Coffee History

This article is excerpted from the newly released book Holy Grounds: The Surprising Connection between Coffee and Faith — From Dancing Goats to Satan’s Drink (Fortress Press). (Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada) Full disclosure: I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with Starbucks. Okay, mostly a hate/hate relationship because I just don’t enjoy their coffee. […]

Alongside and connected to the rise of Italian fascism came a revolution in the drinking habits of the Italian public. It might sound peculiar, but what has become known as THE Italian way to brew coffee in the home, Moka Pot (or Stovetop Espresso) Brewing is linked to the social, technological and economic changes that […]

According to popular legend, the Greek-style frappe was invented in September 1957 at the annual Thessaloniki International Fair in the convention center of Greece’s second largest city. Working at an exhibit for Andreas Dritsas, then the Greek distributor of Nestle products, sales representative Dimitrios Vakondios made an important discovery. Reportedly there was no hot water […]

Recently, I was feeling a little nostalgic and trying to remember the jingle from the Chock full o’ Nuts coffee commercial from the 1970’s. My mom used to add coffee to my milk when I was a kid because I loved the taste so much. My love affair with coffee still continues today. I love […]

We all have seen and possibly used instant coffee sometime in our life, but have you ever wondered where this dark, mysterious, water-soluble powder gained its popularity? Some might snub their noses at it today, but it has proved to us in the past that it is always ready when we need it most! The […]

The Father, The Son, and The Holy Bean Black as the devil, hot as hell, pure as an angel, sweet as love. -Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, French Diplomat Have you ever taken a sip of your favorite brew, tilted your head upwards to the heavens, closed your eyes and exclaimed, “God, that’s good coffee!”? If […]