Anonymous Puritan 1674, London.

‘When the sweet Poison of the Treacherous Grape,

Had acted on the world a general rape;…

Coffee arrives, that grave and wholesome liquor,

That heals the stomach and makes the genus quicker.’

At the time of this scribble, the tea totalling Puritans had just seized control of Parliament and jumped on this “Black Wine” as a God-given alternative to beer.

For at least 100 years before the arrival of coffee into the UK, alcohol was a main source of nourishment for men, women and children. Since hot drinks were rare and water unsafe beer was mixed with bread for breakfast, workers took mid-morning beer breaks. The average Northern European, including women and children’s drank three litres of beer a day. People of power drank much more. One third of England was dedicated to growing barley for beer; one in seven buildings was a tavern. In 1652 there was one coffeehouse in London, by 1700 over two thousand and the Industrial age was born.

”Snippets taken from The Devils Cup” by Stewart Lee Allen, a hilarious journey through the history of coffee.”