Do you smell it? The charming, warm, and refreshing coffee aroma hits your nose and makes you want to stop. Take a sip and the aftertaste is long. At this moment, you must be wondering: What is coffee? Where does it come from?
Coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia in the 15th century and has since become a global beverage along the same lines as beer.
Coffee is a revolution
By the 18th century, coffee had spread throughout the Eurasian continent and first landed in the Americas from the Caribbean in 1720. At that time, the American continent was in the colonial period, and Europeans brought their beloved coffee here from afar.
In 1773, the Boston Tea Party broke out. Driven by patriotism, more and more young people abandoned tea and began to drink coffee. Since then, the demand for coffee in the United States has continued to rise, and it has grown rapidly after the War of 1812 (the Second War of Independence).
Coffee is a medium for socializing
Coffee houses gradually emerged in the United States in the 17th century. In 1676, the first coffee house in the United States officially opened in Boston, and its founder was John Sparry. At that time, coffee houses were like taverns or hotels, selling coffee, tea and beer at the same time.
200 years later, the people of Milan, on the other side of the world, invented the Italian espresso machine and later brought it to the world. In 1952, the world's first Italian espresso coffee shop opened in London, England, and cappuccino became the new favorite of the British. At that time, most Americans didn't even know what Italian espresso was.
In the 1950s and 1960s, American coffee houses became places for people to have fun and relax. Many country singers would gather here to express their dissatisfaction and expectations of the government at the time through music. In the 1980s, coffee houses even served as temporary chapels.
Coffee is a trendy culture
Peet's Coffee & Tea officially opened in Berkeley, California in 1966. Its founder was Alfred Peet. Peet's focused on providing customers with freshly roasted, high-quality coffee, which was extremely rare at the time.
It was with Pete's leadership that Starbucks, the coffee giant that emerged from Seattle in 1971, emerged. Although Starbucks promotes a standardized business model for store design and coffee products, if you have been to Seattle, you will definitely be deeply influenced by the local boutique coffee culture.
Don't confuse specialty coffee with other concepts. The term "Specialty Coffee" was first coined by Ema Knutsen in 1974. Only high-quality coffee grown in specific microclimate conditions can be defined as specialty coffee. It is believed that only extremely special climate and soil conditions can inspire the most unique taste and aroma of coffee. In addition, specialty coffee has almost zero defects. It is this extremely high quality that makes specialty coffee unique.
Colombia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Panama are all major producers of specialty coffee. As knowledge of coffee continues to spread, people's demand for specialty coffee is increasing day by day. In the past 25 years, the market share of the specialty coffee industry has jumped from 1% in the past to 20% today, and this proportion will continue to increase.
Coffee is an art
The significance of coffee is not limited to its fragrance and delicious taste. Its quality is not only reflected in the taste and aroma of coffee, but also in the whole process from planting, picking, purchasing, roasting to brewing. Consumers pay more and more attention to the origin of coffee, and their requirements for the service level of coffee shops are also increasing. Coffee, which was once just an ordinary commodity, has now become a fine art. More and more coffee shops are constantly improving their service quality. They will visit coffee plantations in various countries and work with growers to continuously push the quality of coffee to a new level.
In 2002, Trish Rothgeb of Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters in Los Angeles first proposed the concept of the "Third Wave of Coffee". Another new wave of coffee swept the world. People's desire to explore the subtle taste differences of coffee, different coffee varieties and origins reached a peak.
Today’s coffee shops are different. They sell high-quality single-origin coffees sourced through direct trade; they use light roasting techniques; they advocate latte art; and their shops are filled with all kinds of novel coffee brewing equipment, such as syphons, Chemex or Hario V60 hand-drip coffee makers.
The pursuit of perfect coffee quality will never end. People will continue to use the latest technology and their creativity to bring new surprises to customers. Coffee will be a permanent theme in life.
Please log in to the Apple App store and major Android markets, search for "Drip Coffee" and download the App.
