I featured this word before, but it was 6 years ago, and I know much of my readership has changed. And let’s be honest–coffee deserves to be featured again. Because it’s one of the most beautiful creations in the universe. 😉
The best guess of the awesome www.etymonline.com is that our word coffee came from the Italian caffe, which came the Turkish kahveh, which in turn came from the Arabic qahwah. Which, they think, got its name from the Kaffa region in Ethiopia, where most historians say coffee originated.
God bless those Arabians in Ethiopia!
Coffee was introduced in England by 1650, and within 25 years, over
3,000 coffeehouses dotted the country. (I heard a theory saying that the
English moving from ale to coffee is why there was a great expansion in
their empire, LOL.)
3,000 coffeehouses dotted the country. (I heard a theory saying that the
English moving from ale to coffee is why there was a great expansion in
their empire, LOL.)
What I didn’t realize is that by 1774 one could use the word coffee to refer to a small meal where the drink was served, much like tea. Who knew?
In my house, we take our coffee very seriously. Since college, my husband and I have used whole beans and ground them fresh every morning. Last Christmas, we splurged on a gorgeous Jura Ena coffee system as a gift for each other. This thing creates the most beautiful, delicious cup of coffee ever, and it makes getting up in the morning something to look forward to.
So I’m going to have another cup. Go sip some in my honor if you’re a coffee drinker! 😉
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.
Brook speaks the truth there for sure! Coffee is quite frequently my breakfast. 😉 She came by her love of it naturally, LOL.
I love this coffee post! I read it while drinking MY morning cup. 🙂 It made me happy that Brook in The Lost Heiress was also a coffee drinker. My friend and I got a kick over the line, "Coffee would be a meal in and of itself."
I drink half-caf. Often tea in the afternoon. And yes, hot chocolate in the evening is awesome! I do that a lot in the colder months.
My daughter adores coffee and has since she was a toddler. My son thinks it's gross and doesn't even like the smell, LOL.
I do agree. And that would be fun!!
My husband buys whole beans and grinds them and freezes them in old metal coffee tins. Afternoon it is decaf. I start mty day with loose Irish Breakfast Tea. Then
Black decaf the rest of the day. Sometimes I'll end the day with hot chocolate.
Have your kids picked up the Habit, yet!
I believe coffee is God's mercy on his weary servants. Interesting tidbit, Roseanna! Someday I'd love to sit down and share a pot of coffee with you. 🙂