Thanks for this fascinating piece, Matthew. I recently visited a friend who has a new barista-quality espresso machine, and I've got my eye on one as well. I've been drinking coffee since college, often lots, and love learning more about coffee culture. In fact, I have a collection of about 75 coffee cups, each of which has a distinct story. I'm planning to compile the photos and stories into a book titled, "My Life in Coffee Cups." My first cup was bought at the Naval Exchange on Mare Island Naval Shipyard when I was on active duty in 1971 -- it cost 19 cents at the time. It saw me through 2 yrs on active duty and 4 in graduate school -- and earned its retirement. Continued thanks for your writing.
Thanks Hal! My wife and I have been looking at some of those high-end espresso machines as well, especially after our trip to Italy this summer. What did you do in the Navy? Coffee is of course the lifeblood of most Sailors.
Sorry for the delay in responding -- I just had cataract surgery, but all is well. Although I already had a college degree, I didn't qualify for OCS because my vision was too bad -- but not bad enough to keep me from being drafted or enlisted. So I enlisted and served 2 yrs on active duty (1971-73) during the wind-down of the Vietnam war. My draft lottery number was 24. By some miracle I had an office job as Disbursing Clerk (DK) at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, servicing submarines that came through. (I think that site has since been decommissioned.) The shipyard also had lots of mothballed ships from WWII and Korea. Periodically they would bring one out of the mothballs and put it back into service. Lots of coffee was consumed in that office!! Constant flow. When I first started working in the office, they told me to make the coffee - and it was one of those huge metal urns. I asked someone how much water to fill it with, and their response was "to the dirty line!" Never forgot that one! (I guess the idea of periodically cleaning it was too far-fetched; it would interrupt the flow!)
An interesting read ... but while I drink lots of coffee during the day, the get out of bed and start the day drink can be nothing other than black tea. I am not alone in this.
My family in St Louis were coffee drinkers but it didn’t take for me until a cold October morning at Fort Knox, Kentucky during training. The Army delivered two huge plastic urns of coffee to our training location and both the warmth and the stimulus were welcome. I would learn during my career working alongside the US military how deeply engrained the habit of coffee had become. I soon learned to find the First Sergeant or Navy Chief to find the coffee. My time as a Civil War reenactor convinced me that a major reason for the North’s victory in the Civil War was that the Union Army had ample coffee supplies and used them while the South had to often settle for substitutes or access Union army supplies through capture or barter. I’ve long enjoyed the humor that has grown up around our coffee habits - a particular favorite being, “the first cup doesn’t have to taste it only has to work”.
Thanks for this informative book review Matthew! I appreciate the effort that went into writing it. 👏
The need to move to a sustainable agriculture paradigm is urgent. Here is my review of a book that taught me a lot about that topic in case you're interested:
Thank you for this interesting and in depth look at my favourite indulgence! Going out for a good coffee is something that never fails to feel like a treat, whether it be to write or read by myself at a coffee shop or with my husband on a day off. Simple pleasures :) Although I appreciate your reminder of the environmental impact. We have some great independent coffee shops close by who offer Fair Trade coffee as well as an ethical, unpackaged store which allows you to pick out a local coffee supplier and grind the beans. The smell of the shop is unbelievable, as you can imagine!
Thanks Kate. I honestly need to do a little better myself on the sustainability side of things. I haven't paid a lot of attention to it until reading this book, mostly because I really didn't know. I agree though that it is such a simple pleasure and I love finding small, boutique coffee shops where I can read a good book or ponder life while enjoying a good brew.
My cousin is a “cafetero” in Colombia… she has showed me how to roast coffee beans and we did, when we returned stateside, the coffee had this kind of chocolatey flavor … it was delicious. Now we have our own plants, roast the beans and give them away for Christmas…
No pressure to read it! (So many books, so little time..) It’s a 19th c Dutch novel about the dark side of Indonesian coffee trade. I only recently discovered it (curiosity about my Dutch ancestry and also I love that there are 19th c novels in other languages than English- go figure)
Very interesting Matthew, thank you. I didn’t start drinking coffee until I was in my mid 20s and working nights. My coffee drinking taste has evolved from that gas station convenience store coffee. I was in Spain a few weeks ago and now I’m in love with espresso. On the hunt for an espresso machine now.
Thanks Noreen. Our recent trip to Italy highlighted how amazing good quality coffee can be and we fell in love with the espressos as well. I would love to get a nice machine but they can be a bit pricey for a good one. Let me know what you find.
