A Stimulating Brief History of Coffee

In an awakening Ted Ed lesson written by Jonathan Morris and animated by Harry Tennant, narrator Addison Anderson explains the discovery of coffee by herded goats in 850 CE, who allegedly began acting strange after eating a coffee berry. Their keeper followed suit and found the caffeine effects to be quite stimulating.

A goatherd observed that his goats started acting abnormally after nibbling on some berries. The herder tried them himself, and soon enough, he was just as hyper. As the story goes, this was humanity’s first run-in with coffee.

The Expansion of Coffee as a Beverage

The berries were soon served as an elixir at new cafés all around Turkey and other areas of the Ottoman Empire. The drink became more and more popular as it was exported to Asia and Europe. Coffee then made its way to South America and the Caribbean. The demand for coffee led to the enslavement of many people and was the cause of many wars.

Coffee’s history contains many dark episodes linked to colonialism and the exploitation of indigenous peoples. …In more recent decades, coffee workers worldwide continued to endure inhumane conditions and insufficient compensation. This motivated certification efforts for coffee production that met ethical standards,including minimum wage and sustainable farming.

Effects of Climate Change on Coffee

Climate change is a great concern for the future of coffee because coffee beans are grown in countries close to the Equator.

And because of climate change, the equatorial “Bean Belt” where coffee thrives is projected to shrink in upcoming decades. It’s unclear exactly what this might look like. But scientists are investigating possibilities like resilient coffee hybrids that might help weather the unpredictable future