A Tall Coffee, with "room", and an small helping of gossip on the side!

Yesterday I breakfasted with a friend at a local coffee house....Starbuck's, to be exact, and it got me to thinking about the Coffee House, and its importance in the 18th Century. So, I diligently delved into the history of this popular destination, and found some interesting bits of information.

In the beginning, this establishment existed in the Middle East where coffee is a BIG deal. Men would meet to discuss the latest news and events, drink some coffee, and perhaps, indulge in a little hookah. The operative word here is MEN, as women were definitely not allowed.

Eventually, the wonderful brew found its way through Western Europe to Venice, an important stop for travellers along their way from the Ottoman Empire.

The first official coffee house in England was established in 1652 in Oxford; the first in London came also in that year, located in St. Michael's Alley, Cornhill area. By 1675,  there were over 3,000 coffee houses in England!

By 1739, There were over 550 in London, and the humble establishment had grown into a center for commerce! By the way, Lloyd's of London, the famous insurance underwriters, was originally a coffee house, where the elite, including Tories, Whigs, stock jobbers, booksellers met to discuss all facets of business. Such was the importance of the place! Another establishment, Johnathan's Coffee House, eventually became the London Stock Exchange!

The coffee house preceded the "club", an 18th Century staple, which siphoned off a good deal of the aristocracy, leaving the coffee house to the middle and lower classes.
Instead of paying for drinks, anyone could come in for a penny. Then they had access to coffee, as well as newspapers, pamphlets, reports. There were reporters called "runners" who ran to each house gathering the latest news to disseminate among the coffee patrons.

In America, the coffee house played an important role as a meeting place to organize and conspire against the British royals. The "Bunch of Grapes" in Boston was a hot-bed of politics, as was the "Long Wharf" that stood until 1780 when it burned down. The "Exchange" was another well-known establishment of commerce in Boston, too, also burned down. Conspiracy theories, anyone?!?!?
The coffee house in America held a thin line between the serving of coffee and of its being a tavern serving ale, whisky and wine. But the important bit here is that it was a meeting place, and look what happened once the Colonist had a plan!

At left, see a typical coffee set. A far cry from the paper cups and plastic lids we see today, although when I was in London, even the Starbuck's serves coffee in a ceramic cup, with saucer and metal spoon, if you choose to stay and partake! Nice, huh?

And so it goes. People go to the coffee house for alot more than the drink, though I am a coffee hound, my favorite being a nice round medium-bold brew like Espresso Blend, or soon now, Starbie's Christmas Blend. Have one soon there, and keep an ear open. You never know what you may hear!