As coffee became popular in Europe, colonial powers began to spread the drink around the globe.

The history of coffee

From its likely origins in what is now Ethiopia to today's worldwide consumption, this video uses a map to show how coffee conquered the world. Follow along and see how pilgrimages and centuries of trade influenced the spread of the beverage we all know so well.

Coffee brewing likely originated in Ethiopa and on the Arabian Peninsula.

Listen to a '1440 Explores' podcast episode on the surprising story of how a humble Ethiopian berry reshaped religion, commerce, social life, slavery, and more.

Coffee was put on trial in Mecca in 1511, and its eventual acceptance helped coffee spread beyond religious use and into the world's first public coffeehouses, which ultimately gave birth to the London Stock Exchange.

Coffee production took off in the 1800s

Coffee production in South America took off in the 1800s, with Brazil establishing itself as the largest global producer in the 1840s. Today, the country grows over one-third of the world's beans and consistently leads in global coffee production, with other Latin American countries like Colombia and Guatemala.

Most coffee is grown within the coffee belt, a geographic region characterized by mild climates, regular rainfall, and higher altitudes.

After the Boston Tea Party, colonists switched to coffee, which became the main morning drink for revolutionaries.

After the Boston Tea Party (1773), colonists boycotted tea and turned to coffee, with coffeehouses becoming hubs for revolutionary discussions. The stimulating import from the Caribbean helped shape the nascent American taste.

Before it was a drink, coffee was used for handwashing.

The first coffeehouse opened in Constantinople and quickly became outlets for intellectual conversations.

Trade and conquest carried chess into Europe by the 11th century

After spreading through Persia, chess traveled along Islamic military and trade routes into North Africa and Moorish Spain by the 10th century. By the 11th century, it had taken root across much of Europe, flourishing in courts and monasteries.

Coffee prices have reached record highs in 2026, with experts citing rising costs driven by war and tariffs.

Cholera went global thanks to global trade

The first cholera pandemic grew from an outbreak in India, in 1817. Scientists suggest it spread from there throughout the continent and onward to Africa, Russia and Europe through the poop of traders.

'Cat poo coffee,' the colloquial name for civet coffee, is one of the most expensive coffees in the world.

Understand distinctions between coffee types and other popular cafe beverages with this visual guide.

Why Belgium is now the cocaine capital of Europe

Belgium has become Europe's cocaine-trafficking capital. Recently, Belgian ports have seen record seizures of cocaine. In 2020, the port of Antwerp accounted for 40% of all cocaine seizures in the EU. And local authorities are struggling with the...

Starbucks operates more than 38,000 stores on six continents

The brand started with a single Seattle cafe and grew into an international sensation, thanks to former CEO Howard Schulz’s bold move toward “reigniting the emotional attachment with customers” rather than focusing on expansion.

The trans-Atlantic slave trade brought over 10 million enslaved people to the Americas.

The Middle Ages produced inventions that still affect our lives today, like coffee houses and improved agricultural techniques.

Watch one of the world's best baristas explain how coffee roasting determines taste.

Beanless 'coffee' is an eco-friendly alternative

As we consider the role of agriculture in climate change, many people are seeking alternatives to the most resource-hungry crops—coffee included. Are new synthetic alternatives the answer? Startups are exploring beanless “coffee” made in a variety of ways.

How key commodities have performed since 2019, visualized

Due in part to factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and global supply chain issues, commodities experienced significant volatility from 2019 to 2025. For instance, coffee bean prices saw major swings in recent years due to climate challenges in countries including Brazil and Vietnam.

Why the James Beard Awards finally recognized a coffee professional

Jack Benchakul is the sole coffee maker at Los Angeles' Endorffeine and the first in the coffee world to be recognized by the prestigious food and drink awards. His attention to detail mirrors the level of craft cocktail makers whom the awards have historically praised.

Vanilla was originally used as an additive in chocolate rather than as a standalone flavor.

European powers carved up nearly all of Africa in just 4 decades

This video explains the "Scramble for Africa," when seven European nations seized over 90% of the continent between 1870 and 1910. Only Liberia and Ethiopia remained sovereign as imperial competition redrew Africa’s borders and reshaped its future.

Mapping the known ports involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade

Based on historical logs, this interactive maps shows info from various ports of departure and arrival during the height of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Cultivate your coffee taste with this interactive flavor wheel.

The medieval influencer who convinced people to drink tea

This article explains how the world shifted from mostly eating tea, whether as leaves to be chewed or caffeinated soup to be slurped, to drinking it. Lu Yu's first exposure to tea in the 700s didn't go so well, with him reviewing the concoction as...

A timelapse mapping more than 30,000 Transatlantic slave ship voyages

Roughly 12 million people from Africa were forcibly moved to North and South America over two centuries. This map meticulously showcases every ship's origin, destination, timeline, and more, revealing the scale of the Transatlantic slave trade.

Colonial America imported brides for their beer brewing skills

Life in the New World's English colonies was hard, so it's easy to see how these colonizers might've wanted to reach for a cold one more often than not. This article explains how beer brewing became one of the most critical skills expected in imported English wives.

