Monday & my coffee house stories

As I’m making myself my first cup of coffee today, some of the wild history I’ve learned about coffee suddenly popped into my head:

1/ Drinking coffee in public was once punishable by death

Sounds insane to us when coffee is literally everywhere and totally innocuous. But under Sultan Murad IV (starting in 1633), drinking coffee in public was banned, and repeat offenders could even face the death penalty. The ban was finally lifted after his death in 1640.

2/ early Ottoman coffeehouses were WILD

Building on the first point: those early coffeehouses (kahvehane) offered way more than just coffee. We’re talking gambling, opium and, flirting (or more) with the pretty young male cup-bearers… Basically an unregulated mix of bar, casino, drug lounge, and political forum all rolled into one spot.

Ottoman coffee house