I am a coffee lover and have always been interested in coffee culture. I also spent 10 years living and working in Ethiopia and having lots of coffee there. I hope you won't mind me posting this here. What is fascinating and little known outside of Ethiopia, and even outside the small circle of historians of Ethiopia, is the fact that until about 120 years ago, Christian (Orthodox) Ethiopians didn't drink coffee, they drank tea and talla (local brew), while Muslim Ethiopians drank coffee and used it to stay away during ritual prayers. It was only under the rule of the emperor Menelik II who unified what we understand as today's Ethiopia, that Orthodox Christians started drinking coffee. Today, Ethiopian coffee ceremony is presented as a tradition, and it is, but as all traditions, this one too is invented. If you read French, here is a short piece with some photos on this by French historian of Ethiopia, Eloi Ficquet https://www.un-ilibrary.org/content/journals/22202277/2023/2/6/read
Also, important to note, due to climate change and pricing issues, many traditional coffee farmers in Ethiopia have abandoned the crop in favour of the stimulant plant called qat (khat, chat, miraa). And in many parts of Ethiopia, coffee beans are too expensive for the local people and they make a drink out of coffee husks or even coffee leaves...
Well done, Matthew!
Thanks Don.
Great Post Matt! I read this while drinking my coffee this morning!
Thanks Rena!
Thanks for this fascinating piece, Matthew. I recently visited a friend who has a new barista-quality espresso machine, and I've got my eye on one as well. I've been drinking coffee since college, often lots, and love learning more about coffee culture. In fact, I have a collection of about 75 coffee cups, each of which has a distinct story. I'm planning to compile the photos and stories into a book titled, "My Life in Coffee Cups." My first cup was bought at the Naval Exchange on Mare Island Naval Shipyard when I was on active duty in 1971 -- it cost 19 cents at the time. It saw me through 2 yrs on active duty and 4 in graduate school -- and earned its retirement. Continued thanks for your writing.
Thanks Hal! My wife and I have been looking at some of those high-end espresso machines as well, especially after our trip to Italy this summer. What did you do in the Navy? Coffee is of course the lifeblood of most Sailors.
Sorry for the delay in responding -- I just had cataract surgery, but all is well. Although I already had a college degree, I didn't qualify for OCS because my vision was too bad -- but not bad enough to keep me from being drafted or enlisted. So I enlisted and served 2 yrs on active duty (1971-73) during the wind-down of the Vietnam war. My draft lottery number was 24. By some miracle I had an office job as Disbursing Clerk (DK) at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, servicing submarines that came through. (I think that site has since been decommissioned.) The shipyard also had lots of mothballed ships from WWII and Korea. Periodically they would bring one out of the mothballs and put it back into service. Lots of coffee was consumed in that office!! Constant flow. When I first started working in the office, they told me to make the coffee - and it was one of those huge metal urns. I asked someone how much water to fill it with, and their response was "to the dirty line!" Never forgot that one! (I guess the idea of periodically cleaning it was too far-fetched; it would interrupt the flow!)
Wonderful read while sipping my morning brew. Thanks also for the book recommendation. It's on my list.
Thanks Frederick. Hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.
An interesting read ... but while I drink lots of coffee during the day, the get out of bed and start the day drink can be nothing other than black tea. I am not alone in this.
Thanks for reading Richard. To each their own but I am not much of a hot tea drinker. Lots of folks love it though.
I’m a tea drinker. Is there a similar history of tea?
Susan, I haven't read any books about tea but a quick search brings up several likely options:
A Brief History of Tea by Roy Moxham
A Thirst for Empire: How Tea Shaped the World by Erika Rappaport
A History of Tea by Laura Martin
Hope one of those will be of interest!
My family in St Louis were coffee drinkers but it didn’t take for me until a cold October morning at Fort Knox, Kentucky during training. The Army delivered two huge plastic urns of coffee to our training location and both the warmth and the stimulus were welcome. I would learn during my career working alongside the US military how deeply engrained the habit of coffee had become. I soon learned to find the First Sergeant or Navy Chief to find the coffee. My time as a Civil War reenactor convinced me that a major reason for the North’s victory in the Civil War was that the Union Army had ample coffee supplies and used them while the South had to often settle for substitutes or access Union army supplies through capture or barter. I’ve long enjoyed the humor that has grown up around our coffee habits - a particular favorite being, “the first cup doesn’t have to taste it only has to work”.
Thanks for sharing your story Robert, I really appreciate it. I grew up near Hannibal, MO.
I find it fascinating how different food and drinks can be so closely entwined with history.
