How Coffee Changed the World
Coffee's Monumental Impact on the Age of Enlightenment in 17th-Century England
New Social Conscious
Until the 17th century, coffee remained a curiosity to the Europeans. It was only mentioned in accounts of journeys to the exotic lands of the Eastern world. This all changed around the mid-17th century when, along with tea, chocolate and tobacco, coffee became an essential part of European luxury culture. By 1700, coffee was firmly established as a beverage in Europe. At first, it was just for exclusive members of society. In time however, coffee grew in accessibility and found its way to the bourgeois and working-class people. This expansion in popularity is what many believe gave way to the Age of Enlightenment, which helped shape our modern social conscious. Coffee’s introduction to Europe was the beginning of a paradigm shift that forever changed our social conscious. The reason the Enlightenment happened when it did is because coffee was a vital part of that era. 17th century Europe had a new civil and sober drink which fostered a more linear, rational, focused way of thinking. Historians often associate English coffeehouses with the intellectual and philosophical ideas that came from the Enlightenment and elevated our baseline consciousness.
Alcohol
Before coffee assumed its position in the European diet, alcoholic drinks played a crucial role in English society. "The former were consumed as both a semiluxury to be enjoyed and a nourishing staple" (Schivelbusch 22). More notably, alcohol was safer than drinking water because fermentation killed harmful microbes. People drank morning, noon and night. Even children drank hard cider with breakfast (Pollan).
Following the English Reformation , a litany of caricatures depicting gluttony and drunkenness were released in London. These images had the propose of denouncing immoderate drinking. Most of these caricatures share similarities, such as animalistic portrayals, vomiting from excessive drinking and, as seen on the left, demons. These demons were "seen in those times as both the cause and incarnation of vice" (Schivelbusch 32).
It would take more than a Puritan ideology and these polemical images for any real change to be made in English drinking habits. It required a more highly developed society and economy, sharper restraints, a higher degree of work discipline and, most importantly, a new beverage to replace alcohol. "For without substitutes the existing traditions would not disappear" (Schivelbusch 34). These requirements were filled in the 17th century when England was introduced to the great soberer: coffee.
The Great Soberer
In the late 17th century, coffee started being described as, the great soberer. This is because it awoke England from its drunken stupor and transformed it into an intelligent society that valued common sense and industrial progress. Also, because coffee was credited with the ability to sober someone up who was already drunk. Despite this being entirely false, many people still believe this myth in the modern world.
During coffee's rise to popularity, a lot of pro-coffee propaganda circulated throughout London. English Puritan poets ran with this theme of coffee as the great soberer. Take, for example, this anonymous poem published in 1672 and look at how it praises the beverages awesome properties.
"When the sweet Poison of the Treacherous Grape Had acted on the world a general rape; Drowning our Reason and our souls In such deep seas of large o'erflowing bowls,
When foggy Ale, leavying up mighty trains Of muddy vapours, had besieg'd our Brains, Then Heaven in Pity . . . First sent amongst us this All-healing Berry,
Coffee arrives, that grave and wholesome Liquor, That heals the stomach, makes the genius quicker, Relieves the memory, revives the sad, And cheers the Spirits, without making mad . . ." (Schivelbusch 34, 35).
Pre-Enlightenment
Coffee stems from the Arab world but it's difficult to determine exactly when it became a part of their culture. The story goes that coffee was discovered in 850 A.D. by an Ethiopian herder when he noticed his goats unable to rest after they ate a particular berry. The exact dates are uncertain but supposedly coffee was being consumed on a regular basis in the Arab world since 1200 (Pollan).
"Although the dating may be vague, the logic of coffee drinking for Arabic-Islamic civilization is incontestable. As a nonalcoholic, nonintoxicating, indeed even sobering and mentally stimulating drink, it seemed to be tailor-made for a culture that forbade alcohol consumption and gave birth to modern mathematics" (Schivelbusch 17).
For the better part of the 17th century, coffee remained a mystery in Europe, only mentioned in accounts of exotic trips to the Orient. For this reason, the beverage was exclusively associated with the Middle East and described as a, "hot, blackish beverage" (Schivelbusch 15).
