Explore the World of Coffee
Discover coffee history, beans, drinks, traditions, and stories from cultures around the world
A short story in the style of a historical novel about coffee-drinking traditions in the wealthy households of Ottoman Constantinople, where coffee was prepared with care, served in delicate fincans, and enjoyed as part of a refined daily ritual. Through the private chamber of a powerful vizier, the story explores the arrival of Yemeni coffee, the etiquette of Ottoman hospitality, and the quiet co...
Constantinople, 1571. In an Ottoman coffeehouse, Mehmed learns the truth about the Battle of Lepanto before the news has spread through the city. What begins as fear soon turns into an ambitious idea: to use the changing balance of power to open a new coffee trade route to Venice.
The modern small Turkish coffee cup is the result of centuries of historical development, rather than an unchanged form of coffee cup that has survived since the 16th century.
The story of Pope Clement VIII and coffee is one of the most famous legends in coffee history. According to the story, Catholic clergy wanted to ban coffee because of its connection to the Muslim world and even called it the "Devil's drink." But the Pope supposedly tasted coffee himself and refused to ban it. So how much of this story is historical fact, and how much is a legend created centuries...
Coffee has come a long way before becoming the drink we know today. Its story begins in Ethiopia, continues through Yemen and the Ottoman Empire, and eventually reaches Europe. Along the way, coffee was surrounded by legends, religious concerns, bans, and even political suspicion. Coffeehouses became places to meet, talk, exchange news, and do business. So, let's take a look at how a simple coffee...
The size of the Turkish coffee cup - the fincan - was influenced by a combination of economic, historical, cultural, and taste-related factors. Its small size was well suited to the strong, concentrated coffee traditionally served in the Ottoman Empire. Over time, this compact cup became an important part of Turkish coffee culture and the ritual of drinking coffee
