Origin of Coffee- Yemen

In a port called Al-Mokha, which is located in Yemen, it has been said that coffee originated from there. In this small city, the locals gave coffee its original Arabic name qahwa and mocha came from this port, port Al-Mokha.

According to World.Mic, coffee was everything to Yemen. Coffee was handed down from generation to generation, and it was one of the most important plants there was for Yemenis. Coffee was considered the “Wine of Arabia”, where monks in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen drank it to help them stay up for midnight prayers. Coffee spread from the monks to everyone, for everyday use and it was also included in trades as an exquisite item. It spread all over the Islamic world creating different coffee houses in areas including Persia, Egypt, Turkey, and North Africa. Coffee spread all over Europe by the Ottoman Empire and by trading markets by the Yemeni in the port of Mocha. England and the Dutch East India Companies were able to transport the Mocha beans and trees back to England, India, Sumatra, Bali and other islands in the East Indies.

Although now coffee is not as big anymore in Yemen, the taste and smell of Arabica coffee are unique as it takes a while to create and perfect. The coffee beans can only be harvested five years after being planted at 2,500 meters (about 8,200 feet above sea level). The coffee beans are handpicked at a specific time, dried outside by the sun, and then peel the dried skin. Yemenis use every part of the coffee plant. The leaves are used to make a red tea that's like herbal medicine, and the husk is used within a drink, which contains a lot of antioxidants.

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Most Common Origin of Coffee Story

There are a couple of theories on how coffee was discovered. According to this theory Kaldi, a goat herder from Kaffa, noticed the goats that he usually gathers were acting strangely one day. They seemed to be jumping around on their hind legs and bleating loudly. Kaldi investigated and found that the source of these behaviors were from a small shrub with bright berries.

Kaldi tried some himself and felt the same effects as the goats. He felt very excited. He then took it home and his wife suggested him to share these berries with the monks. When he arrived at the monastery, the monk did not believe him. 

The beans were then labeled as the “Devil’s work”, and were tossed into the fire. This myth suggests that the smell of the roasting beans made the monks rethink the label of the beans. They took the coffee beans out of the fire, crushed them, and covered them with hot water.

As the coffee aroma began to spread all over the monastery, the monks were drawn to the aroma and wanted to taste the coffee beans. They discovered that coffee was effective in keeping them awake during holy devotion practice, just like tea. The Monks then vowed to drink coffee to help them with their religious devotions every day. This was one of the myths on how coffee was first discovered.

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