Archive: Coffee
Summary
Melvyn Bragg hosts historians Jonathan Morris, Markman Ellis, and Judith Hawley to explore coffee’s global history. They trace its origins in Ethiopia and the Ottoman Empire, its spread to European coffee houses as hubs for intellectual and commercial exchange, and its role in colonial slavery. The discussion covers the shift from social drinking to mass consumption in America and Brazil, highlighting how coffee shaped modern economies and social structures.
Topics discussed
Intro, ads, and Thomas Bernhard anecdote
Introduction to the history of coffee
Origins: Kaldi the goat herder and Sufi rituals
Spread to the Ottoman Empire and coffee houses
Arrival in Europe: Venice, medicine, and marketing
First London coffee house and rapid expansion
Coffee houses as hubs for news, business, and politics
Ads and break
Dutch trade, Java, and Lloyd's of London origins
Coffee, wit, politeness, and political debate
Colonial plantations and the Haitian Revolution
Criticism, rise of tea, and decline of coffee houses
Industrialization, Brazil's dominance, and slavery
Taste changes, addiction, and modern consumption
Global trade, Swiss stockpiles, and African markets
Italian espresso culture and post-war spread
Fascism, latte culture, and outro
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