Around 75% of the population enjoys drinking coffee. Regarding volume, around 16 pounds per person is drunk in Germany. This makes Germany the 2nd largest consumers of coffee while America is the first. Coffee beans are one of the very few seeds that poorer 3rd world countries can harvest and make a profit. Given this, it is unsurprising that 53 countries of the world grow coffee beans. Despite these impressive figures, so many people did not always enjoy coffee in historical times.  It's right to be acknowledged in the Orient, and the occident was not easy. Only after a series of angry protest did coffee become so widely popular today. In 850 CE, an Ethiopian Shepard from the town of Kaffa first discovered coffee. He carefully observed his herd and realised that after feeding on a particular shrub they became energetic. The curious shepherd investigated further and described the shrubs as red berries and tasted them himself. He expressed feelings of hyperactivity, and he was ecstatic. Upon his discovery he was unsure what to do, so he turned to his local Imam for guidance. The same evening both the shepherd and the imam tried the shrubs. During this time, the Imam claimed that he saw a vision from the Prophet, who told him that this is a bless drink. It was a drink like no other because it enhanced wakefulness and promotes prayer. The very next morning the Imam informed people of what he saw and shortly after his monastery become the talk of the town all across Arabia. People began to perceive coffee as a holy drink, and so it was introduced into the Shadhilliyya Sufi order or Yemen. However, not everyone took as kindly to the new drink substance. Muslim law doctors were suspicious of the drink's ability to have intoxicating effects, its ambiguous name, and its brewing process, all of which likened to alcohol. They wasted little time declaring that the newfound substance should be prohibited.  Regardless of this, the popularity of coffee increased by the day, with more people consuming it. Residents started to build coffee houses, which are still very popular today. People began to boil the beans and drink it instead of chewing on it. Coffee became such a phenomenon and part of life that Turkish women could stipulate in their marital contract that she could file for divorce if her husband failed to provide her with coffee. The popularity of the beverage soared, and soon it became prohibited to export it outside of Arabia. However, a man named Baba Bundan cleverly smuggled the beverage out of Arabia via Mocha's port. He opened a farm in Mysore, India. It was this move that saw coffee spread in the East and sub-continent. The people of Europe also originally rejected the newly found drink before later becoming one of the biggest consumers. Venetian merchants introduced the bean to Europe. Surprisingly, the church fought against the legality of coffee. The church argued that it was concocted by Satan for Muslims to consume to compensate for them being prohibited to drink coffee. Later the dispute was settled, and coffee was 'blessed' leading to the gate opening for coffee lovers in Europe. 'Penny Universities' was the name of the first coffee shop that opened in 1652. It costs just 1p for a cup of coffee! It didn't take long before a coffee shop could be seen on nearly every corner. They became the place to socialise and were often where most revolutionary political ideas were concocted. Even after Charles II tried to ban coffee houses, their popularity prevailed as people protested vigorously for 11 days until the coffee cafes were opened again. While many of us take a cup of coffee for granted throughout our days, it's evident from the above that coffee had its fair share of trials and tribulations before it could become so quickly and widely consumed today.