FROM THE VAULT

Unique tales from our archives. This month: Scotland's centuries-old love of coffee

- BETH MCHUGH

SCOTLAND’S love affair with coffee has been brewing for hundreds of years. Since the earliest issues of The Scots Magazine in the 1700s, people have met in coffee houses, imported beans in large quantities and even attempted to use it to cure smallpox.

By the 19th century, coffee lovers were exploring new ways to brew their favourite drink – and they loved sharing their discoveries in the magazine.

In our February 1815 issue, an individual named Dr Hamel had written a letter on “the Art of making Coffee”.

Dr Hamel knew a gentleman who had recently visited Vienna, where he had adopted a new coffee-making device. A “rough sketch” diagram was attached.