Coffee has a long, rich story to tell. In fact, the history of coffee began over 1,000 years ago, according to legend. You can trace its path across the globe, all the way to your cup.
Today, coffee is one of the most – if not the most – consumed beverages in the world. It all starts with the coffee tree, the seeds of which are harvested and roasted, giving us what we know as coffee “beans.” Every coffee is unique, thanks to the different species and varieties of coffee, grown in different coffee regions across the world with distinctive growing conditions. And, every step in the lifecycle of coffee helps to shape the flavor, aroma, and unique characteristics of the coffee you enjoy each day.
This is coffee’s origin story.
What is coffee?
It’s good to start with the basics. Coffee beans—which are really seeds—come from a tree. It’s a fascinating tree, too, from how widely leaf size and color can vary to the tree’s surprisingly long lifespan. Learn more about the coffee tree and the two most common coffee species, arabica (Coffea arabica) and robusta (Coffea canephora).
Coffee regions of the world
Coffee is grown in more than 40 countries across the world in a narrow climactic zone along the Equator, between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Each coffee region has the right growing conditions for the choosy coffee tree to thrive – but they all still produce distinct, unique coffees due to a combination of local factors such as the soil, rainfall, altitude, and amount of sunlight, also known as the terroir.
History of coffee
Who discovered coffee trees? Who invented coffee as we enjoy it now? Well, coffee is centuries old—the earliest origin-legends date back to the 9th century—and the story has evolved over time, so we don’t have official answers to everything. But we can paint a vivid picture of coffee’s history and its rise to popularity across the globe.
Lifecycle of coffee
Coffee makes quite a journey to get to your cup each day. Everything about the way it looks, tastes, and smells in your cup is influenced by the steps in its lifecycle, from planting seeds to recycling coffee grounds and everything in between (growing, harvesting, processing, and roasting; possibly being made into decaf or a blend).
