How Coffee Culture Took Over America

Coffee culture in America is a daily ritual, with some 69 percent of the population consuming at least two cups a day. The evolution of coffee since natives discovered the first beans in Ethiopia chronicles an inspiring story. It has taken on so many influences over the centuries to become the addictive brewed drink it is today.

Coffee: Tracing the Origin

As history has it, Ethiopians found the beans and Arabs in Yemen brewed it to make drinks. Records of this account trace back to the 15th century. Coffee today has varying strengths, tastes, and colors - from black to beige to light or dark brown tones. By the 16th century, brewed coffee was a growing trend as natives grew accustomed to drinking it. It was unquestionably a more palatable experience, compared to chewing the beans, a concept explored at the point of discovery.

How Coffee Gained Popularity

Arab monks caught on to the medicinal benefits quite early and consumed it regularly for the stimulant effects of the caffeine. It kept them awake long enough for ritualistic midnight prayers. Soon, coffee became a social brew, and coffeehouses made the experience even more desirable. The trend quickly grew across Europe when Turkish traders spent some time in Yemen. It was not too long before the British and the French community adopted the culture. Next, North American colonists caught on to the addicting coffee boom and opened the first coffeehouse in Boston.

Colonists had to wait weeks - sometimes months - for shipments of coffee to arrive by sea. Nowadays, coffee subscription services deliver fresh beans to front doors several times a month. Needless to say, we've come a long way.

The Gradual Growth of Coffee Drinking Culture in America

Initially, Americans favored the sensation of drinking whiskey to coffee. In Boston, high alcohol consumption was a community culture. However, the 19th century heralded an epoch-making culture shift shortly after the war ended, and French influence took over North America. Also, tea-drinking culture temporarily subsided as access to supplies and ingredients dwindled. Coffee became the new wave, and Americans adopted specialized brewing techniques that revolutionized the culture. Native Americans favored black coffee to more popular selections.

A century later, coffee was a competitive commodity on the New York Stock Exchange platform. U.S. roasters were popping up across the country, and World War II created a favorable climate for trades. American coffee lovers were sure to protest when WWII climaxed and forced the coffee exchange in New York closed. For some time, the U.S. market dominated coffee bean trades. Then came the vending machines, which inspired "coffee break," a culture that remains relevant today. The culture instantly became an industry-wide trend, spreading beyond office cubicles to factories to hospitals.

America Dominating Coffee Market

The market couldn't resist the jazzed-up coffee experience North America offered. Still, competition for market share was ubiquitous as South American roasters and elsewhere leveled up advertising campaigns. The local market scene was also competitive in the 1990s, a time when small-scale roasters started to build momentum, and eventually outperformed large franchises. Forbes wrote a 1995 viral piece on the state of big-time coffee merchants and titled it: "Oversleeping." Starbucks rebutted with a history-making comeback as it refocused its marketing strategy on enhancing the coffee drinking experience. The journey through taste was a delightful escape that a lot of coffee drinkers looked forward to every day. Others followed, but the technology age has since inspired the most revolutionary experiences on the coffee-drinking scene. Now, consumers desire a more personalized drinking experience without hanging out in coffee shops.

Today, a lot of grass-roots coffee roasters are refining what Starbucks offered consumers and extra conveniences to simplify life. The art of coffee brewing is essential to quality and taste, which remains a prime focus in today's market. So, those in the coffee-making business are combining artistic techniques with locally-sourced and roasted fair-trade beans to guarantee the highest quality output. The appetite for complex flavors with hints of herbs such as rosemary and other forms of culinary art is a growing demand. In the millennial age, where life is so fast-paced and ever-changing, options such as coffee subscription services are necessary.