Coffeehouses first popped up in Damascus, and from there, they spread to Mecca in the 15th century. By the 16th century, coffee had reached Istanbul and Baghdad. These Ottoman coffeehouses became the ultimate hangout spots, where folks sipped on coffee, played chess and backgammon, and discussed everything from politics to poetry. Dubbed “schools of wisdom”, these spots were the original social networks for deep thinkers and chatterboxes alike.
In the 17th century, coffee made its European debut outside the Ottoman Empire, and soon, coffeehouses started sprouting up all over. The first one in Europe was likely opened in Livorno in 1632 by a Jewish merchant. Fast forward to the 19th and 20th centuries, and coffeehouses in Europe became the go-to spots for writers and artists looking for inspiration and a good cup of joe.
England wasn’t far behind in the coffee craze. The first coffeehouse there opened on Oxford’s High Street in 1650 by “Jacob the Jew.” Not long after, in 1654, “Cirques Jobson, the Jew” opened another one right across the street. London got its first coffeehouse in 1652, thanks to Pasqua Rosée, a servant to a trader in Ottoman goods. With the help of his boss, Daniel Edwards, Rosée set up shop and started a caffeinated revolution.
Between 1670 and 1685, London’s coffeehouses multiplied, becoming hotbeds for political debate and social gatherings. By 1675, there were over 3,000 coffeehouses in England, despite King Charles II’s attempt to shut them down, calling them hubs of scandal. The public, however, still couldn’t get enough of their coffee fix and continued to come.
And… the rest is, as they say—history.