Much like anything worth talking about, coffee is shrouded in myth and mystery. We've read about the dancing goats and how coffee expanded throughout the Ottoman Empire. But how did our favorite beverage migrate around the world? We have a Sufi monk, Baba Budan, to thank for that!
As coffee began to gain in popularity, the Yemeni farmers and producers strove to keep control over their discovery. The Arab monks who grew and cultivated coffee trees would only allow roasted beans to be sold. The penalty for the sale of unroasted or green coffee beans was death! So, who was it that risked his life, and how did he bring the farming and processing of coffee to other parts of the world? Hit play on this Indian Classical Fusion Spotify playlist and read on to learn more about Baba Budan and how he liberated coffee.
Baba Budan was a 16th-century monk who practiced Sufism or Islamic mysticism. According to Indian myth, Baba Budan went on a pilgrimage to Mecca, where he discovered coffee. When he returned home, he smuggled seven coffee beans he had hidden in his beard. Once he was home, he planted the beans in his home state of Mysore (today's Karnataka) on the slopes of the Chandragiri Hills. Today, you can travel to this area that has been renamed Baba Budangiri (Baba Budan Hills) and visit his tomb.
Up until the time Baba Budan smuggled those seven coffee beans, coffee remained an Arab monopoly. Only roasted coffee beans were traded, and these through the port of Mocha in order to retain control. This was done to ensure that the only coffee trees growing were grown in Yemen. The penalty for anyone caught smuggling raw beans was death.
While traveling home through the port of Mocha, Baba Budan was exposed to coffee and became excited. He learned as much as possible about coffee and the coffee plant and decided to bring some seeds home with him. He finally procured seven seeds--seven being a sacred number in his religion--which he hid in his beard and in his cane. After arriving home safely, he planted the seeds and grew the first arabica beans on Indian soil.
This was the beginning of growing coffee around the world.
How exactly did coffee from Baba Budan's Seven Seeds turn into a worldwide, multi-billion dollar enterprise?
Through colonialism.
The Dutch governor of India had seeds sent to the Dutch colonies in Indonesia. From there, a coffee tree was gifted to the King of France. And as myths tend to grow, so does our story of coffee spreading into the Caribbean Islands. It was said that tree branches obtained by the French adventurer de Cheu were transported to his plantation on the island of Martinique. Coffee spread to more Caribbean islands and then to Central and South America.
All those coffee plants! And very likely, the coffee in your own cup came from those original seeds Baba Budan risked his life for.
Our Cafe@Home is taking a virtual trip to South America. Come along with us to Peru and learn about the people, the culture, and the coffee.
There are many types of tea, and choosing what is right for you might take a few tries. However, when you know the different types of tea and their benefits, it can help you to narrow your choices. The different types of tea include black, green, white, oolong, herbal, and tisane.
