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| India is the world's sixth coffee-producer country. |
Coffee is believed to have originated from a region in Ethiopia called Kaffa in the ninth century. And ever since it arrived at Europe's ports, it has influenced and changed millions of people’s lives. What has made it so powerful over all these years? Why does it continue to inspire such a strong devotion in so many coffee lovers all over the world? For most people, coffee is nothing but this black and strong drink that helps them to perform more efficiently during the day. But for others, it’s so, so much more. It’s a lifestyle, a career path, a passion. And, for a few others, it’s a spiritual experience. The world has many mysteries. And believe it or not, coffee has been involved in some of those legends and secrets that continue to pick our curiosity for the unknown.
We’ve already talked about how different coffee culture is everywhere in the world. Some countries have very specific rituals when it comes to brewing this beverage, others have special and unique methods for growing coffee beans, others like to accompany their coffee with what some would consider very strange ingredients. In India, coffee has a strong religious meaning and symbolism. They believe that coffee was brought to their lands by a saint. This is the story of how it came to be.
The crime that changed everything
The legend says that a Sufi saint, called Baba Budan, revered by both Muslims and Hindus, started a pilgrimage to Mecca, around 1650. Coffee had already spread all across Arabia and had reached Yemen, where Baba Budan first encountered the beverage. During the 17th century, coffee exportation was limited to roasted or baked beans, and it was illegal to transport coffee plants to other territories.
After Baba Budan ended his pilgrimage, he discovered the drink in a place called Mocha, Yemen, a port city with an exit to the Red Sea, from which he planned to make his way back home. After trying it, it is said that he was simply captivated by it and thought of the dark liquid as quite refreshing. With a strong desire to bring coffee to his homeland, and even though it was illegal and severely punished to do it, he strapped seven coffee beans to his chest and hid them all the way to India.
The legend says he chose the number seven because of its significance in Islam tradition (it appears many times all across the Quran, in Islamic rituals and beliefs.) After successfully smuggling those coffee beans out of Yemen, he found them a perfect place for them in his backyard's soils, at his home, located on the slopes of the Chandragiri Hills in Kadur district. The coffee beans grew, spread in the vicinities and ended up claiming a set of hills called Chandra Drona. Today, they’re named Baba Budan Hills, where his tomb can be visited.
Baba Budan’s little crime started India’s multimillionaire coffee industry. India is the world’s sixth coffee producer, and its coffee is known for its delicate aroma because it usually grows away from direct sunlight. Small farmers produce most Indian coffee, and even though tea is more popular because of English influence, Indian coffee is gaining more and more territory in the industry.
Many different tales and legends tell the story of how coffee entered our lives and changed our culture. At That Coffee Roasters, we love to explore the differences and nuances of every type of coffee! Catch us up next week to learn more about coffee history, traditions, legends, and secrets!
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| The legend says a saint brought coffee to the country. |
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