black coffee only has 1 kcal.