When the first coffeehouse opened in London in 1652, customers were bewildered by this strange new drink from Turkeyhot, bitter, and black as soot. But those who tried coffee were soon won over, and more coffee-houses were opened across London, America, and Europe. For a hundred years the coffeehouse occupied the center of urban life, creating a distinctive social culture. They played a key role in the explosion of political, financial, scientific, and literary change in the 18th century, as people gathered, discussed, and ...
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When the first coffeehouse opened in London in 1652, customers were bewildered by this strange new drink from Turkeyhot, bitter, and black as soot. But those who tried coffee were soon won over, and more coffee-houses were opened across London, America, and Europe. For a hundred years the coffeehouse occupied the center of urban life, creating a distinctive social culture. They played a key role in the explosion of political, financial, scientific, and literary change in the 18th century, as people gathered, discussed, and debated issues within their walls."
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Add this copy of The Coffee House: a Cultural History to cart. $112.95, new condition, Sold by Just one more Chapter rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Miramar, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Phoenix.
The first coffee house in Europe opened in London in 1652. Coffee beans from Yemen and coffee houses, reminiscent of such establishments in Constantinople, soon started appearing all over the country, though not everyone liked the taste of the black liquid. Samuel Pepys (1633 - 1703), the renowned diarist, thought it tasted vile.
Coffee was drunk black and without sugar. It was eminently affordable - much cheaper than tea. The coffee houses, which attracted people from all walks of life, became popular for exchanging news and views, ploitical debate, and indulging in social activities. Heated discussions took place on everything, from private affairs to matters of state, so much so that Charles II was auspicious of what went on at these places.
This is a scholarly, enlightening and fascinating work on the history of the coffee house in Britain, but continental Europe and America are not forgotten.
. Anyone who has visited an old-fasioned, established Viennese coffee house may be able to envision what the the atmosphere in the original British coffee houses was like.
