A History of Coffee on its way to the U.S
Circa early 1900 percolator
A History of Coffee on its way to the U.S
It is said that Captain John Smith was the first to bring coffee to America in 1607. By 1668 Coffee had become the favorite morning drink over beer in New York. This taste for coffee developed in America through the late 1600s. Penn was the first “official” purchaser of coffee beans in 1683 in New York. By the mid 1700s the preference for coffee and tea were about the same. After the Boston Tea party in 1773, it became unpatriotic to drink tea. Colonists who were no longer trading with England found they could get coffee from Central and South America. The colonists roasted and ground the beans the same way they had for centuries. They dropped the grounds in the bottom of a “coffee pot” that now sloped inward from the bottom and had a spout on the opposite side of the handle. Hot water was poured over the coffee grounds and boiled for a few minutes. After boiling, some put an egg or a chicory branch in the pot to keep the grounds at the bottom. Chicory was also a popular drink at this time and considered a good substitute for coffee. In 1865, coffee percolators appeared in Europe and America thanks to inventor James Mason. What happened next to coffee in America?