The Secret of Seeds That Changed the World
Long ago, it wasn’t just great empires or mighty kings that moved the world. Very small and seemingly trivial things often changed the course of history. Like salt, pepper, and sugar. Human civilization might be a record of the great desire to obtain these tiny grains. Interestingly, most of these precious goods spread worldwide through Jewish merchants.
And here, alongside them, appeared another black seed on history’s stage: coffee.
At the dawn of the modern era, coffee was first mass-cultivated and began to develop a global distribution network thanks to Jewish traders. Even behind today’s massive coffee brands, their influence still casts a shadow. In the modern global trade market, coffee is the second most traded commodity after oil. About 7.5 million tons are traded annually, and a staggering 2.7 billion cups are consumed daily. At this very moment, one in three people worldwide is drinking coffee.
But when coffee first appeared in Europe, this black, bitter liquid was literally worth its weight in gold. It is recorded that France’s “Sun King” Louis XIV spent about 20 million won in today’s money to buy coffee for his beloved daughter. What kind of magic is hidden in this small fruit that humanity became so obsessed with it, sometimes risking their lives?
To find the answer to this question, let’s travel back along the river of time. From the mysterious legends of Ethiopia, through the solemn nights of Islamic mosques, the risky smuggling by Venetian merchants, the cafes of London that fueled the Enlightenment, to the black tears of colonies. The cup of coffee you casually drink every morning contains stories of human greed and intellect, revolution and exploitation. After following this vast story, your coffee cup will never look the same again.
Chapter 1: Arabian Wine, Islam’s Black Temptation
1. Kaldi’s Dancing Goats: The First Discovery of Coffee
The origin of coffee begins in the mysterious fog of myth and legend. The most famous story is about Kaldi, a shepherd living in the Kaffa region of Ethiopia around the 9th century. One day, Kaldi noticed his goats eating some red berries and then dancing excitedly all night without sleep. Curious, Kaldi tried the berries himself. He experienced a surprising vitality and sharp alertness.
Kaldi reported this mysterious experience to a nearby Islamic monastery’s monk, but the monk initially called it “the devil’s temptation” and threw the berries into the fire. But what happened next? The aroma that rose from the roasting beans was so intense and enchanting that the monk was captivated. He took out the charred beans from the fire, brewed them in water, and was amazed again by the effect. It was like a divine gift that completely wiped away the severe drowsiness during all-night prayers. Thus, coffee met the religious rituals of Islamic Sufi practitioners and took its first step in human history.
Another legend says the archangel Gabriel gave the Islamic prophet Muhammad a black potion called “Qahwa.” Meaning “that which gives vitality,” “Qahwa” later evolved into the Turkish “Kahve,” then the European “Café” and “Coffee.”
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2. Becoming the ‘Wine of Islam’
After leaving Ethiopia and crossing the Red Sea to the Yemeni port of Mocha, coffee was cultivated in earnest and spread to the heart of the Islamic world. Since Islamic law strictly forbade alcohol, coffee—awakening the mind without intoxicating—was called “the wine of Islam” and became wildly popular.
By the 15th century, major Islamic cities like Mecca and Cairo saw the rise of coffeehouses called “Kaveh Kanes.” These were not just places to drink coffee. People gathered to play chess, discuss business, and engage in lively debates on the latest news and politics. Kaveh Kanes became the “public sphere” and social hub where Islamic intellect and information circulated.
However, this free atmosphere was a thorn in the side of authorities who saw gatherings and critical discussions as threats to the regime. Coffee was banned several times, accused of being intoxicating and against the law, but the passion of those who fell for its black charm could not be stopped. Eventually, coffee deeply rooted itself in Islamic culture, and Arabian merchants enforced strict control policies, exporting only roasted beans that could not sprout to maintain their monopoly on the “golden seed.”
Chapter 2: The Devil’s Temptation Awakens Europe and the New World
1. The Black Seed on Venetian Smuggling Ships
In the 16th century, Venetian merchants dominating Mediterranean trade began bringing the black drink from the Islamic world. Trading with the Ottoman Empire, they immediately recognized the commercial value of this mysterious stimulant. Coffee first arrived in Europe as “Arabian wine,” sold at high prices like a precious medicine.
