First Coffee Consumers

Coffee discovery as a beverage lead it to be used for commercial purposes.

Arabs tried to stop coffee beans from being exported to other countries; that is why they did not allow any bean to leave the country unless it had been sun-dried or water-boiled to avoid the germination. However, they could not stop pilgrims visiting Mecca from smuggling with it. By mid 16th century, coffee was known as “wine of Araby” since Arab people was forbid to consume alcoholic drinks and, on the other hand, they were taking coffee because of its energizing properties.

Coffee would shortly become a way to socialize people and it started to be taken in public coffee houses all around the Middle East. Coffee houses in Turkey were known as Schools of Knowledge since one could learn many things in them and coffee was linked at that moment with cultural and intellectual activities.