The history of coffee is as rich as the brew itself, dating back more than a thousand years. The first coffee plants are said to have come from the Horn of Africa. Originally, East African tribes would grind the coffee cherries together with animal fat into a paste. Then rolling the mixture together into a ball and consuming. The mixture was said to give the warriors much needed energy for battle.

Around 1000 AD, Ethiopians concocted a type of wine from coffee berries fermenting the dried beans in water. Coffee also grew naturally on the Arabian Peninsula. It was there during the 11th century that coffee was developed into a hot drink.

Introduced into Europe in the early 1600's, coffeehouses quickly appeared. The Arabs used so much coffee that the Christian church denounced coffee as "the hellish black brew." But Pope Clement VIII found it so great tasting that he baptized it and made it a Christian beverage saying "coffee is so delicious it would be a pity to let the infidels have exclusive use of it."

In 1607, Captain John Smith founded the colony of Virginia at Jamestown. It's believed that he introduced coffee to North America.

Americans revolted against King George's Tea Tax and in 1773, the Continental Congress declared coffee the official national beverage.