OK, to lighten the mood a bit... a DEPARTURE FROM THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED POLITICAL IDEALOGY

Let's check on the Facts about COFFEE... Where did it come from, and WHEN?

Yes, a departure from my usual political articles, but I ran across this article by CNN about the ubiquitous presence in most Americans’ lives of COFFEE…

And YES, I am a connoiseur of coffee… I have tasted Cafe Americano, lattes, espressos, and MANY other variants over my 65 years around the world. And in each of the 32 countries I have visited, EACH one had its own distinct culture AND coffees…

But my FAVORITE place to get coffee in the whole world, is Blue Boi cafe, 12 Rue Brown-Séquard, Paris, Île-de-France! The two weeks I spent there in 2022, it was directly across the corner from the “hotel” I stayed at. And the waiter, Francois, ALWAYS greeted me by name, and even sat with me a few times, just to talk about America, and the difference to France.

While coffee beans originated in ninth-century Ethiopia, the plant wasn’t cultivated and brewed into the drink the world has come to know and love until the 15th century in Yemen, according to NESCAFÉ.

So, NO, despite popular opinion, coffee brewing did NOT originate in South America, and Brazil didn’t start cultivating coffee til 1727.

Coffee was not native to the Americas and had to be planted in the country. The first coffee bush in Brazil was planted by Francisco de Melo Palheta in Pará in 1727. According to the legend, the Portuguese were looking for a cut of the coffee market, but could not obtain seeds from bordering French Guiana due to the governor's unwillingness to export the seeds. Palheta was sent to French Guiana on a diplomatic mission to resolve a border dispute. On his way back home, he managed to smuggle the seeds into Brazil by seducing the governor's wife who secretly gave him a bouquet spiked with seeds.

Today, it’s estimated that people worldwide drink around 2 billion cups of coffee daily, according to a 2019 study.

1️⃣ Brewing benefits: The peak of summer is here, and as most try to beat the heat, research suggests that for regular coffee drinkers, the beverage can be just as hydrating as water. Daily coffee consumption is also linked to aging with a sharp mind and lowering the risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases.

2️⃣ Java jitters: According to the US FDA, consuming more than 400 milligrams of caffeine (equivalent to four or five cups of coffee) is considered excessive for most adults. Too much caffeine can cause sleep disruptions and, in rare cases, can lead to caffeine intoxication.

3️⃣ A whole latte options: Starbucks may dominate the coffee market, but competition is brewing. Luckin Coffee, a fast-growing coffee chain that rose to popularity in China, recently opened two US locations. Other chains like Dutch Bros, 7 Brew and Black Rock Coffee Bar have built a loyal following targeting Gen Z drinkers with TikTok-worthy coffees and refreshers at affordable prices.

4️⃣ Coffeehouse culture: Coffee shops have long been known as “third spaces” — spots where people can gather that are not home or work. In 17th-century London, coffee shops were known as “penny universities” because they served as places of social exchange and the drink cost only 1 cent.

5️⃣ Coffee and the climate crisis: Experts call coffee a complex commodity. The crop is not only labor-intensive to produce but is also sensitive to environmental changes. Factors like severe weather and rising temperatures can impact coffee production and drive up costs for consumers.

Coffee culture is the set of traditions and social behaviors that surround the consumption of coffee, particularly as a social lubricant.^[1] The term also refers to the cultural diffusion and adoption of coffee as a widely consumed stimulant. In the late 20th century, espresso became an increasingly dominant drink contributing to coffee culture,^[2] particularly in the Western world and other urbanized centers around the globe.

A Viennese coffeehouse (2004)

The culture surrounding coffee and coffeehouses dates back to 16th-century Ottoman Turkey.^[3] Coffeehouses in Western Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean were not only social hubs but also artistic and intellectual centers. In the late 17th and 18th centuries, coffeehouses in London became popular meeting places for artists, writers, and socialites, as well as centers for political and commercial activity. In the 19th century, a special coffee house culture developed in Vienna, the Viennese coffee house, which then spread throughout Central Europe. Les Deux Magots in Paris, now a popular tourist attraction, was once associated with the intellectuals Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.

Wherever the coffee break originated, Stamberg says, it may not actually have been called a coffee break until 1952. That year, a Pan-American Coffee Bureau ad campaign urged consumers, 'Give yourself a Coffee-Break -- and Get What Coffee Gives to You.'

And coffee is definitely NOT an American “thing”.. MANY countries over the past two centuries have embraced and even venerated the bean product! Look below to see how America isn’t even in the TOP 10 of “coffee nations”!

"Coffee Market in Japan" (PDF). All Japan Coffee Association (AJCA). July 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-06. Retrieved 2019-03-06.

"Sweden's Coffee History Began in Gothenburg". A43 Kaffebaren. Retrieved 2025-01-09.

"Italy's Coffee Culture Brims With Rituals And Mysterious Rules". NPR.org. Retrieved 13 June 2020.

"Coffee Expo Seoul 2013 to Provide Hub for Korea's Booming Coffee Market". asiatoday.com. 5 February 2013. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2022.

"The Countries Most Addicted to Coffee". Statista. Retrieved 29 April 2023.

As shown in the article above, America is actually 14th in coffee usage!

Weinberg, Bennett Alan; Bealer, Bonnie K. (2001). The world of caffeine: the science and culture of the world's most popular drug. Psychology Press. pp. 92–3. ISBN 978-0-415-92722-2.

"The Tradition Of Coffee And Coffeehouses Among Turks".www.turkishculture.org.

"The Coffee break". NPR. 2 December 2002. Archived from the original on 28 May 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2009.