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C offee often exists as a rou- nephora (Robusta) native to east- 1 F.Anthony, et al., “The origin of
tine, a caffeine delivery
ern Democratic Republic of Congo,
mechanism, well before
varieties revealed by AFLP and SSR
any of us begin taking and Liberica, named for its home cultivated Coffea arabica L.
country Liberia.
pleasure in its flavor. Like many things Coffee’s first consumers would markers.” Theoretical and Applied
Genetics (February, 2002). http://
in life, enjoyment is usually cultivated have enjoyed the bean much differ- horizon.documentation.ird.fr/
over time, enhanced by experience ently than you and I. The raw berries exl-doc/pleins_textes/pleins_tex-
and knowledge. were rolled in lard and carried as tes_7/divers2/010029197.pdf
For many who took to drinking rations, or boiled and chewed, or 2 Topik, Stephen. “The Making of a
coffee in the late 1990s and early 2000s, their fermented pulp could be turned Global Commodity | Part 1: Out of
Arabia” SCA News. (October, 2013)
the first eye-opening sips of something into a form of weak, sour wine. The http://www.scanews.cof-
that transcended hot, caffeinated sludge Haya people of what is now north- fee/2013/10/04/the-making-of-a-
were from two very particular origins: western Tanzania exchanged coffee global-commodity-out-of-arabia/#4
dry processed coffees from Harar, Ethi- beans as a kind of greeting. However, 3 Robinette, G. W. Why Drug
opia, and wet-hulled coffees from Su- formal cultivation of the trees in Wars Fail: A Study of Prohibi-
tions Vol 1., Graffiti Militante
matra, Indonesia.Perhaps coincidental- Ethiopia by the Oromo people was Press (2012) 517-521.
ly, or perhaps by predestination, the seen as an insult to the creator-deity
history of how coffee rose from its Waqa, from whom coffee had been
2
humble origins as a wild shrub to a received as a gift .
household necessity and globally trad- And so coffee remained largely
ed commodity is tied up quite intimate- wild, harvested sparingly though
ly with these two iconic regions. much of prehistory, and obscured to
Much has been written about the the rest of the world for aeons.
story of coffee; its myths and legends Could Ethiopia’s Coptic Aksum-
often intermingle with facts to create ite Empire have introduced the crop
a lovingly painted, but not whole- to Arabia Felix, modern day Yemen,
heartedly truthful picture. I think that during its occupation in the 6th cen-
coffee’s story is worth telling, both tury? It’s possible. Less believable, but
with deep affection for the arch of the no less fantastic stories of coffee’s
narrative, and enduring respect for “discovery” include tales of King Sol-
the truth of its impact on each of the omon using it to cure a plague, Kaldi
lives it touches. noticing his badly behaving goats
I’d like to explore a little about under the influence of caffeine, the
why the roasted seed of a fruit, culti- archangel Gabriel delivering it to a
vated in such diverse conditions, holds beleaguered prophet Muhammad, and
such a beloved place in our memories Sheik Omar surviving on nothing but
and daily routines. coffee berries for days while wander-
ing in exile from the city of Mocha.
Sparks of “Discovery” In truth, it woul d be Sufi
imams - reliable surviving texts
The Boma Plateau in western note one Jamal al-Din Abu ‘Abd
Ethiopia and South Sudan is almost Allah Muhammad ibn Sa’id, (known
certainly the home to the first Ar- as Dhabhani) - who would bring
3
abica coffee trees . The region still coffee into popular use during late
1
boasts the greatest naturally occur- night vigils in Yemen’s port of Aden
ring genetic diversity of the spe- in the mid 15th century. This would
cies. However, Arabica has many be coffee’s home away from home,
cousins, mostly found elsewhere on and its vehicle of introduction to
the African continent; notably Ca- the rest of the world.

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