A Brief History Of Coffee - Part 4 - European Coffee

Read more about how coffee was used throughout history in part 3

After a sordid history of trade, colonization, and slavery, Europeans developed a coffee culture all their own. They've come a long way from the days of Venetian merchants smuggling bags of coffee beans from Istanbul, followed by the merchants in Arabia deliberately exporting infertile beans in an effort to monopolize the coffee trade.

Coffee House Hype

Coffee was first sold on European streets by lemonade vendors, most likely using the Ibrik method described in part 3 of this series. The sales of this coffee specifically targeted the wealthy due to its high cost. It wasn't until coffee houses began springing up that the caffeinated beverage became synonymous with people from all walks of life, especially artists and businessmen. 

The early European coffee houses were so popular with businessmen that some even gave rise to the financial institutions many know and use today. The insurance company Lloyds of London, for example, began from the 18th Century Lloyds Coffee Shop, where sailors and merchants would meet to converse about their affairs.

Liquid Lore

While the pleasures of drinking coffee traveled Europe, the preparations evolved, and the lore continued to infiltrate the minds of doubters: 

• Great Britain, 1675; King Charles II attempted to close coffee houses based on their “evil and dangerous effects," fearing that they could incite instigation or violence against the throne. However, he withdrew his ban two days before it took effect due to pressure from his own ministers, who apparently were coffee-craving chaps. 
• Vienna, Austria, 1683; legend has it that a Polish nobleman, Jerzy Franciszek Kulczycki, discovered that adding milk and sugar to coffee made for a more delicious, less bitter option. He used coffee beans left behind by the retreating Ottoman Turks, later opening one of the first cafés in Vienna.
• Holland, the 1680s; the Dutch introduced coffee to Scandinavia. This region, today, has the highest per capita rate of coffee consumption in the world.
• Germany, 1732; efforts were being made to prevent women from being allowed to consume coffee. This was charged by the belief that the caffeinated beverage rendered them sterile. However, the famous composer Bach wrote his "Coffee Cantata" in support of women drinking coffee, highlighting its benefits while extolling the virtues of the drink.
• Prussia, 1777; Frederick the Great attempts to block coffee imports because they posed competition for local products and weakened the country's wealth. He encourages his royal subjects to drink beer instead. A public protest breaks out, causing the King of Prussia to reverse his decision.
• Prague, 1863; Café Slavia opened up, remaining a landmark and a popular restaurant/café today.
• Italy, 1901; Luigi Bezzera, a Milanese engineer, introduced the first steam-powered coffee machine, similar to the ones we are used to seeing in coffee shops today. Bezzera actually presented his invention as early as 1855 in France.
• Italy, 1948; espresso, as we know and drink it today, was perfected by Milanese barista Achille Gaggia. He introduced and patented a steam-free coffee machine in which pressure extraction of the coffee beans made the espresso more aromatic, creamy, and firm.

Explosion of Espresso

After the Italian invention of espresso, Europeans never looked back. Drip or brewed coffee became a thing of the past. As a result, drip coffee is hard to come by in most places in Europe. Instead, traditional European coffee houses serve espresso-based beverages. If you want just coffee after a meal, you'll most likely receive a shot of espresso in a small cup unless you specify something else. Cappuccinos, café au laits, cortados, caffé Americanos - these are all more specific, common espresso-based drinks you'll find on many European menus.

Depending on where you are in the world, coffee culture can appear vastly different from one place to the next. Across Europe, it's embodied by relaxed, friendly faces sitting across from one another, ceramic mug in hand, at a sidewalk café, dishing about the latest goings-on. The very American coffee-to-go in a Styrofoam or paper cup concept hasn't caught on with a continent of people who know how to savor and appreciate their downtime. Can anyone say siesta?

European Coffee Culture

In Italy, the very first Starbucks didn't open until 2018 in Milan. Today, there are only 11 in the country, compared to New York City's 300+. Coffee culture, in Europe, is more about relaxing and enjoying than it is about reviving and reenergizing. There's something very romantic about the ability to make a shot of espresso last an hour. I don't know about you, but it makes me want to spend my next vacation lazing in a Spanish café, indulging in cortados while people-watching. 

Do you enjoy espresso, or is it too bold and bitter for you? 

 

In part 5 of this series, we'll examine American coffee culture and its differences from Europe.