But Europeans viewed this black, bitter drink from an unfamiliar Islamic culture with suspicion. Catholic priests called coffee “the devil’s drink” and “the blood of the devil,” petitioning the Pope to ban it.
Eventually, Pope Clement VIII decided to taste coffee himself. After smelling the aroma and taking a sip, he was so impressed that he declared, “This devil’s drink tastes so good! It would be a shame to let only pagans enjoy it. Let us baptize this drink and make it ours.” Thanks to the Pope’s “baptism,” coffee transformed from “the devil’s temptation” to “God’s blessing,” gaining religious sanction to spread throughout Europe.
2. The ‘Penny Universities’ and the Scent of Enlightenment
In mid-17th century London, the opening of coffeehouses began to change history’s course. At the time, Englishmen drank beer from morning and were often drunk, but coffee gave them a remarkable “awakening.” For just one penny, one could enjoy a cup of coffee and engage in discussions with the era’s greatest intellectuals, earning London’s coffeehouses the charming nickname “Penny Universities.”
Coffeehouses soon became everything in London. Merchants met there to make contracts (the origin of the global insurance company Lloyd’s), scientists debated and laid the foundation for the Royal Society, newspapers were distributed, stocks traded, and politics criticized. The “awakening” coffee provided perfectly matched the Enlightenment spirit that valued reason and rationality. Coffeehouses were the womb where modern capitalism and democracy were born.
3. Boston Harbor’s Tea and America’s Choice
The European coffeehouse culture crossed the Atlantic to the American colonies. However, Americans then preferred tea due to British cultural influence.
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But in 1773, this peaceful teacup was thrown into the whirlpool of history. When Britain imposed excessive taxes on the colonies through the Tea Act, enraged colonists dumped the tea crates from ships docked in Boston Harbor into the sea in the “Boston Tea Party.”
This event turned tea into an “unpatriotic” drink symbolizing submission to British oppression, while drinking coffee became a political act of resistance and identity-building for the new nation, America. Coffeehouses became secret meeting places for independence activists, and coffee firmly established itself as “America’s drink.” From campfires of cowboys in the West to the supplies of Civil War soldiers, coffee was always there. A moment’s political choice completely changed a nation’s taste map.
Chapter 3: Golden Seeds and Black Tears
1. Breaking Arabia’s Monopoly with Courage
As European and American demand for coffee exploded, prices soared due to Arabia’s monopoly. European powers used every means to raise this “goose that laid golden eggs” themselves.
The first to break this fortress-like monopoly was the Dutch. In the late 17th century, a Dutch merchant succeeded in stealing coffee seedlings from Mocha, Yemen. These seedlings were moved to Java Island in the Dutch East Indies, marking the start of large-scale cultivation. This is why “Java” became synonymous with coffee.
France also entered coffee cultivation with a story like a movie. Naval officer Gabriel de Clieu was tasked with transporting a precious coffee tree from the Paris Botanical Garden to the Caribbean colony of Martinique. During the voyage, when water ran low, he shared his own water with the seedling, protecting it desperately. This single tree later became the ancestor of all coffee trees in the Americas.
2. South America’s Black Gold: The Era of Brazil
South America’s rise as the “coffee empire” required another secret smuggling. In 1727, Brazilian soldier Palheta was sent to French Guiana with the real mission of stealing coffee seeds. He devised a meticulous plan to seduce the French governor’s wife, who, captivated by him, secretly hid coffee seeds in a farewell bouquet.
Once in Brazil, coffee took flight. The vast territory, perfect climate, and an existing large-scale slave labor system created for sugar plantations made it possible. Brazil’s coffee farms were built on the blood and sweat of millions of African slaves. While European cafes discussed freedom and equality, the coffee fueling their awakening was grown amid the most inhumane exploitation. On this cruel reality, Brazil rose to become the world’s largest coffee producer.
3. France’s Legacy Coloring Asia: Vietnam
In the mid-19th century, France introduced coffee to its colony Vietnam. Vietnam’s climate suited the robust Robusta variety, which is more resistant to pests and yields more than the delicate Arabica. Vietnam’s coffee industry exploded after the war and the 1980s government-led economic reforms. Making coffee a strategic export crop, Vietnam quickly became the world’s second-largest coffee producer after Brazil.
