Coffee is very much an urban drink. We're beginning to see the growth of coffee in non traditional markets, precisely as they urbanize. As we see increased erbanization, we actually see people leaving the coffee fields, going into the cities and taking up the coffee habit. What e given that it was early thought that coffee kept the workers awake to do the real work of time, we ouas a prayer. Why didn't i ny coffee get workers away to do the essential work with yus, picking coffee beans? I that's an interesting question.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history and social impact of coffee. From its origins in Ethiopia, coffea arabica spread through the Ottoman Empire before reaching Western Europe where, in the 17th century, coffee houses were becoming established. There, caffeinated customers stayed awake for longer and were more animated, and this helped to spread ideas and influence culture. Coffee became a colonial product, grown by slaves or indentured labour, with coffea robusta replacing arabica where disease had struck, and was traded extensively by the Dutch and French empires; by the 19th century, Brazil had developed into a major coffee producer, meeting demand in the USA that had grown on the waggon trails.
With
Judith Hawley
Professor of 18th Century Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London
Markman Ellis
Professor of 18th Century Studies at Queen Mary University of London
And
Jonathan Morris
Professor in Modern History at the University of Hertfordshire
Producer: Simon Tillotson