As I type this morning, I’m enjoying a little “Java”, otherwise known as coffee. Coffee is the most popular drink in the U.S., with an estimated 66% of adults drinking it daily. Coffee comes from the beans of a tree native to the Kaffa region in Ethiopia. From Ethiopia, coffee plants were taken to Yemen, specifically the port of Al Mokah, and from there, around the world.

One story of the discovery of coffee is that a goat herder noticed his goats were more lively and active after eating the red “berries” of the tree. He tried some, and while they did give him a jolt, they were bitter. He took some to a local Monastery and told the head monk about it. The monk felt the beans were evil and threw them into the fire. The aroma of the burning beans attracted other monks who, after listening to the herder’s story, dug the beans out of the fire and put them in water to cool. The water turned dark and the monks drank some. It was much better tasting, and they also got a jolt!

In the 1600’s, the Dutch transplanted some trees from Yemen to islands in the East Indies, specifically the island of Java, hence coffee being called “Java”.

Coffee is still cultivated on the island. At that same time, the Dutch introduced coffee as a drink to the New World. Then, 100 years later, a single plant was planted on the Island of Martinique. Seeds from that plant were then planted in Brazil, Jamaica, Cuba, and ultimately Colombia. Today, the largest supplier of coffee to the U.S. is Brazil, followed by Colombia, and then Switzerland and Canada.

Another name for coffee, used mostly in the U.S., is “Joe”. One explication for this is that during World War II Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels banned the use of alcohol on ships so coffee became the strongest drink on board and the sailors named it for Daniels.

You can go to Stories or the Lasso Espresso and order a café mocha. This gets its name from the Al Mokah harbor in Yemen. The Yemen coffee has a chocolate flavor and hence when you get a café mocha today it is chocolaty.

If you ask, “Where does the best coffee come from?”, you will get a variety of answers, as every coffee-growing region in the world claims their coffee is the best. Ethiopia is still listed as one of the best places, along with Java and Colombia. Ethiopian coffee is complex and fruity, while the Columbian coffee is balanced and sweet with a mild chocolate flavor.

The most expensive coffee in the world is not the best. In fact, many say that it is absolutely terrible. If you’ve watched the movie “The Bucket List” you know the coffee. It is “Kopi Luwak”. This coffee originally comes from Java. The palm civet (a small cat-like mammal) eats the coffee berries. The berries ferment in the belly of the civet, and after a while they are pooped out. Workers then pick the partially digested berries out of the poop, clean them up (you hope), dry them, roast them, grind them, and make a six-ounce cup of coffee that may cost $30 to $50!

While coffee can give you a jolt, many people like to take time and relax while having their “cup of Joe”, whether it is first thing in the morning, at “coffee break”, or following the meal at the end of the day.

Whenever, it's winter and there is no better time to enjoy the “fruit” of the Kaffa tree.