4. The ‘Coffee Belt’ Around the Equator and Its Shadow
Thus, coffee spread worldwide through European colonial expansion and smuggling. Interestingly, cultivation is concentrated between 25 degrees north and south latitude, centered on the equator, known as the “Coffee Belt.”
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The formation of this Coffee Belt brought enormous wealth to Europe, but behind it lay a dark shadow of horrific sacrifices by indigenous peoples and slaves in the colonies. The golden seed was black tears for someone.
Chapter 4: From Farm to Your Cup
1. Industrialization Makes Coffee Everyone’s Drink
The 19th-century Industrial Revolution transformed coffee from a luxury for the wealthy into a necessity for factory workers. Thanks to steam engines, mass transport and roasting became possible, lowering prices. For workers pulling all-night shifts, caffeine was a welcome “fuel” that boosted productivity.
In the 20th century, the invention of instant coffee completed coffee’s popularization. Its convenience—just add hot water—conquered kitchens worldwide, and especially during world wars, it became an essential supply for soldiers, spreading coffee culture even further.
2. Arabica vs. Robusta: Coffee’s Two Faces
The coffee we drink mainly comes from two varieties:
- Arabica: Accounts for 60–70% of global production. Difficult to cultivate but prized for complex aroma, rich acidity, and good sweetness, it dominates the specialty coffee market.
- Robusta: As the name suggests, hardy and easy to grow. It has a simple aroma, strong bitterness, and higher caffeine content. Mainly used for instant coffee and blends.
Naturally, Arabica commands a much higher price due to superior taste and aroma.
3. The Tragedy of the ‘C Market’: Why Are Farmers Always Poor?
But isn’t it strange? Despite so much coffee sold daily, why do most coffee farmers remain poor? The secret lies in the international coffee price determined by the futures exchanges in New York and London, known as the “C Market.”
Global coffee prices are set by speculative supply and demand in this market, regardless of actual coffee quality or farmers’ efforts. When Brazil has a bumper crop, global prices plummet. Multinational corporations offer farmers rock-bottom prices based on this. Statistics show that from a 5,000 won cup of coffee, farmers receive barely 50 won. This is a modern form of slavery, a cunning continuation of colonial exploitation within the capitalist system.
Chapter 5: The Awakened Consumer: Questioning the Ethics of a Cup
1. Fair Trade: Planting Seeds of Hope
In the 1980s, when a “coffee crisis” hit with plummeting prices bankrupting many farms, a movement began to change this tragic reality: the Fair Trade movement.
Fair Trade’s principle is simple. Regardless of market price, farmers receive a “minimum guaranteed price” to sustain their livelihoods, plus a “community development fund” to support local progress. Consumers pay a bit more for Fair Trade certified products, creating a virtuous cycle that fairly compensates farmers and helps them become self-reliant. This movement reminded us that the coffee we drink connects us to someone’s life on the other side of the world.
2. The ‘Third Wave’ and Coffee’s True Value
In the 2000s, a new wave called the “Third Wave” began blowing through the coffee market.
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- First Wave: Instant coffee era (quantity, convenience)
- Second Wave: Franchise era like Starbucks (brand, space)
- Third Wave: Specialty coffee era (quality, origin)
The Third Wave treats coffee like wine, appreciating its intrinsic taste and aroma. People now care about which farmer grew it, where, and how. Single-origin beans from individual farms are loved, and cafes increasingly visit farms to contract directly with farmers. Coffee is returning to being a “work of art” with the producer’s face and story.
The Story in Your Cup
We have journeyed together through the dancing goats of Ethiopia, Islamic prayer rooms, European revolutionary squares, colonial tears, and modern ethical dilemmas—all contained in a cup of coffee.
Coffee is a paradoxical commodity. It was the “awakening drink” that opened the age of reason, yet a product of exploitation grown on the tragedy of slavery. It was a “medium of communication” connecting people, but producers and consumers were worlds apart.
Every cup of coffee you drink today carries this layered history. Your order of “Ethiopian Yirgacheffe” holds Kaldi’s legend, “Brazil Santos” contains the tears of slaves, and “Colombian Supremo” carries the hope of Fair Trade.
Now, look again at the coffee cup before you. On its black surface flicker the light and shadow of human civilization. The coffee you choose reflects your stance toward this grand history.
This morning, what story did you drink?