Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-11-16
History Of Coffee In the East.
From the London Times

NJ AfaDian Town mas so fragrant an OdOr
around Its name as Mocha which for so many
years was known as the port from which most
Of the coffee of Yemen WAS shipped That
Mocha itself does not lie in coffee region il
probably known to few OF those who honor the
noble beverage. Indeed it has long been
known that these beans, which enjoy world
wide reputation, reach the western markets in
increasingly small quantities. for the productive
region of Yemen is comparatively limited in
area, and the crop scarcely sutices To supply the
demand in the East itself. Certain it il that
considerable part Of tie crop finds its way
by land over the iIedjaz, and only frac-
tiOn reaches the export LarhOTs. The most
important of these is undoubtedly Alden. In
former times it quite otherwise After the
Introduction OF coYpe-cuitnrc and the taste sul
coffee into Arabia cYcGa r. 10 means of
ancient date .iuCiia was certainly the only port
nom which it shipped At the beginning
OF the 10th century Only one hut stood on the
site OF Mocha. that OF the She!k Shadeli who
on account of his honest dealings was much
sought after by the shippers. He was an hon
Orable and hOspitable man. who regaled his
guests with q cup Of the beverage " bich he him
self greatly loved and commended. This drink
was no other than coffee, a knowledge of the
virtues OF which soon spread through the whole
OF Yemen. The sheik had many visitors and
ont OF his hospitality profitable business was
developed the settlers hut soon expanded into
aviliaee, and the village into Il town. which i'm
n short time was crowded with SPECTATORS and
rich merchants
Such Is the legend of the founding and growth
OF Mocha. In what year the event took place
Turkish and Arabic Chronicers are shy of fin-
ures and dates, and leave to their successors
the filling in OF the blanks. But no doubt the
story ia essentially authentic for after Mocha
became f'OHrishing town Sheik ShadeIi was
honOred with spuichral mosque, which is
to-day pointed ont with pride and the
u-nn of tha istfp
also the land-gate bear the name of its worthy
benefactOr. by Sheik Shadcii,' the peOple of
Mocha swear more than by the prophet himself.
who receives scarcely more honor than is paid to
the patron Of the town and of all the coffee
farmers OF Yemen. Coffee could not be grown at
all, as We have said. I'm the region around Mocha
Itself, which IS known aS the 'Tehama" q low
nat. sandy district with sparse vegetation. The
climate Is necessarily hot, fever is endemic, and
water scarce. No coffee could he grown i'm such
region although it contains the chief ware
houses and export harbors for the product of
Yemen For a whole century Mocha was the
leading coffee port. but about the middle of the
18th century H0dcidi to the north of Mocha
took Its place. Latterly however. for various
reasons connected with TurcO- Egyptian politics,
Hodeida has declined. So long as it was the
chief export harbor the inland town of Bethel
Fakhi was the chief transit center the leading
port of which was and is still Ghaefka, which
sent out almost as much coffee as HOdeida Itself
After the Turco-Egyptian domestic politics had
ruined these ports the coffee trade sought an
other outlet by Alden. which now Is the leading
center and place OF export for the coffee of
Yemen.
The coffee tree is no wild plant In Yemen its
successful growth depending on great variety
of natural and artificial conditions. I'm terraces
among the mountain ravines. carefully pro-
tected from the chilly mountain breeZeS on q
soil composed Of clay, pOrphyry and tran Is
the cultivation of the best sorts carried on
Thus Ii is only certain favored spots that are
suited for the growth of coffee in Yemen.
and the culture is essentially that of compara.
lively small gardens. The best coffee garden of
Yemen Is that of Uddein. in the northeast OF
Mocha: IT Yields the Uddein beam the finest
Coffee bean the world produces This estate
hes in the valley of the Zebid. and In area
ls by no means extensive The second most
Important district is that OF Beit-el-Fakhi i'm
which are BulioS Hadie and kusmai estates
on the mountain terraces, which stretch
from the Tehama TO the mountains of central
Yemen; many of the hamlets which used to
nestle in the midst of the coffee plantations
looking ont from the hlll-sldes on the sterile
plain below are now in ruins. In the direction
OF HOdelda lies the third of the great coffee
gardens that OF Mofhak and HarraZ on the
Hanks OF the leman mountieS which inclose
the Wadt Seichhan. Smaller and less pr.,duc-
tive gardens are found at Jenaad on the north
foot of the Sa5er mountain to the east of
Mocha Others of less Importance are scat
tered about in various parts Of the region as
far as the eastern plateau OF Yemen the nights
varying from 1909 to 1900 feet above the sea
The entire productive region is after ALL ONLY
. comparatively small section OF Yemen and
even IN this section itself there are MANY I'M
productive gaps-gaps which are much more
extensive than are the coffee gardens them.
selves
Thus. the culture of the noble product to
which Mocha has given its name has gradually
spread outward over district of the early
Himyaratic state which has seen better DAYS
Ut Is we'll known that the coffee plant is not in
digenOus to Arabia. but was imported from
AbySsiEia at date which cannot be accurately
nXed. The taste for coffee itself had a hard
struggle at first to find "a general welcome
among the more select circles. Apart from the
Oldest legend concerning Shadelis drink. the
Medinna Sheik Abdel kader is the oldest his
torieai authority OF the use of the .blood-red
kaweh. as the 1unSian Ibn Waki named the
beverage. In the year 1857 not 800 wears AFRO
he tells Us that in 1cmea people made use of
drink which so lightened the night watches that
the faithful of the place were able to sing the
praises of God more ferventy and cheerfllly
than could he done anywhere else According
to him. the Mufti Dhabani was the first to Intro
duce the insignificant little bean on Arabian
soil, having brought it with him from Africa
Certain it is. that the districts of Sboa.
Euara, and kaffa, (whence tho name) in the
south of the AbyssiDian highlands. form the
original home of the coffee plant. Dhabani was
of sickiy nature. and since he belonged to the
order OF the SGh. ultra Pantheists). who be-
emahated from the Godhead. he regarded a
means OF excitement of this Kind as a provi-
dentia! gift. The Medinese and faithful Nee
cans laid their turbaned heads together in the
pubic places when first they heard the news:
piOuS shelk In Alden was the frs. to drink
the ''Diack juice as Il sort of public specta-
Gle In Mecca itself violent strife arose soon
after Its Introduction as to the propriety of
using it, There were great meetings of learned
and piOus men, who at last. probably after ey-
treme pressure from the Mameluke governor
khair-Beg. declared that coffee disturbed tine
brain and intoxicated like wine" But their op-
ponents were of another opinion and adduced
the authority of the celebrated Bagdad phys-
clan Avicenna in their defence. which. however
did not prevent the transgressOr of the edct
fOrbldding the Use of coffee from being publicly
whipped At the same time the Zealots of the
HedjaZ proclaimed that oil coffee drinkers would
appear before the All Merciful on the resur-
rection day with black faces. While the great
anathema was being pronounced at Mecca,
the brothers OF the order at Cairo, the
very Mamelukes themselves were already
reyeling In the newly discovered luxury
A confirmation of the Mecca decree was. there
fore not to be expected from the Sultan. and he