WAR
IS
HELL,
COFFEE IS
HEAVEN
The industrial revolution is best known
for two things – steam power and dark,
noisy, crowded factories – both of which
revolutionised work and production
forever. Factories were all about efficiency,
speed and production, so it made sense to
feed the workers a strong brew of coffee
to keep the production line moving at
maximum efficiency.
Out of Africa
Until the late 17 th century, coffee drinking was confined to
the Middle East and – strangely, less so – to its native Ethiopia.
But when it finally spread to Europe it was responsible for
an upsurge in productivity and intellectual achievement.
Until the arrival of what was then called ‘the wine of Araby’,
Europeans, who believed that drinking unadulterated water
was unhealthy, imbibed wine and/or beer from morning to
night, and walked around half-sozzled almost all their lives.
So when caffeine replaced alcohol it resulted in a flowering
of European thought, industry and business. Interestingly,
both Lloyds of London and the London Stock Exchange
originated from the erudite financial discussions that were
commonplace in coffee shops, and unknown in pubs or
alehouses where raucous insults and fisticuffs were more
the norm. Even across the Atlantic, coffee houses were at
the forefront of change. The plans for the Boston ‘tea party’
– and the subsequent boycotting of tea – were laid in the
Green Dragon Coffee House in Boston. Hmm, perhaps there
was an ulterior motive, but let’s not go there. Suffice to say
that the consumption of coffee was revolutionising the way
people thought and worked, and it was rapidly becoming a
necessary element in the industrialised world.
Time is of the essence
But making coffee was time-consuming. It could take up to
five minutes to carefully filter or brew a cup, which was way
too long for the short break factory workers were allowed.
So it made sense to utilise the Industrial Revolution’s primary
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