Key points in the history of coffee
14th Century
Coffee beans are first roasted, ground and made into a
beverage in Yemen.
15th Century
The coffee tree is taken to India.
16th Century
The French refine the coffee making process by filtering off the finely
ground beans through a cloth bag.
1750
The French design the drip pot for making a better tasting cup of coffee.
1855
Italian espresso made with forced water under pressure is launched
at the Paris Exhibition.
COFFEE ORIGINS
• Coffee grows in around 80 countries in South and Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia.
• Arabica coffee accounts for over half the coffee cultivated worldwide. It is grown throughout Latin America, Central and East Africa, India and to
some extent, Indonesia.
• Robusta coffee is grown in West and Central Africa, throughout Southeast Asia and Brazil.
• Brazil is the largest coffee exporting nation, but Vietnam tripled its exports between 1995 and 1999, becoming a major producer of Robusta beans.
• Colombia is the third-largest exporter and the largest producer of washed Arabica coffee.
