The Origins of Coffee
Coffee is a drink that has dramatically influenced humankind for many centuries. Coffee expert Mark Pendergrast, in his book, Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How it Transformed our World, describes coffee as a "big business, one of the world's most valuable agricultural commodities, providing the largest jolt of the world's most widely taken psychoactive drug" (Pendergrast). Among the many questions that may arise regarding this legendary drink, one definitely calls for attention: when are the origins of coffee? This is a hefty question, and especially within the context of "big history," finding the answer is certainly not as easy as pinpointing a specific year on the calendar. It can be approached from a number of different perspectives and evokes even more questions. How is coffee defined? Is it a drink, a bean, a plant? To others, it might be a shop, a mug, or even Starbucks. What about coffee's "origins"? Does this mean when humans discovered the plant or started drinking it as a liquid? What if animals had been consuming it long before humans had? Did coffee "begin" when it was made into a liquid drink, when it became a global commodity, or when it birthed coffee shops? Did it begin with Starbucks? When examining coffee as a plant—from a broad, botanical and evolutionary standpoint—and then zooming in and observing its discovery and geographical spread through human control, it is evident that coffee as we know it today began with the Arabs' culturalization of the drink in the sixth century.
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Works Cited:
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"Biology Reference." Coffee, Botany of. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015., http://www.biologyreference.com/Ce-Co/Coffee-Botany-of.html
"Botanical Aspects." International Coffee Organization -. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015., http://www.ico.org/botanical.asp
"Coffee (Coffea) - Information on Coffee - Encyclopedia of Life." Encyclopedia of Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015., http://eol.org/pages/29482/overview
Pendergrast, Mark. Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World. New York, NY: Basic, 1999. Print.
"The Coffee Tree." Just About Coffee. Just About Coffee and Kolb, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015., http://justaboutcoffee.com/index.php?file=coffeetree
"15. THE BOTANY OF THE COFFEE PLANT." 15. THE BOTANY OF THE COFFEE PLANT., N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015., http://www.web books.com/Classics/ON/B0/B701/20MB701.html
Gibson, C. Arthur, "KAHVEH, PRAISE ALLAH." Coffee. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2015., N.p., n.d. Web., http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/economicbotany/Coffea/