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International Coffee Day
"I'm feeling mighty lonesome
Haven't slept a wink
I walk the floor and watch the door
And in between I drink
Black coffee
Love's a hand me down brew
I'll never know a Sunday
In this weekday room."
Feeling a bit groggy and reaching for that morning cup of coffee or this bold tartan equivalent? Well, it's hard to believe that this beloved pick-me-up was once met with suspicion and even outright hostility! In days gone by, coffee (unlike its more 'respectable' cousin, tea) was seen as a dangerous foreign brew that could throw the drinker’s constitution into chaos! Back in 1674, a group of concerned British women took this fear to new heights. Their “Women’s Petition Against Coffee” boldly claimed that coffee was turning their husbands into “useless corpses,” and they proposed a ban on it for anyone under the age of 60. Meanwhile, in other parts of the world, governments sought to ban coffee for its supposed ability to stir up radical thinking. Sweden, in 1746, took matters to an extreme by banning not just coffee but also coffee paraphernalia—cups, saucers, and all! Today, coffee is the most consumed hot beverage in the world, with a dizzying array of varieties on offer. From rare artisanal roasts grown on high-altitude farms to specialty blends costing a small fortune, coffee connoisseurs have no shortage of options. And now, you have this rich tartan to wake-up and dazzle the decaffeinated in line at your nearest coffee bar! One might even say (in coffee-house speak) that this sumptuous brew boasts whispers of sun-kissed cocoa beans, a flirtation with wildflower honey, and the faintest hint of freshly rained-upon forest leaves. Its aroma carries notes of nostalgia wrapped in a blanket of warm, artisanal dreams. With each sip, you'll taste the dedication of handpicked moonlit berries and the essence of a thousand poets sighing in unison. Or, you know... let's just call it a good strong brew. 🤪 🖤 🤎 🖤 ☕ ☕ ☕
International Coffee Day was launched in Milan, Italy by the International Coffee Organization to promote fair trade coffee and to raise awareness for the plight of the coffee growers.
The earliest credible evidence of coffee-drinking appears in the middle of the 15th century in the Sufi shrines of Yemen. By the 16th century, coffee growing spread to the rest of the Middle East, Persia, Turkey, and northern Africa. Through the efforts of the British East India Company, coffee became popular in England as well.
One of the first British coffee houses, Oxford's Queen's Lane Coffee House, established in 1654, is still operating.
When coffee reached North America during the Colonial period, it was initially not as successful as it had been in Europe - alcoholic beverages remained more popular. But during the Revolutionary War, the demand for coffee increased so much that dealers had to hoard their scarce supplies and raise prices dramatically; this was also due to the reduced availability of tea from British merchants, and a general resolution among many Americans to avoid drinking tea following the 1773 Boston Tea Party.
After the War of 1812, during which Britain temporarily cut off access to tea imports, Americans' taste for coffee grew even more. In contrast, coffee consumption declined in England, giving way to tea during the 18th century.
The coffee break originated in the late 19th century in Stoughton, Wisconsin, with the wives of Norwegian immigrants. The city celebrates this innovation every year with the Stoughton Coffee Break Festival. The term subsequently became popular through a Pan-American Coffee Bureau ad campaign of 1952 which urged consumers, "Give yourself a Coffee-Break – and Get What Coffee Gives to You."
This tartan, by designer Carol A.L. Martin, uses rich colours that "could be coffee, could be beer."
Johann Sebastian Bach admired coffee and its stimulating effects so much that he was inspired to compose the Coffee Cantata, about dependence on the beverage. To hear an excerpt from this work, take a coffee break and click the coffee.