Have you ever wondered where the black stuff in your cup came from? The history of coffee is a fascinating study, usually involving no small amount of lore. Most consider the mountains of Ethiopia to be the birthplace of coffee as we know it. Muslim herders began noticing abnormal behavior in some of their animals, and traced the cause to a short bush with red berries. With peaked curiosity, the men began to consume the berries by grinding them up and mixing them with water. The noticeable effects of this "magic bean" excited these men, and it became known as "Muslim Wine," since Muslims strictly forbid the consumption of alcohol. Coffee eventually became a staple in middle eastern countries, and establishments where one could sit and drink this mysterious brew started popping up here and there.
Fast forward eight hundred years. During his pilgrimage to Mecca, an Indian Muslim named Baba Budan experienced the greatness of "Muslim Wine," and thought, "I need to bring this to my countrymen!" On his return journey through modern day Yemen, he decided to do something drastic. Legend has it that while staying in the Yemeni port town of Mocha, Budan stole seven green coffee beans from a farm, strapped them to his waist under his clothing, and smuggled them back to his home, the rolling hills of Mysore, India. He planted the beans in the hills near his home, which are now known as Bababudangiri ('giri' meaning 'hills'). Those beans took root and flourished, and now the warm, moist southern states of India produce close to 5% of the world's coffee. Little did he know that one act of grand theft (it was highly illegal to smuggle coffee from Arabia) would become one of the top five coffee producing countries in the world.
We at Monsoon Coffee and Tea are very grateful for the bold act of Baba Budan! Who knows if coffee would have ever taken root in India had it not been for his vision. So today as you are sipping on your cup of Indian coffee, take a moment to appreciate Baba Budan, the father of Indian coffee!
Fast forward eight hundred years. During his pilgrimage to Mecca, an Indian Muslim named Baba Budan experienced the greatness of "Muslim Wine," and thought, "I need to bring this to my countrymen!" On his return journey through modern day Yemen, he decided to do something drastic. Legend has it that while staying in the Yemeni port town of Mocha, Budan stole seven green coffee beans from a farm, strapped them to his waist under his clothing, and smuggled them back to his home, the rolling hills of Mysore, India. He planted the beans in the hills near his home, which are now known as Bababudangiri ('giri' meaning 'hills'). Those beans took root and flourished, and now the warm, moist southern states of India produce close to 5% of the world's coffee. Little did he know that one act of grand theft (it was highly illegal to smuggle coffee from Arabia) would become one of the top five coffee producing countries in the world.
We at Monsoon Coffee and Tea are very grateful for the bold act of Baba Budan! Who knows if coffee would have ever taken root in India had it not been for his vision. So today as you are sipping on your cup of Indian coffee, take a moment to appreciate Baba Budan, the father of Indian coffee!