The Coffee House in Eighteenth Century England

A Brief Overview of History

Origins of Coffee (Disputed)

• Around the 11th century in North Africa (Ethiopia most likely), coffee was discovered. One theory is that the consumption of coffee was observed by a farmer named Kaldi who saw animals eating coffee beans from the plants, and acted more lively (although no source document existed at the time this was claimed to have happened, and was only remarked upon later). Other theories surround Sufi mystics who either at one time or another, discovered it by observing birds consume it, and finding it to be too bitter, incinerated it and boiled it (a variant of the Kaldi story)

Origins (cont’d)

• The consumption of coffee spread from Ethiopia to Egypt, Yemen, and eventually to Turkey by the 16th century, where the first ‘coffeehouse’ was opened. It was prepared/consumed by roasting the beans, grinding them down, and boiling them with water and drinking it altogether. The grounds were not filtered out, but consumed along with the brewed coffee. To this day, Turkey and much of the Middle East still consume coffee in this way.

• The first documentation of the consumption of coffee from an Englishman came via William Biddulph in 1600, while he was in Syria. In 1610, George Sandys also wrote upon it while in Turkey, describing it as ‘black as soote, and tasting not much unlike it.’ Although the initial reactions were negative, coffee consumption did indeed make its way into European culture (including English culture).

The First Coffee-Houses

• In Istanbul, during the mid 16th century, the first (or at least one of the first) coffee-house was established. They would eventually open in other countries (Hungary, France, Italy) with the import of coffee emerging as a viable commodity. The first coffee-house opened in England in 1650, in Oxford by a man named Jacob (who was ethnically Jewish). Two years later, A Greek emigré named Pasqua Rosée opened the first coffee-house in London.

The ‘Penny University’

• The admission for coffee-houses was 1p, and whoever entered into these establishments could mingle with other aristocrats, gentry, and virtuoso, and engage in a broad range of discussions. Aside from the impoverished (those who couldn’t even afford the 1p admission), the distinctions of class became a bit blurry, with upper and lower classes intermingling. Particularly in Oxford, students would also frequent the coffee-houses, which resulted in their professors barring them from going unless they accompanied them. Also, the emergence of the printed newspaper (and arguably the tabloid) started here.

The Exotic (or, Xenophobic)

• The theme inside the coffee-houses were generally modest. However, a few did try to re-create the experience one may have while visiting a Turkish coffee-house. In London, one of the ‘Turk’s Head’ coffee-houses would offer sherbets, exotic liqueurs, and even Turkish baths as a means to liven the experience. Various ‘healers’ would frequent these coffee-houses offering their services (cuppers, bleeders, etc.) While the coffee-houses tried to maintain a balance in their attempts to re-create the ‘Turkish’ experience, by not making it too foreign, some did react with suspicion at what was construed as ‘non-British.’

House of Oddities

• Some places which functioned as both coffee-houses and barbershops (which was really a combination of barber, apothecary, and dentist) were also used as exhibition houses for souvenirs such as famous peoples’ clothing, artifacts from abroad (ex. Native clothing), and the heads or taxidermied bodies of animals foreign to Britain. ‘Don Saltero’s’ was a notable example of this trend.

Coffee- Houses, not ‘Sober-Houses’

• While coffee, tea, and chocolate were the primary beverages offered at 18th century coffee-houses, alcoholic beverages were offered. They ranged from ales to port wines, and mixed drinks of chocolate and brandy. However, the reverse was not true. One could not go to a pub in search of a cup of coffee.

How Was 18th Century English Coffee Prepared?

• Modern day coffee in North America generally follows this rule: For every two quarts, four to six ounces of coffee grounds are used, where they are also filtered. In 18th century England, only one ounce was used for every two quarts. The beans were first roasted in an oven, then ground, then boiled altogether in a giant pot. While this would seem quite weak compared to today, being a new beverage in England, even weakened coffee would have been stimulating (particularly for a culture that was used to having ale or hard cider as the preferred morning beverage).

What Was the Source of Water?

• Some coffee-houses would use spring-water to brew their product, but in London, many of them preferred ‘river-water.’ And, the source of said ‘river-water’ was….

EEEEWWWWW!!!!!!

Intellectualism in the Coffee-House

• With the atmosphere inside the coffee-houses filled with debate and discussion, clubs were created with this theme in mind. One notable example was the Rota Club, of which many memorable 18th century figures held membership (Samuel Pepys being one of them). With the circulation of newspapers and with the frequency of these ‘debate clubs,’ ideas about proper government (which excluded the King), about women’s rights, and other controversial topics began to emerge.

Women’s Status in Coffee-Houses

• Generally, women were not seen in a coffee-house, save for the occasional keeper or scullery-maid. There was the occasional woman who did own a coffee-house in London (as was the case with Rebecca Weedon). When auctions were held in coffee-houses, women did seem to make appearances, probably by direction of their husbands. One, however, would probably never see a woman engage in the debate or conversation which immersed the other patrons.

Charles II’s problems with the coffee-houses.

• After Charles II returned to the throne, he attempted to suppress the coffee-houses. His reasons were due to the ‘rumour-mongering’, although he did remark upon some of the foreign fare offered in the coffee-houses (notably the Turk’s Head). However, this attempt was not successful. The owners petitioned Parliament, and many who held Cabinet positions had made investments in the import of coffee to England. They would have a lot to lose if the establishments were suddenly shuddered.

Charles II (cont’d)

• While the coffee-houses prevailed, the King had spies and informants who would frequent the coffee-houses, in search of those who would entertain seditious ideas in discussion, or would read newspapers in which unfavourable ideas were kept. Some coffee-house owners, in order to save their own necks, would turn in some of their clients. For the most part, though, owners were not willing participants in spy activities.

Questions to Ponder

• - If coffee was never introduced to England, would the public have latched on to something else?

• - With the rise in internet media, and phenomena like WikiLeaks, can parallels be drawn?

• - Could we also draw parallels between the Cabinet ministers who had stock in the coffee trade and present-day corporate lobbyists? (Ex. Oil companies)