Craving that morning coffee? Your usual brew may have origins dating back over half a million years! Discover the wild history behind your daily cup of joe.
According to AP, that coffee you gulped on the way to work this morning has roots tracing back an astounding 600,000 years. Scientists recently uncovered the epic origin story of your favorite caffeinated drink.
Using genetic data from coffee plants worldwide, researchers constructed a family tree for arabica coffee, the bean most folks consume. It turns out this popular variety emerged around 600,000 years ago when two ancient coffee species got frisky in the wild, long before humans started asking for Cappucinos. The resulting hybrid is the bean that we buy more often than any other strain of coffee on Earth to date.
Although the beans that became arabica originated in Ethiopia, it wasn't brewed until the 1400s. It seems an Indian monk then smuggled 7 of these beans back home in Yemen, which may have launched coffee's global dominance in the 1600s. Today, arabica accounts for 60-70% of coffee consumed, including in brands like Starbucks and Dunkin'.
Unraveling arabica's convoluted DNA could help us selectively breed fortified coffee plants that may stand up to climate threats and agricultural diseases. The climate has decimated coffee crops worldwide, which will push prices higher. so the idea of growing a plant that can take on draughts, floods, and heatwaves might save you a few cents on that future Americano purchase.
So the next time sniff that intoxicating first cup of java at work, remember, you are drinking a plant that has over a half million years of history before it reached that "World's Best Mom" mug on your desk.