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We know “Who discovered coffee?”

We all know coffee comes from berries cultivated in dedicated coffee plantations. But what most people don’t know is that the discovery of coffee was nothing short of a serendipity! If you’re wondering who the first person to chance upon these magical beans was, let explore now!

1. It all starts in 9th century Ethiopia, where Kaldi, a goat-herder, stumbled upon his goats munching on red berries that he hadn’t seen before. However, Kaldi did notice that his goats seemed more energetic and alert after eating the berries. So he tried some himself and immediately noticed how awake, sharp and invigorated he felt.
2. Not knowing what to do next, Kaldi did the sensible thing and went to the monastery. He presented the berries to the monks, explaining to them the effect the berries had had on him and his goats.
3. But the monks were rather upset with Kaldi, thought him to be possessed and simply tossed the berries into the fire.
4. Soon enough, the delicious aroma of roasted coffee beans filled the halls of the monastery and the monks decided to give it a shot after all. They ground the beans, mixed it with water and that’s how the first cup of coffee was created!
5. Some other stories also suggest that once the chief monk dozed off, another monk ground the beans, mixed them with water and presented it to the chief monk to help him stay up all night!
6. While this remains to be the most popular legend as regards the history of coffee, there is text that suggests that people were consuming coffee long before Kaldi discovered it. Tribes are believed to have ground the beans with animal fat to make energy bars and there is proof that tells us that Sudanese slaves made it a point to chew on coffee beans when going on long journeys for extra energy.
7. In fact, mixing coffee with clarified butter or what we call ghee is a popular way in which coffee is consumed in some parts of Ethiopia even today.

So, next time you kick back and relax with a cup of My Kaapie, make sure you remember this little piece of fascinating trivia about your favourite beverage!