The birthplace of coffee has some debate and legend surrounding it. Some say Yemen, others Ethiopia. And others associate India with it's origins.
Coffee was associated with the British colonizers in India. The subjects either embraced or rejected the custom of drinking coffee
In the 15th century, coffee as a hot beverage was introduced to the world by the Sufi Saints in Yemen. The beverage they drank was college qahwa, Arabic for coffee. It was used to stay awake for night-long meditation and recitation zikr rituals.
Coffee trading in the 15th century was based in the Red Sea region with the Yemeni Port of Mocha as its focal point. Mocha received its supply from the Ethiopian highlands in northeast Africa.
The legends from Ethiopia confirm the belief that it is the epicentre of where coffee originated. Founded by Kaldi, an Ethiopian goat herder, he noticed his goats would behave strangely after eating different berries. Kaldi himself consumed the berries and felt alert and excitable. He shared these with a monk, who considered the berries the work of the devil and threw the berries into the fire. And the first roasting had occurred. The monks saved the berries, now charred and put these in a jar and covered with water to protect and preserve, not realizing they were now brewing.
The individuals who share the story of the monks believe that a Yemeni Sufi mystic was traveling through Ethopia and returned to Yemen with beans.
Regardless of who started the trend, coffee consumption has grown throughout the world, penetrating Persia, Egypt, Syria and Turkey. The first coffee house was opened in Constantinople (now known as Istanbul) in 1475. Coffee became part of the daily ritual and was also used to show hospitality to guests. The coffee house of the past was not only for coffee consumption, but also served a central location for conversation, music and performance entertainment, playing chess and sharing local news (gossip).
Coffee remains a focal point of meeting, and brings people together.
Leo's Cafe sells and Ethiopian Blend, as well as a Mocha coffee. Both have a chocolate texture or flavor and are a little bitter to the initial taste. The resembles the flavor of the current coffee cultivated in Yemen. I recommend purchasing whole bean and grinding when you brew.