let us end with the beginning: coffee came to our world as a drink of affluence. it was, as it is now, a symbol, and was used as a soothing treat in company, and an item to share. accordingly, its consumption began in the middle east, and spread from that point, the middle-east acting as the naval of the coffee world. like tea, it was quickly seen in palaces, and was used as a political gesture (*coffee was banned in Ottoman Turkey because it was believed to insite rebellion). coffee's otherworldly properties came to be known and loved across the globe, but can always be traced back to rural middle-eastern farmers. as the saying goes "Ethiopian shepherds discovered coffee when they realized their goats began to dance." --Michelle Ramadan
