The first coffee houses were opened in Oxford, England, in 1650. One year later – in London. By 1700 there were already about 2000 coffee houses in the capital of Great Britain.
London coffee-houses of XVII century have become famous as «Penny Universities», because with a cup of coffee it was possible to speak to painters, poets and merchants, who were haunters of these places. Just because of this fact in 1676 Charles II tried to close coffee houses considered them hotbed of political intrigue.
In honor of this drink Jóhann Sebástian Bach has written his «The Coffee Cantata».
At the beginning of XVIII century the naval officer Gabriel Mathieu De Clie has stolen the royal coffee tree in Jardin de Plans in Paris, and brought it to Martinique island in Caribbean Sea. Only in 5 years there were 18 million of coffee trees.
The representative of French realism Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850), has drunk up to 60 cups of coffee per day, promoting writing inspiration.
The coffee beans are actually coffee’s fruit pins. In 1696 the Dutch started to grow coffee in Java, an island of Indonesia.
By 1800 Brazil has become a leader in the manufacture of coffee in the whole word.
The caffeine – is an alkaloid, which is contained in coffee tree’s grains, tea plant’s leaves, kola nuts and in some others plants. Colorless silky crystals with a little bitter taste were first evolved from coffee extract by French scientist Runge in 1819.
Beethoven was one more coffee-drinker, who preferred proportion of 60 beans for one cup of coffee.
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Tags: caffeine, coffee bean, coffee houses, coffee trees
