Has Coffee Ever Been Banned?

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages among people who live out there in the world. In other words, we can find office coffee machines in every office. People can’t seem to survive without coffee at all. Likewise, there are numerous businesses that partner with an office coffee service to make sure that the employees are provided with access to coffee at all times. While keeping these in mind, it is worthy to explore the history of coffee as well. That’s where you will notice how coffee has been banned several times in history. Here are few such examples.

Coffee was only available for people of Yemen

The coffee plant was originally discovered in Ethiopia. It was quite popular among the Ethiopians who lived back in the day to get a mid-day boost in energy. However, the Sufi monks came up with the great idea of brewing, roasting, and drinking coffee in the form of a hot liquid, which helped them to remain awake, especially when they were praying at night. When the popularity of coffee increased, people in Yemen understood how important the plant is and wanted to maintain the overall control over it. This is where they came up with a decision to ensure that no coffee plants could leave the country.

This restriction was there until the year 1616, where some merchants could swipe few of them when leaving Yemen. These plants were planted in Java, which helped to increase the worldwide popularity of coffee.

Coffee was banned for Catholics in Europe 

Along with time, coffee came into Europe. However, European people knew that the coffee plants were from Muslim Countries. Due to the same reason, they didn’t like the idea of drinking coffee. In fact, the Catholic Clergy named coffee as the devil’s brew. The beverage was prohibited for the consumption of Catholics. This ban was implemented by Pope Cement VIII. However, he later got the opportunity to enjoy the taste of coffee, which made him reverse his decision. When the ban for coffee was lifted, people all around Europe started consuming it. It didn’t take a long time for coffee to become one of the most popular beverages in the country.

Coffee ban during the Ottoman Empire

When we take a look at the history, we can even see how coffee was banned during the Ottoman Empire. Back in the year 1633, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Murad IV, didn’t have any control over the corrupted advisors, who were cracking down on the coffee shops. That happened mainly because of plotting and sedition. They engaged with such activities during the night time. Due to the same reason, the Sultan had to enforce a ban on coffee and declare that as one of the prohibited beverages for the people. However, this ban was lifted after some time.

These are some examples for historical instances where coffee was banned in history. However, we don’t see any such bans existing as of now. Therefore, people in every corner of the world now have the opportunity to enjoy coffee. You just need to locate the best way to enjoy coffee and go ahead with it. If you can partner with a reputed and unique office coffee service, you can get coffee without encountering any challenges. 

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