A (Slightly Caffeinated) History of Coffee

When the World Woke Up: A (Slightly Caffeinated) History of Coffee

If you know Jen - you know she's a 10 cup a day kind of gal. So, where did the delicious coffee that we all crave come from?

Let’s take a quick trip back in time—long before oat milk lattes and double shots on ice—back to when coffee first became the thing that powered mornings, revolutions, and long-winded philosophers.

Legend has it, somewhere around the 9th century in Ethiopia, a goat herder named Kaldi noticed his goats were acting a little too jazzed after munching on some mysterious red berries. Curious (and probably a little jealous of their energy), Kaldi tried them himself—and just like that, humanity’s love affair with coffee began.

Fast forward a few centuries to the Middle East, where coffee houses started popping up faster than you could say “extra foam.” They were called qahveh khaneh, and they were buzzing—literally—with conversation, poetry, and politics. Think of them as the original cafés, minus the Wi-Fi but with way better storytelling.

By the 1600s, Europe caught on, and the drink that once raised eyebrows as a “bitter invention of Satan” (yes, really) became the toast of London, Paris, and Vienna. Coffeehouses became the heartbeat of cities—the places where ideas, gossip, and revolutions percolated side by side.

Today, coffee isn’t just a drink. It’s a ritual. A hug in a mug. A small, delicious rebellion against mornings that start too early or meetings that run too long.

And if you’re going to honor a beverage with that kind of history, you’d better do it right—with coffee cake.

So go on, pour yourself a cup, and make it a moment. Pair that rich, roasty goodness with a slice of Steiner’s gluten-free, nut-free, bake-you-happy coffee cake—because history tastes better when it’s baked in.

☕💛 Steiner’s Baking Co. — baking smiles for people who thought they had to give it up.