Much of the world wakes up with a cup of coffee. There are a few rare individuals who seem to be able to greet the day without the aid of a warm drink, but for most of us a deep, rich cup of delicious brew is required. Coffee is so dear to us that Monday, September 29 is dedicated as International Coffee Day. In honor of the event, here’s a little bit of coffee history and a suggestion for sending at least one person an inspirational greeting card to invite them to enjoy the day with you.
How Coffee Came to Be
No one knows for sure how coffee first came to be, but legend has it that the first person to discover the joy of coffee drinking lived in Ethiopia. A goat-herder in that country is said to have noted the excessive energy and wakefulness of his goats that had been nibbling the beans of a coffee plant. The farmer took some beans to a local monastery where it is reported that the first-ever cup of coffee was brewed by the monks who lived there. The servants of Christ were delighted with the drink’s ability to help them stay awake for evening prayers.
The Birth of Coffee Culture
If Ethiopia was the place where coffee was discovered, Arabia is where the bean was first cultivated. Arab communities were the first to create a coffee culture. It was among the people of the Near and Middle East that coffee houses got their start. These coffee houses became the hub of social activity where local citizens gathered to enjoy a drink, share conversation, play games and even listen to music. Coffee was so popular that it was called the wine of Araby.
As missionaries and traders interacted with the Arab world, the love of coffee spread. It was carried to Asia and Italy and from there it travelled across the continent and into western culture. By the middle of the 1800s there were coffee houses all across Europe and 300 plus in London alone. The New World held onto its preference for tea until a fateful day in Boston Harbor when Americans protested against high taxes on the British beverage. Coffee eventually replaced tea as the beverage of choice.
Send an Inspirational Greeting Card and Invite Someone to Celebrate Coffee Day There’s more which could be said about one of the world’s best-loved beverages – like the many places that it is grown or how it came to be called a cup of Joe. But better than talking about coffee, is making time to drink it. At The Printery House we invite you to use the opportunity to invite someone in your life out for a cup of coffee any way you like it. Send an inspirational greeting card and let them know how they make your life better and ask them to join you for a cup of coffee to celebrate International Coffee Day. If they live far away, tuck a coffee house gift card inside their card. Make sure your words of affirmation are in there too.