-
1475
The First Coffee House
The first record of a public place serving coffee dates back to 1475. Kiva Han was the name of the first coffee house. It was located in the Turkish city of Constantinople (now Istanbul). Turkish coffee was served strong, black and unfiltered, usually brewed in an ibrik.
https://www.thespruceeats.com/evolution-of-the-coffee-house-765825 -
Period: 1475 to
"Coffee Shops" over the years
-
1529
Coffee Introduced to Europeans
Vienna was invaded by the Turkish army, who left many bags of coffee behind when they fled the city. Franz Georg Kolschitzky claimed the coffee as the spoils of war and opened a coffee house. Apparently, he had lived in Turkey and was the only person who recognized the value in the beans. He introduced the idea of filtering coffee, as well as softening the brew with milk and sugar. The beverage was quite a hit, and when coffee houses also started serving sweet pastries their popularity exploded. -
British Coffee Houses
"The Turk Head's" Coffee House was created in 1652 and was the first proper coffee house of the UK. English coffee houses were the first establishments to use a "tip" system to "Insure Prompt Service" as an incentive for workers to complete orders faster. Coffee houses continued to spread throughout Europe: Italy - 1654; Paris - 1672; Germany - 1673 -
American Coffee Houses
When America was initially colonized, coffee houses were established and continued to operate similar to their European counterparts. They also continued the trend of becoming "business hubs" where upper-class business men would gather to discuss work and other related topics. -
Invention of Modern Espresso
For over 400 years, coffee was simply grounded, brewed and served with additional sugars, cream, milk in a variety of flavors and styles. However, in 1946, Gaggia invented the commercial piston espresso machine which was used in Italy coffee bars and invented "the cappuccino". This was a turning point for modern coffee houses as more elaborate coffee beverages were being created. -
The Beginnings of Starbucks (as a café)
A drip coffee maker salesman from New York spends a full year convincing Starbucks to hire him. Howard Schultz joins Starbucks as Director of Marketing. He sets off to Milan, Italy and sees cafés on practically every block where one can have an outstanding espresso. These cafés also serve as meeting places and are a big part of the societal fabric. There are 200,000 of them in Italy. In Seattle, Schultz advises the company, they should sell coffee and espresso drinks, as well as the beans -
Starbucks - the chain café
Howard Schultz, certain that there was money to be made selling coffee drinks quit Starbucks and started the Il Giornale coffee chain in 1985. It was hugely successful and in 1987, Schultz bought Starbucks for a paltry $3.8 million. He finally secured their roasting techniques, rapidly renames his own coffee chain “Starbucks” and changes forever how the world would buy their coffee beverages.
https://brewminate.com/a-timeline-and-history-of-coffee/ -
The Coffee Shop Explosion
In the 1990’s, Starbucks opens a new store every workday, a pace that continued into the 2000’s. "Starbucks" began putting the Mom & Pop cafés out of business, and along the way absorbing local café chains and renaming them as their brand. This trend is later reflected by other businesses like Tim Horton and Dunkin Donuts who quickly create chain cafés of their own. -
Coffee Houses vs Coffee Shops
The age-old coffee house should not be confused with the coffee shop of recent decades. Coffee shops are really restaurants that serve a typical menu of diner food, along with basic coffee. Certain establishments still operate in the traditional coffee house manner, but coffee shops are the more popular style in today's age. However, coffee shops still are a place for the community to gather and interact so the traditions of past are still present in modern times.