Coffee history & health

Coffee has several health benefits

I'm a coffee addict and need some strong a.m. java to kick off my day. To my delight, coffee is now considered a healthy beverage. Recent studies indicate that high coffee consumption may prevent strokes, protect women against breast cancer and men against prostate cancer. In Europe, coffee was initially considered a medicinal drink until the 17th century when it went mainstream. Coffee houses, where the black brew stimulated conversation, soon mushroomed. In 1660 London had 2,200 coffee houses where people met, conducted business and caught up on the latest news. In the US, coffee was introduced by Captain John Smith of England who founded the colony of Virginia in Jamestown in 1607.

It is believed that coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia. Initially people drank a decoction of leaves and berries from the coffee bush, but in the 13th century people started roasting coffee beans and brewing coffee. During the Medieval times coffee drinking spread from Africa and the Middle east through trade. During the 17th century the Dutch were successfully growing coffee in Ceylon and Java. Java, a synonym for coffee, also served as a base for most of the coffee grown in Central and South America.

In Sweden, King Karl XII made coffee drinking popular after he brought home a coffee maker from Turkey in the early 18th century. Just like the Turks, Swedes prefer their coffee strong. There is a Swedish version of Irish Coffee, Kaffekask, where you put a quarter in a coffee cup, fill with coffee until you don't see the quarter and then add aquavit until the quarter becomes visible again. These days, however, Swedes drink more lattes than Kaffekasks.