Many coffee enthusiasts love to joke that coffee was discovered by goats in the sixth century and they’re not wrong. No one knows exactly when or where coffee was first discovered, but the most popular tale is that of Kaldi, an Abyssinian goat herd, where coffee still grows in the wild.

Kaldi was out in the hills with his goats one day, walking and playing light melodies on his simple flute. As they wandered about, his goats went into a grove of trees only to emerge full of life and energy. They danced and skipped about. Moving into the grove, Kaldi discovered that his goats had been eating these little red berries found on the bushes within the trees. Concerned, he herded the goats back home. Perhaps these berries were poison and the goats would not last the night, perhaps they had negative side effects and there would be no milk in the morning, or the meat they would eventually provide would be damaged and he and his family would become ill.

Yet in the morning, the goats were all fine. They eagerly took the paths that Kaldi herded them down, continuing into the grove they had found the day before. Once there the goats again ate the berries and began to dance about. Figuring that the beans were not toxic, Kaldi ate a few. He was overcome with energy and began to sing poetry to the hills and dance as he played his flute. He joined his goats as they danced back down the hills to the village.

Over time he became known as the happiest of goat herds and Kaldi of the Dancing Goats. Some time later, after he had discovered the little red berries, a monk passed by and observed the energy and enthusiasm of the goats. He asked Kaldi about the goats and was presented with the little red berry. This berry must have been a gift of the gods, because it solved a grave concern for the monk – he had been falling asleep during his prayers! When he ate the berries he was able to stay awake through his prayers. This knowledge left Kaldi’s valley, along with the berries, where he shared it with others of his faith. And thus coffee began it’s journey through the world.

This, of course, is a myth and a legend. You will see references in the coffee world to “The Dancing Goat” and to “Kaldi Coffee”, as it is a wonderful story to tell. But, as before, no one truly knows when coffee was discovered, or by who. This is just a lovely little story to tell while the coffee is brewing.

 Coffee was not originally consumed in the roasted bean, boiled water method that we are accustomed to today. The Oromo people of Ethiopia would take fresh coffee beans and mash them into a paste, mixing the paste with butter or animal fat and various herbs. This paste was then rolled into balls about the size of a billiard. There are tales that these would be tied in a leather pouch on the belts of warriors, sustaining them as they went into battle.

The original beverage consumed from the plant was a tea that is still enjoyed in parts of the world called Abyssinian Tea. The leaves of the coffee plant are dried and boiled in the same method as tea is. Whole coffee beans and a variety of spices would be added to the tea as it made. The roasting, grinding and preparation of coffee that we have come to expect in the middle ages occurred much later, as coffee’s influence and culture grew over the centuries, the methods in which it was consumed changed.

Turkish coffee, as was made popular when the prohibition of coffee was lifted, began its own rise in culture and influence as the coffee houses were established and began to thrive within society.

The following is my recipe for Turkish Coffee that I love to serve people at events. There is no filter, you can eat the grounds in the bottom of your cup if you so choose. More coffee is acceptable and encouraged.

Ingredients and Equipment

- Turkish ground coffee

-  Desired spices, to taste. I use ground cardamom, but you may use ginger or saffron.

- Organic natural cane sugar. If all you have is refined white sugar, I recommend drink

- Ibrik, a small saucepan is too big, an ibrik is essential for this.

- Cold water