In the early 17th century, coffee reached Europe via Venice. The oldest European coffeehouse opened around 1645 in Venice.

When Was Coffee First Drunk in Europe?

In the early 17th century, coffee reached Europe via Venice. The oldest European coffeehouse opened around 1645 in Venice.

Why that matters

Coffee arrived in Europe through the trade routes of the Venetians, who maintained close contacts with the Arab world. The first sacks of green coffee came to Venice around 1600 as a trade commodity. Initially, the beverage was controversial — some clergymen called for a ban because it came from the “Islamic world.” Pope Clement VIII reportedly blessed it after a taste test.

Coffeehouses spread rapidly: Venice (around 1645), Oxford (around 1650), London (1652), Vienna (around 1683, after the Ottoman siege), and Paris (1686, the famous Café Procope). In England, coffeehouses became meeting points for merchants and intellectuals — the insurance exchange Lloyd’s of London originated in a coffeehouse.

In Germany, coffee arrived later. Berlin’s first coffeehouse opened around 1721. Frederick the Great even attempted to ban coffee consumption in 1781, replacing it with beer — unsuccessfully. The Germans became one of the world’s greatest coffee-drinking nations regardless.

Today, coffee is the most consumed beverage in Germany, ahead of water and beer. The journey from Venetian curiosity to everyday drink took less than 400 years — a blink of an eye in historical terms.

At Green Wall Coffee

Berlin has its own coffeehouse history stretching back to the 18th century. In Lichtenberg, where our café stands on Sophienstraße 27, coffee was for a long time an industrial-district drink: strong, cheap, from a vending machine. The fact that specialty coffee is served here today is part of a development that started 400 years ago in Venice. The story of coffee in Europe is still being written.

Related Questions

• Where does coffee originally come from?
• Who discovered coffee? (The Legend of Kaldi)
• Why is coffee so popular?

More depth on this topic in the article How to Make Perfect Espresso. Or stop by at Sophienstraße 27 — Mon–Fri 8am–5pm, Sat 10am–5pm.