Coffee, coffee, coffee....

If there's one thing that I couldn't give up, then it would be coffee!

The story of coffee
Despite being readily available, coffee has a colourful history dating back to the 9^th century. To give you a better understanding of the world’s favourite drink, Logic Vending have put together this guide covering everything you need to know about coffee!

When was coffee first discovered?
According to legend, coffee was first discovered in the 9^th century by an Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi. He realised that the beans has miraculous ‘perk-me-up’ qualities when he noticed that his goats became spirited and sleepless after eating berries from a certain tree. Kaldi recounted the phenomenon to the local monastery whose abbot made a drink with the hope of staying awake for evening prayer. After experiencing the energising effects first hand, the abbot shared his new found knowledge with other monks. Thus the coffee craze was born!

The Arabian entrepreneurs
While coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia, the Arabs were the first to actively cultivate plantations and start up a thriving trade market for the beans. During the 15th century production was limited to the Yemeni district however by the 16th century, production had extended to Turkey, Egypt, Persia, Syria and beyond.

Coffee arrives in Europe
Compared to the East, Europeans didn’t discover the delights of coffee until the 17^th century when whispers of the black brew reached major cities. While consumers were sceptical at first and referred to the drink as the 'bitter invention of Satan,’ it was soon given the seal of approval by the Pope himself! By the mid-17^th century London played host to over 300 coffee houses.

The US invasion
America was the next nation to taste the bitter bean when merchants brought coffee to New York (then known as New Amsterdam) in the mid-1600s. While tea remained hugely popular, King George’s 1773 ‘tea tax’ turned Americans against the leaf based beverage and coffee emerged as the drink of choice.

The spread of plantations
As the world began to develop a growing taste for coffee, European nations decided to stir up the Arabian coffee plantation monopoly. While they did encounter resistance, the Dutch eventually got their hands on some seedlings in the mid-17^th century and attempted to plant crops in Indonesia. The beans thrived in the warm climate and today, Indonesia remains a primary producer of coffee. In 1714 the Dutch showed a streak of exceptional generosity and presented a coffee plant seedling to King Louis XIV of France. The seed was sewn in the Paris’s Royal Botanical Garden where it thrived! However in 1723, a young officer is thought to have stolen a seedling and transported it to the French Caribbean Island of Martinique. Thus the beginning of the South and Central American coffee revolution!

Where is coffee produced?
Today, coffee plantations are grown in countries across the globe. Asia, Central America, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands are all popular coffee producers however it’s Africa and South America that really steal the show.

So if you love coffee just as much as me and are looking for a high quality coffee machine to rent or buy, Logic Vending has a huge selection of models to suit cafes, restaurants, bars, salons, offices and more. The Fracino Romano 2 Group is a great commercial coffee machine to lease and features an hourly output of 400 cups. For smaller settings, bean to cup machines are ideal. So, have a look at their website and choose what would be best for you!