The emergence of Coffee House Culture

Ever since the magical beans were discovered by the shepherd of Ethiopia or the Sheikh of Yemen (you can believe either of the legends for the discovery of coffee, as long as the beans were discovered), the influence of the beverage has spread throughout the world.

Coffee was regarded as the new beverage that made up for a great lubricate in brainstorming. It acted as a catalyst for generating new ideas and a partner in social interactions. This character of coffee gave rise to a new culture- the coffee house culture.

The first-ever coffee shop in the world lay its bricks in Mecca and gradually spread to Europe, Asia, and other Western countries. Before coffee came into the picture, the standard European breakfast beverage included beer. The emergence of coffee house culture introduced the coffee as a morning beverage with foods like croissants, doughnuts, and bagels.

People loved talking over coffee about the world, humans, philosophy, business, politics, religion, love, literature, nature, and more.

Coffee might have attained its position as an important trading commodity, but the rise in the culture of coffee houses provided businesses with its purpose.

The trend of coffee houses is still a raving concept in the modern contemporary world, but it did go through phases of transformations with time.

One of the main reasons for the rise in coffee house culture in Europe during the 17th century was the fact that coffee houses became the center of the social sphere. Coffee provides the ease of convenience for carrying out a conversation. Meeting over a cup of hot coffee was an easy and comparatively affordable option for Europeans during that time over full-fledged eateries. Coffee houses made it accessible for rich privileged patrons and even the working class to come together in a place to exchange ideas.

This resulted in the age of enlightenment in Europe for coffee. The fine green beans of Haraaz were imported from Yemen by Europeans and were a hit in the coffee houses. It kept people active, energetic, more productive ad overall chatty.

The number of coffee visitors kept growing vividly with time. The place of assembly soon turned to be a meeting point of people that spilled the beans of revolution over a cup of coffee.

Coffee houses began to be a favorite confluence for all the political propaganda conversations. People started to become vocal about the ongoing issues who otherwise did not find a platform to voice their qualms.

Be it the gender discrimination, upscaled pricing, demerit legislation, unlawful regime, or just another bad media, citizens found their solace in discussing these issues with fellow patrons in the coffee house.

During the time of political unrest and economic turmoil in the nations, coffee houses gave the underprivileged ones the opportunity to voice their opinions and the ability to debate with the authoritative and elite crowd too.

Some of the early seeds of revolutions were germinated in Coffee houses of London and some parts of American colonies. Some of the prominent people like Darwin, James II, and Charles II have been a part of the political exchange in the coffee houses that led to revolutions about sedition, atheism, blasphemy, treason, and more.

Under the freedom of the coffee house and the concept of exchanging ideas amidst the strong aroma of freshly brewed coffee, the shadows of despotic monarchs and discrimination of rights were overlooked.

The Haraaz coffee from Yemen became a hit in the coffee houses in Europe and Asia, especially when coffee houses became the melting pot of gossips. Journalists and reporters were sent to various coffee houses as a source of information and news. Soon, most of them got hooked to the eccentric beverage and wrote articles about it, spreading the word of beans to different parts of the world.

Even the publications, newspapers, bulletins, and auction notices made agreements with the coffee house owners for distribution of information. By the 18th century, coffee houses began to become the postal network hub for the exchange of news.

This trend of encouraging debates and political indifferences might have kept coffee houses in the position of blessing in disguise too.

Green beans from Yemen are known to stimulate the parts of your brain to be more productive and energetic. Coffee houses also became a place for literature enthusiasts to find inspiration for their art. Many poets, writers, and sometimes even photographers created their iconic pieces by either being inspired by a coffee house conversation or were about the conversation that took place in the coffee house scenario.

Many renowned novels, political speeches, and scripts for movies have been written between the four walls of coffee houses in the past, making it a rich part of the world’s literature legacy.

Cut to 2020, the coffee house has turned into cafes and almost every next lane has one. We live in the era of Starbucks, Café Coffee Day, Barista, and more roasters. Cafes have become a place to catch up with your friends, go on a first date, set up work meetings, or just sit by yourself and unwind with a book. These magical beans have come a long way, but the love for coffee has only been increased with every passing day.

Coffee beans today are available all over the world, but the black gold from Yemen – the Haraaz coffee is one of its kind, the flavor of which remains untouched. Even though the coffee house culture has changed for years, the love for beans and especially the classic beans from Yemen still rules the caffeine world with all its might.