“Legend has it that in the depths of Abyssinia, today’s Ethiopia, sometime around the middle of the ninth century, there lived a sober goatherd called Khaldi. One day his normally lethargic goats pranced home in an agitated state. Curious at thier antics, he followed them an discovered that they had been nibbling the red berries of an evergreen tree. Khaldi decided to try some himself and was soon in a state of euphoria. In his excitement, he dashed off to broadcast his find and came upon an elderly Moslem mullah, who was depressed by his tendency to nod off during prayers.
Khaldi let him into the secret of the red berries and coffee took its first step towards becoming one of mankind’s favorite pick-me-ups.”
From “La Dolce Vita, Coffee” by New Holland Publishers, UK, Ltd.