Things really started to percolate in the mid 1800s when brothers John and Charles Arbuckle started selling coffee to cowboys in the American West. When the colonies revolted against King George III’s hefty tea tax, tea was out and coffee was in. Mainland Europe’s first official coffeehouse (no, they didn’t serve lattes) opened in Venice around 1645.īack in the U.S., if it weren’t for the Boston Tea Party in 1773, Americans may never have swapped tea for coffee. He decided to taste the beverage for himself before making a decision, and found the drink so satisfying that he gave it papal approval.”
The controversy was so great that Pope Clement VIII was asked to intervene. Per the National Coffee Association, it wasn’t a smooth ride: “Some people reacted to this new beverage with suspicion or fear, calling it the ‘bitter invention of Satan.’ The local clergy condemned coffee when it came to Venice in 1615. (Check out Dave Eggers’ recent book for a fascinating look at how it all went down.) As for Europeans, they got their first taste about 100 years later - with Venice leading the way. On the other hand, the history of coffee itself clearly goes back to 15th century Yemen.
After all, Americans have turned procrastination into an art form.
#Death road to canada coffee full#
We believe September 29 came about as a jolting reminder to get back to work following a long summer - even though it’s a full week after the first day of fall. The history of National Coffee Day seems a bit, well, cloudy.