Thanks for this informative book review Matthew! I appreciate the effort that went into writing it. 👏
The need to move to a sustainable agriculture paradigm is urgent. Here is my review of a book that taught me a lot about that topic in case you're interested:
https://medium.com/@bairdbrightman/book-review-from-dirt-to-soil-by-gabe-brown-404b1bf76eac
Thanks Baird. I enjoyed reading your article. Might have to pick up a copy of that book for myself.
Thank you for this interesting and in depth look at my favourite indulgence! Going out for a good coffee is something that never fails to feel like a treat, whether it be to write or read by myself at a coffee shop or with my husband on a day off. Simple pleasures :) Although I appreciate your reminder of the environmental impact. We have some great independent coffee shops close by who offer Fair Trade coffee as well as an ethical, unpackaged store which allows you to pick out a local coffee supplier and grind the beans. The smell of the shop is unbelievable, as you can imagine!
Thanks Kate. I honestly need to do a little better myself on the sustainability side of things. I haven't paid a lot of attention to it until reading this book, mostly because I really didn't know. I agree though that it is such a simple pleasure and I love finding small, boutique coffee shops where I can read a good book or ponder life while enjoying a good brew.
My cousin is a “cafetero” in Colombia… she has showed me how to roast coffee beans and we did, when we returned stateside, the coffee had this kind of chocolatey flavor … it was delicious. Now we have our own plants, roast the beans and give them away for Christmas…
That sounds amazing! I bet that is truly rewarding. Thanks for reading and sharing your own experience.
We call it “the brown elixir of life” at our house! (Although, since your Substack is book-focused, I feel compelled to mention that this post also reminded me I haven’t finished reading Max Havelaar: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/326280.Max_Havelaar_or_the_Coffee_Auctions_of_the_Dutch_Trading_Company
Kim, yes, it is definitely a life giving elixir! I haven't read that book but will check it out. Thanks.
No pressure to read it! (So many books, so little time..) It’s a 19th c Dutch novel about the dark side of Indonesian coffee trade. I only recently discovered it (curiosity about my Dutch ancestry and also I love that there are 19th c novels in other languages than English- go figure)
Very interesting Matthew, thank you. I didn’t start drinking coffee until I was in my mid 20s and working nights. My coffee drinking taste has evolved from that gas station convenience store coffee. I was in Spain a few weeks ago and now I’m in love with espresso. On the hunt for an espresso machine now.
Thanks Noreen. Our recent trip to Italy highlighted how amazing good quality coffee can be and we fell in love with the espressos as well. I would love to get a nice machine but they can be a bit pricey for a good one. Let me know what you find.
Yes, pricey is correct, especially since I’m looking for one with no plastic parts (if that even exists) I’ll let you know what I find.
This was fascinating. I've always thought of myself as a coffee connoisseur, but there's clearly a lot I have yet to learn. I'll look for this book.
Thanks for reading Joy. I really appreciate it. I learned so much from this book as well.
Love this one sir! Fascinating history. True that we need to focus on the impacts of growing massive amounts of coffee to satisfy a thirsty world.
Holy coffee hound—Voltaire! 🫣
Thanks brother! I had a lot of fun with this one. The book was a bit academic at times but it was right up my alley.
I am a coffee lover and have always been interested in coffee culture. I also spent 10 years living and working in Ethiopia and having lots of coffee there. I hope you won't mind me posting this here. What is fascinating and little known outside of Ethiopia, and even outside the small circle of historians of Ethiopia, is the fact that until about 120 years ago, Christian (Orthodox) Ethiopians didn't drink coffee, they drank tea and talla (local brew), while Muslim Ethiopians drank coffee and used it to stay away during ritual prayers. It was only under the rule of the emperor Menelik II who unified what we understand as today's Ethiopia, that Orthodox Christians started drinking coffee. Today, Ethiopian coffee ceremony is presented as a tradition, and it is, but as all traditions, this one too is invented. If you read French, here is a short piece with some photos on this by French historian of Ethiopia, Eloi Ficquet https://www.un-ilibrary.org/content/journals/22202277/2023/2/6/read
Also, important to note, due to climate change and pricing issues, many traditional coffee farmers in Ethiopia have abandoned the crop in favour of the stimulant plant called qat (khat, chat, miraa). And in many parts of Ethiopia, coffee beans are too expensive for the local people and they make a drink out of coffee husks or even coffee leaves...
Liza, thanks for reading. I really appreciate that added history you provide. It is fascinating how many details there are in the story of this plant.
This is so fascinating! Great work