Coffee | Origin, Types, Uses, History, & Facts - Encyclopedia Britannica

History

Wild coffee plants, probably from Kefa (Kaffa), Ethiopia, were taken to southern Arabia and placed under cultivation in the 15th century. One of many legends about the discovery of coffee is that of Kaldi, an Arab goatherd who was puzzled by the strange antics of his flock. About 850 ce Kaldi supposedly sampled the berries of the evergreen bush on which the goats were feeding and, on experiencing a sense of exhilaration, proclaimed his discovery to the world.

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Whatever the actual origin of coffee, its stimulating effect undoubtedly made it popular. Ironically, though Islamic authorities pronounced the drink intoxicating and therefore prohibited by the Qurʾān, many Muslims were attracted to the beverage as a substitute for alcohol, also prohibited by the Qurʾān. Despite the threat of severe penalties, coffee drinking spread rapidly among Arabs and their neighbours and even gave rise to a new social and cultural entity, the coffeehouse.

Coffee was introduced into one European country after another throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. Many accounts are recorded of its prohibition or approval as a religious, political, and medical potion. By the end of the 17th century, coffeehouses were flourishing across Britain, the British colonies in America, and continental Europe.

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Until the close of the 17th century, the world’s limited supply of coffee was obtained almost entirely from the province of Yemen in southern Arabia. But, with the increasing popularity of the beverage, propagation of the plant spread rapidly to Java and other islands of the Indonesian archipelago in the 17th century and to the Americas in the 18th century. Coffee cultivation was started in the Hawaiian Islands in 1825.

Key People: Thomas Lipton (Show more) Related Topics: espresso history of coffee cold-brew coffee instant coffee decaffeinated coffee (Show more) On the Web: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Caffeine (Dec. 02, 2025) (Show more) See all related content

By the 20th century the greatest concentration of production was centred in the Western Hemisphere—particularly Brazil. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, industrial roasting and grinding machines came into use, vacuum-sealed containers were invented for ground roasts, and decaffeination methods for green coffee beans were developed. After 1950 the production of instant coffee was perfected, which led to increased production of the cheaper Robusta beans in Africa. See also history of coffee.