San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-26

Solieman Aga was sent as ambassador
Louis NV, where he soon. became a
'lion," through the splendid and un'
usual entertainments at which he fig
ured as host. On Bonded knee, the
black slaves of the ambassador, ar
rayed in the most gorgeous oriental
costumes, presented the choicest Moka,
in tiny cups of egg-shell porcelain, hot,
strong and fragrant, poured out on
saucers of gold and silver, placed OF
embroidered silk napkins fringed with
gold, to the grand danes who fluttered
| their fans with many grimaces, and
bent their piquant faces-berouged,
bepowdered and bepatched-over the
new and steaming beverage.
Such was the half-barbaric occasion
BY which coffee first became generally
known to that nation, which Is now
SO largely dependent upon the '"brown
berry of Arabia" The Parisinns i'm.
mcdiately became quite enthusiastic
over II. the aristocracy adopting 1t as
the fashionable beverage, 1t beins re.
corded that the daughters OF Louis
XIV. had coffee imported expressly
for the use Of the royal household, at
cost of $4,000 yearly.
Open First Cafe.
The first coffee house was opened
in Paris, in 1872. by an Armenian,
nc the fair of st. Germaine. Meeting
with considerable success, he was eli.
couraged to open another at the Quai
dEole. where he was subsequently,
succeeded by another but who, owing
to a lack of address and u proper
place to serve it in, was soon COM
PEELED to relinquish the business.
About 1876 an enterprising French
man, Ett.cnne d'Alep, fitted up spa.
cious apartments in the Rue des ltal'
fence. with Oriental magnificence for
the purpose OF catering to the public
taste for coffee. This Cafe--as 1t was
called--was the first Of these now
famous institutions. was furnished in I
the most elegant and expensive man |
ner. ornamented with rich tapestries, !
mirrors, pictures, divans and costly
lustres. tea and chocolate being also
sold in it. This style Of coffee. house
city, and were regularly frequented by
people of fashion. artists. men of let
tiers and politicians. the Cafe Procopc
in particular becoming immortalized
from its being patronized by Voltaire,
Bolieau. Fontaine and other
Encyclopedias. while another, the
Cafe de la Regence, became the Mecca
Of chess players. 1t was in these coffee
houses that Camille Desmoullns was
wont to deliver his stirring addresses.
But. as in the East. at first. coffee
here again met with considerable op-
position.
America Greatest Coffee Drinker.
Coffee houses have been known IN
the United States from an early period
in its history. but for long time New
Orleans was the only city where they
existed in their true character; the
manner being learned from Paris.
Among the American people, however,
the beverage has met from the first
with great favor. being at the present
time more extensively used here than
in any country of the world, not ex-
,epting the countries of original pro-
luction. 1t has become the great ma
.ional beverage. Rapidly as the popu-
alton of the United States has grown,
he consumption of coffee has in
:reased even faster. h
Since 1880 consumption has adj
'anced from 2.9S pounds per year for
zach person to 12.7 pounds per person
n 1920. During recent year i'm
Dortation of coffee to the United
States amounted to 1.414,22S, 1G3
pounds. More than One-half of this (
anne from Brazil. from which nation
America received $50, 2S9.220 pounds. :
other countries from which the United
States imports coffee are: Central '
america. Mexico. West Indies. Ceylon. Z
india. Colombia. Venezuela, Alden and
he Dutch East Indies.