Legends and Secrets Behind Coffee: The Man Who Escaped Death Thanks to a Mysterious Drink

He was proclaimed a saint when he came back to his village.

Last week, we started to explore the relationship between coffee’s secrets and religion. Coffee didn’t really start in India, as we read last week in the story of the saint who brought it to those lands. In ancient times, all the events that radically changed society and culture were often explained by supernatural or spiritual tales. The origin of coffee was not left out of this tradition, especially in the very religious region where it first came to be known. There are two legends for how coffee originated: one comes from Ethiopia and the other from Yemen. It’s actually a heated discussion, as there is no clear consensus of coffee’s true birthplace and you’ll get a different answer depending on who you ask.

You’ve probably heard of mocha coffee (it’s also spelled mocca, moka or moca). It’s a very popular type of coffee, known for its chocolate-like flavors, that comes from Mocha, a Yemeni city that became famous during the XV and XVII century for being the greatest coffee market in the world. Well, it’s also the home to our Islamic legend. Preserved in the Abd-Al-Kadir manuscript, tells the story of Sheikh Omar, a disciple of Sheikh Abou’l Hasan Schadheli, patron saint and legendary founder of Mocha.

In the year of the Hegira 656, Schadheli went on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Arriving at the mountain of the Emeralds (Ousab), he turned to his disciple Omar and said: "I shall die in this place. When my soul has gone forth, a veiled person will appear to you. Do not fail to execute the command which he will give you." After his death, Omar saw in the middle of the night a gigantic specter covered by a white veil. “Who are you?,” Omar asked and Schadheli revealed himself under the veil. He miraculously dug water from the ground and asked Omar to fill a bowl with it. He told Omar he had to proceed on his way and not stop till he reached the spot where the water would stop moving. That’s how he reached Mocha, the city where the water stopped moving.

Both a doctor and a priest, Omar became very well known in Mocha, since a plague then ravished the city. His practices included both traditional medicine and prayers to Allah. The daughter of the King of Mocha fell ill, and her father had her carried to the home of Omar. He was captivated by the princess’ rare beauty, and after having cured her, the good dervish tried to carry her off. The king did not fancy this new kind of reward. Omar was driven from the city and exiled on the mountain of Ousab, with herbs for food and a cave for a home. The legend says that on the brink of starvation, Omar didn’t have much choice but to eat everything he could find.

The fruit of salvation

"Oh, Schadheli, my dear master," cried the Omar one day; "if the things which happened to me at Mocha were destined, was it worth the trouble to give me a bowl to come here?” Waiting for an answer, he heard a song of beautiful harmony, and a bird with extraordinary feathers came to rest in a tree. Omar sprang forward quickly toward the little bird, but when he got there, he saw on the branches of the tree only flowers and fruit. Omar laid hands on the fruit and found it delicious. Then he filled his great pockets with it and went back to his cave. As he was preparing to boil a few herbs for his dinner, the idea came to him of substituting for this sad soup, some of his harvested fruit. From it he brewed a savory and perfumed drink: it was coffee.

He felt immediately revitalized and found an energy he hadn’t experienced before. When news of this new strange medicine got to Mocha, many people started to travel to his cave to seek medical advice. Eventually, he was called back and received with honors. His followers insisted that his exile was a religious sign and the authorities proclaimed him a saint. Both the plant and the black drink were named Mocha to honor this event.

That’s how Yemeni people remember it at least. The Ethiopian people have a whole different version of events that we’ll be exploring next week! Make sure you’re following us on That Coffee Roasters’ social media to stay updated!

Source: web-books.

They first used coffee for its healing properties.

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That Coffee Roasters

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Legends and Secrets Behind Coffee: The Saint Who Brought It to India

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!

The legend says a saint brought coffee to the country.

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That Coffee Roasters

Phone Number: (305) 821-8811

2697 W. 76 Street, Hialeah, Florida 33016

Facebook: That Coffee Roasters

Instagram: thatcoffeeroasters