Once upon a time, in the land of Abyssinia, there was a curious goat herder named Kaldi. One day, while out on a hike with his goats, he noticed that they were acting a bit peculiar – they were dancing, frolicking and generally just being a little too jolly for their own good.
Turns out, they had stumbled upon a magical plant with little red berries. Kaldi, being the curious sort, decided to give it a try and boy, did he feel a pick-me-up! He felt like he could dance and frolic with the best of them.
He couldn’t wait to share his discovery with the monks at the nearby monastery. The monks, being the intelligent and curious sort, decided to experiment with the berries by boiling them and adding a little sugar. And thus, the first cup of coffee was born!
From there, coffee quickly spread to the neighbouring countries like a wildfire, and soon, everyone was hooked. The local coffee houses, or “penny universities” as they were called, became the hot spot for intellectuals, artists and politicians to discuss news and ideas over a cup of joe.
Fast forward a few hundred years and coffee had become the global commodity it is today, with countries like Brazil, Colombia and Vietnam emerging as major producers. And let’s not forget, it has also become the lifeblood of millions of people around the world, without which, the world would be a sleepy, grumpy place.