Opium's history traces from religious use to mass-market commercial products

Religious or medical use of opium was present across Europe and Asia as early as 5000 BCE. By the 16th century, humanity had come to see opium as more than medicine: It was a marketable product. This perspective also defines today's relationship with opioids, highly addictive painkillers at the heart of an ongoing drug crisis.

Mapping the origins of the world's crops

Food has evolved alongside humanity, and through globalized trade, much of the world can enjoy foods once isolated to one region. Examine where your favorite foods originated from and see how diet differs across cultures with these interactive...

See a data visualization of the East India Company's trade

This tool visualizes the East India Company’s trade from 1760 to 1834, letting you track shipments of tea, textiles, metals, and more. Users can sort by commodity, origin, destination, and date to see London’s vast imperial supply network that shaped the British Empire.

The American cockroach is actually from Africa—an apparent hitchhiker aboard ships carrying enslaved people—with evidence suggesting it may have arrived in the New World as early as the 1600s.

Money—not land—became Europe’s key economic driver in the Middle Age

During the medieval commercial revolution, money gradually replaced land as the primary economic commodity. Expanding trade, markets, and finance transformed Europe’s economy—laying foundations, historians argue, that were essential for the later Industrial Revolution.

Distinct plant species evolved to produce caffeine as a pesticide

Although it provides a defense against insects trying to eat caffeine-bearing plants, the molecule is an example of exaptation, where its original function was repurposed over time. Studies show that some plants now produce caffeine-laced nectar to help pollinators move more quickly and pollinate more efficiently.

The American Heart Association says adults can safely drink up to five cups of coffee per day and regular consumption may improve cardiovascular health.

The world rapidly decolonized after World War II, with roughly a hundred new countries emerging between 1945 and 1989.

Decolonization isn't complete, as nearly 2 million people were living in UN-designated non-self-governing territories as of 2023.

Commercial air travel's early days: Flights were short, cold, depressurized, and generally comfortable

After World War II, airlines competed for their high-end passengers by offering cocktails, meals, and plush seats, cultivating the image of the elite "Jet Set." By the 1960s, air transport was completely changing global trade and offering big profits to companies able to ship via plane.

The origin and history of stock exchanges

When were stocks first sold? Though debt was first sold in Venice in the 14th century, stocks proper began in the Netherlands. To fund its spice trade across the world in 1602, the Dutch East India Company sold stocks to individual investors, a novel approach to raising funds. It was the Dutch West India Company that founded New York—the site of some of the world’s greatest stock exchanges. Listen to a concise historical overview here.

More than 100 types of beer are produced around the world

Beer dates back to ancient times, and since then, the fermented drink has taken on many different styles around the globe, depending on the grain and ingredients used. See how pilsners, IPAs, Sours, and other types evolved from the drink's early history.

The Gold Road: how the medieval empires of West Africa traded across the Sahara

Throughout the Middle Ages, the West African empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai moved valuables across the Sahara and as far north as France using the Gold Road. This route enabled the trade of gold, ceramics, manuscripts, ivory, religion, and...

Visualizing the trans-Atlantic slave trade in two minutes

This animation shows all recorded slave shipments from the 16th to 19th centuries, conceptualizing not only the slave trade with America but South America as well.

In 1694, a Sicilian in Paris opened the first gelateria, a precursor to the ice cream parlor.

Slow pour-over coffee resists the haste of 'espresso' and commodification of drip

Pour-over coffee involves what its name suggests: slowly pouring hot water from a gooseneck kettle over a funnel of ground coffee, usually requiring at least 3 minutes. This trend developed in the 1970s in opposition to on-demand drip coffee and "espresso," literally invented as an "express" option to save time.

Learn about the violent history of the nutmeg industry

From the 1600s to the 1860s, the Dutch East India Company enslaved thousands of people on the Banda Islands, the world's only nutmeg source, forcing them to work on plantations under a system unlike anything seen in the Caribbean or American South.

Commercial air travel made international vacations more commonplace.

Hamilton learned about global trade before he was a teenager

Before he moved to America, Hamilton worked as a clerk around age 12 at the Caribbean trading firm Beekman and Cruger, handling shipping documents, inspections, and port logistics. He eventually managed the day-to-day operations of a trading charter that immersed him early in Atlantic commerce.

The Irish 'sláinte!' spread outside the country thanks to immigration

The toast has spread globally because of the waves of Irish immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries. It’s not uncommon to find an Irish pub outside of Ireland, and if you step inside, you’re lucky to hear someone offer a hearty “sláinte!”

Drug trafficking in the MENA

The Middle East and North Africa is a major source, transit point, and consumer of illicit drugs. Despite having some of the harshest penalties for drug-related crimes, the region both influences and is negatively impacted by illicit substance abuse...

The drink that became Coca-Cola was originally called 'Pemberton's French Wine Coca.'

Watch Danish coffee expert Asser Christensen explain the best way to grind coffee.