Who Wants Coffee?

It’s bitter—but beloved around the world

- Leila El Shennawy

CHANCES ARE YOU'VE had a cup of coffee today. Whether as a morning energy boost, an afternoon pick-me-up or part of a social activity, coffee drinking has become a daily habit for billions of people.

From Ethiopian buna to whipped Korean dalgona to American nitro cold brew, there are countless ways of preparing and drinking coffee.

Every year, people consume over 10 billion kilograms of this dark, bitter beverage. But where does coffee come from? We likely discovered the magical properties of the coffee bean the seeds of Coffea, a genus native to parts of Africa and tropical Asia centuries ago. As legend has it, around 800 C.E., a young Ethiopian goatherd named Kaldi noticed that his goats wouldn't sleep at night after munching on the berries of coffee plants. Learning this, local monks began using the berries to make a drink that would keep them awake through long nights of prayer.