Leonhard Rauwolf
Augsburg physician, Leonhard Rauwolf chronicled his travels through the Middle East in his book, Journey to the Lands of the Orient, published in 1582. In the second part of his travel account, Rauwolf describes coffee—one of the first allusions to it in Europe. Leonhard presupposes what Europeans would think of the chaube (coffee) he encountered in his journey. "They could not imagine consuming a hot, black, bitter-tasting drink—much less with pleasure" (Schivelbusch 17). Rauwolf suggests that coffee would remind Europeans of hot pitch, which was used during medieval times as a thermal projectile and for torture.
In 1652, Pasqua Rosée opened the first coffeehouse in recorded history. It was located in St. Michael's Alley, Cornhill (London).
The First Coffeehouse in London!
Pasqua Rosée is best known for opening the first coffeehouse in recorded history. As you can see from the map above, it was located in St. Michael's Alley, Cornhill (London). Although the story of Pasqua Rosée is not entirely clear, he was most likely born to a Greek community in the Republic of Ragusa and moved to Smyrna in the early 17th century. In 1651, a merchant named Daniel Edwards, a member of the Levant Company and trader of Turkish goods, employed Rosée as a servant and brought him to Britain.
Depiction of a coffee cart in 17th century London (Duncan 1980, Getty Images).
In 1652, Rosée began selling coffee. Not from an indoor café but from a cart, like the one above (Yasmin El-Beih). This is how a majority of coffee was sold before the proliferation of coffeehouses. Rosée's stand became popular among Edwards's colleagues. They would get a cup of coffee prior to discussing trade (Ukers 54). Eventually, Rosée's cart grew in popularity and expanded beyond other Levant Company traders. "People from all walks of life swarmed to his business to meet, greet, drink, think, write, gossip and jest, all fuelled by coffee" (Green). This pushed Rosée to establish his coffeehouse. It was a massive success, producing over 600 dishes of coffee a day (Green). Rosée had triggered a coffeehouse boom and his monetization of this beverage would transform London forever.
Beginning of an Era
Following suit with Rosée, the rapid increase in London coffeehouses was astonishing. "By 1663 there were 82 coffeehouses within the old Roman walls of the City" (Green). Today these sites can be remembered as testaments to the inception of the Age of Enlightenment. These were the locations at which deep political, literary and philosophical conversations took place which elevated our baseline consciousness to a higher level of intellect. Frequent visitors of these coffeehouses had a term associated with them. "The term 'coffee-house politician' referred to someone who spent all day cultivating pious opinions about matters of high state and sharing them with anyone who'd listen" (Green).
Depiction of a London coffeehouse, ca. 1690—1700 (Trustees of the British Museum)
Coffeehouses in London became wildly popular sites for the bourgeois to engage in intelligent dialogue and conduct business. Much like today, coffee and business went together nicely in the 17th century. Above is a drawing of Lloyd's Coffeehouse, a place that functioned as a commercial communication center for men in maritime vocations. Schivelbusch writes, "ship captains, shipowners, merchants, insurance brokers. People went to Lloyd's to hear the latest trade news" (49). In the image you can see British men drinking coffee, reading newspapers and having vibrant conversations. In the background, one man discusses art with his peer. Eventually, Edward Lloyd (the owner) began a reporting service providing trade news called, "Lloyd's News." This venture flourished and its profits soon surpassed those gained from serving coffee (Schivelbusch). Today, Lloyd's is known as Lloyd's of London and is recognized as the world's leading specialist insurance market with locations all over the world (White). This radical transformation demonstrates how the real value of coffee lies in the conversations and communities it fuels.
Medicinal Coffee?
People in 17th century England were so passionate about coffee that they began claiming the beverage had medicinal properties. Specifically, protection against infections and, most outrageously, protection against the Great Plague of Marseille that ravaged France from 1720 to 1722, killing an estimated 100,000 people (Ermus). Horticulturalist Richard Bradley perpetuated these claims.
