The discovery of coffee

One day, a lonely Abyssinian goatherd named Kaldi went searching for his wandering goats. Night was falling, He was tired and he wanted to get the goats home and into the fold so he could have supper with his good wife. It had been a very long day, and Kaldi was drowsy from the heat. He heard his goats bleating excitedly somewhere in the distance. He couldn’t imagine what they were up to, but he followed the sounds and found them munching on some small reddish fruits he had never seen before. The animals were frisking and frolicking in a patch of shrubs, making their way from one bush to the next, bleating and eating as they went. Kaldi saw that his goats were full of some kind of super-charged energy, and he couldn't help but laugh at their antics, "Well," thought the goatherd, " It certainly seems that these berries are making my goats very happy. I'm going to try some of these strange fruits myself."

Kaldi plucked a berry and nibbled off a bit. The flesh of the berry was tender and juicy, but not very flavorful. He saw that there were two green seeds inside, "Well," he thought, "my goats are eating the whole fruits, and so will I." The seeds seemed tough, but Kaldi had strong teeth. He popped the rest of the berry into his mouth and crunched down, chewing mightily. By the time he had eaten several more of the fruits, the goatherd realized that he no longer felt tired. In fact, he felt so good that he was tempted to dance along with the goats, but he still wanted his supper. He filled his pouch with the berries. It took him awhile to get the goats on the road home. In fact, he had to give a couple of them a good clout with his stout stick before they would stop munching on the rosy fruits.

After trying a few of the berries herself, Kaldi's good wife shared his enthusiasm and said, piously, that the fruits must truly be a gift from God. "Tomorrow," she told Kaldi, "you must pick some of these miracle berries and take them to the monastery. The monks should know of these wondrous fruits. " Kaldi knew she was right, so he carried a pouchful of berries to the monks the very next day. It is written that the monks were greatly inspired after they partook of the rosy, red fruits. They became ever more diligent in their devotionals, and were even more eager and energetic at their work.

Ref. Antol, Marie Nadine. 2002, Confessions of a Coffee Bean. United States of America.



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