I’m certainly not a “coffee expert.” I did read a 300+ page history on coffee by Mark Pendergast a few years ago that was absolutely intriguing. I love learning “the story behind the story.”

One of the things we want to do at Ebenezers is educate our friends about the history of coffee. We’ll collect fascinating factoids about coffee and coffeehouses and share them to enhance appreciation. I think it makes every sip so much more meaningful. Here’s one piece of fascinating trivia that Christina Borja (our coffeehouse manager) passed on to me.

Q: According to coffee lore, who is responsible for the spread of coffee’s popularity in the early 1600s?

A. Queen Elizabeth I
B. Pope Clement VIII
C. King Louis XII of France

A: B. Coffee afficionados claim that the spread of coffee’s popularity in the early 1600′s is due to the influence of Pope Clement VIII (1536-1605, pope 1592-1605). Upon being pressured by his advisers to declare coffee to be a drink of the devil because of its popularity among Muslims in the middle east, he instead declared that, “This devil’s drink is so good we should cheat the devil by baptizing it.”

Baptized coffee.

I love it.