September 29th is National Coffee Day, the day to celebrate the most popular morning beverage.
Coffee originated in Ethiopia and it quickly spread to the Arabian Peninsula in the 15th century. The beverage was introduced in Britain in the 16th century, where its popularity caused an increased demand for coffee houses. Coffee was introduced to America in the mid 17th century. Businessmen, taking advantage of financial opportunity, starting selling pre-roasted coffee by the pound, getting rich as a result. This new fad later evolved into instant coffee, which is still popular today because its efficient and easy to make.
The image above is from an advertisement for Yuban coffee, featured in February 16, 1921 issue of Perth Amboy Evening News.
Percolators were invented in the mid 19th century. Prior to this invention, coffee was produced by a process called decoction, where coffee grinds were mixed with boiling water. However, percolators improved this process by creating coffee free of leftover grinds. They are still well known today. The advertisement above, featured in the December 11, 1911 issue of Newark Evening Star and Newark Advertiser.
So much attention has been given to tea-making and not enough to coffee. The article above, featured in July 22, 1909 The Newark Star and Newark Advertiser, gives advice on producing fresh coffee, such as keeping coffee beans in an air-tight container and grinding them at home.
The comic feature above is featured in the January 28, 1922 issue of Perth Amboy Evening News.
Would anyone like a coupon for coffee?
Image above featured in June 12, 1914 Perth Amboy Evening News.
(Contributed by Kristi Chanda)
Sources:
Avey, T. (2013, April 8). The Caffeinated History of Coffee. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/history-coffee/.
Vaidyanathan, V., Ashish, Staughton, J., Jalan, M., & Peshin, A. (2019, November 14). How does a coffee percolator work? Retrieved from https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/what-is-a-coffee-percolator-and-how-does-it-work.html.