How did coffee influence the 12th century?

When we look back at the 12th century, we are looking at a world that was entirely unaware of coffee. The history of coffee as a beverage is a relatively recent development in the grand scope of human history, with the first reliable records appearing in the 15th century. To suggest that coffee influenced the 12th century is to conflate the modern globalized world with the medieval period, where trade routes were focused on spices, textiles, and precious metals rather than stimulants.

During the 12th century, the plant Coffea arabica was still growing wild in the forests of Ethiopia. It had not yet been domesticated, and the process of roasting and brewing the seeds was not yet part of any cultural practice. The economic and social structures of the time were shaped by feudalism, the Crusades, and the expansion of trade across the Silk Road, but coffee was not a part of this equation.

It is common for people to look for the origins of their favorite daily ritual in the distant past, but the true history of coffee is much more focused. The influence of coffee on society—the creation of the coffee house, the rise of the Enlightenment, and the development of global trade networks—is a phenomenon that began in the 16th and 17th centuries. This is when coffee became a catalyst for change, providing a space for public discourse and a commodity that would eventually link the world.

For the reader, this serves as a helpful correction to the common myths surrounding coffee's origins. It is important to appreciate that coffee's impact is not ancient, but rather a product of the early modern period. By understanding this, we can better appreciate how coffee helped shape the world we live in today, rather than projecting its influence onto a time when it was simply a wild plant in a distant forest.