Spread of Coffee

The History of Coffee: From Arabia to Europe

The journey of coffee to Europe likely began between the 11th and 13th centuries. The first coffee plants and knowledge of their stimulating effects were brought to Arabia by slave traders. There, the Arabs experimented with the exotic beans and developed the world’s oldest roasting techniques. Coffee quickly became extremely popular in the region. In what is now Yemen, it was first cultivated and grown on plantations.

The trading hub of the Arab coffee monopoly was the port city of al-Mukha, also known as Mocha. Especially in the 16th century, coffee spread as a stimulating alternative to alcohol, which is prohibited in Islam, throughout the Arab and Ottoman Empires.

In 1511, the first documented coffeehouse was opened in Mecca. Soon, coffeehouses also appeared in Syria, Anatolia, Egypt, and other regions. Until their temporary ban at the end of the 16th century, they served as social meeting places for the elite, where friends, business partners, and families gathered to enjoy coffee and exchange news.

Despite a strict ban and persecution of “coffee enthusiasts” that lasted until 1839, coffee culture survived in the Ottoman Empire. Eventually, coffee made its way to Europe, where it captured people’s hearts and laid the foundation for the European coffeehouse culture - a cultural legacy that continues to this day.