Richard Bradley
In his time, Richard Bradley was a well-known English naturalist who specialized in botany. He was also a Fellow of the prestigious Royal Society and published many books, including the one on the left. Seeing as how accomplished Bradley was, much of England looked at him as a trusted informant. What is clear from reading The Virtue and Use of Coffee is that Bradley is a serious coffee lover. This work has a "comprehensive description of the history, cultivation and trading of coffee" (Isaac). Bradley also talks about the medicinal properties of coffee. He writes, "It is remark’d by several Learned Men abroad, that Coffee is of excellent Use in the time of Pestilence, and contributes greatly to prevent the spreading of Infection" (Bradley). Coffee supported the "vital flame" and lifted spirits. Those whose spirits are overcome with fear, are more likely to become ill (Bradley). When an esteemed scholar like Bradley claims that coffee has vital medicinal properties, naturally, people are going to listen. Primarily because back then we had very little understanding of sickness and remedy. Naturally, people are going to gravitate toward new solutions.
Michael Pollan
Michael Pollan is an American author and journalist. He is best known for his immersive research technique which means he takes part in the subject he is writing about. In this clip from the Joe Rogan Experience, Pollan discusses the history of coffee and the beverages powerful ties to our modern social conscious. The entire clip is interesting but you only need to watch until 5:18 to uncover Pollan's point. He contends that coffee's introduction to Europe was the beginning of institutionalizing a drug for the express purpose of improving productivity and quality control. Pollan explains how many revelatory historical shifts would have been near impossible without the proliferation of coffee. Pollan hits it on the head when he says, "we have a debt to these plants" (Pollan).
Parting Thoughts
Prior to the introduction of coffee in Europe, the world was different. Humans had a different set of values and beliefs. In the contemporary world, people are unaware of the epic impact coffee had on the course of history and our modern understanding of the human experience. This is because the beverage is so heavily engrained into our society as a completely legal, everyday use drug. It feels as though coffee has always been a part of our lives, yet this is untrue. The evolution of coffee in 17th century Europe and expansion of English coffeehouses are the stimuli that changed our world forever, shifting our values and beliefs toward knowledge, community, consciousness, diligence and industrial progress.
Fin
Bibliography
Primary Sources
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Secondary Sources
Bradley, Richard. “The Virtue and Use of Coffee With Regard to the Plague And Other Infectious Distempers.” Eman. Matthews & W. Mears, 1721, Project Gutenberg, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/60264/60264-h/60264-h.htm. Annotation: This eBook was produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
El-Beih, Yasmin. “How coffee forever changed Britain.” BBC Travel, BBC, 19 Nov. 2020, https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20201119-how-coffee-forever-changed-britain.
Ermus, Cindy. “The Plague of Provence: Early Advances in the Centralization of Crisis Management.” Environment & Society Portal, Arcadia (2015), no. 9. Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society. https://doi.org/10.5282/rcc/7029.
Green, Matthew. “The surprising history of London’s fascinating (but forgotten) coffeehouses.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Travel, 6 Mar. 2017, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/articles/London-cafes-the-surprising-history-of-Londons-lost-coffeehouses/.
Isaac, Susan. “Coffee: a plague remedy.” The Royal College of Surgeons, The Royal College of Surgeons of England Library, 7 July 2017, https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/library-and-publications/library/blog/coffee/.
Pollan, Michael via the Joe Rogan Experience, episode 1678. "What Michael Pollan Learned from Quitting Caffeine for 3 Months." 2021. https://youtu.be/mAPG18zNtXk.
Schivelbusch, Wolfgang. “Coffee and the Protestant Ethic.” Tastes of Paradise: A Social History of Spices, Stimulants, and Intoxicants, translated by David Jacobson, Pantheon Books, New York, NY, 1980, pp. 15–84.
Ukers, William H. “The Coffee Houses of Old London.” All About Coffee, Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, New York, NY, 1922, pp. 53–90. Project Gutenberg, https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/28500/pg28500-images.html#Chapter_X. Annotation: This eBook was produced by K.D. Thornton, Suzanne Lybarger, Greg Bergquist and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
White, Matthew. “Newspapers, Gossip and Coffee-House Culture.” The British Library, Discovering Literature: Restoration & 18th century, 21 June 2018, https://www.bl.uk/restoration-18th-century-literature/articles/newspapers-gossip-and-coffee-house-culture.
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