Krystal D'COSTAThe Anthropology of Coffee
@anthinpractice
The Anthropology of Coffee
Presented by Krystal D’Costa
I Need Coffee!
Before coffee. After coffee.
The Origins of Coffee
• Dutch word = koffie
• But the beverage—and plant—much older!
• An African origin?
The Goatherd
The Arab World
• Credited to the Arab world = khave
• 11th-century: First brewed in Yemen
• 13th-century: Popular among Muslim communities
The Culture of the Coffee House
( Coffee house, Ottoman Empire.)
The Culture of the Coffee House
Out of Arabia
• Arabs controlled distribution.
• Indian smuggler strapped beans to belly.
Global Travels
Global Travels• Dutch gift plant
to Louis XIV.
• Naval officer smuggles a seedling to Caribbean: Martinique.
Coffee in the Americas and Beyond
Source: National Geographic, 1999
The End of Coffee in America?
• Decline in coffee from 1960s to 1980s.
– Bad: Price of beans increased.
– Worse: Consumers revolt: not paying for bland coffee.
– Terrible: Targeted 20 – 29-year-olds have no interest in coffee!
Advertising to the Rescue!
Room for Smaller Brands
Driven by Productivity
The Culture of Productivity
The Ritual of Consumption
• Trained socially to think coffee is a tool.
– Helps us start our day and concentrate.
– Normalizes the imposed work routine.
Anthropology in Practice
• What is anthropology?
–Anthropology lets us understand the human experience.
Anthropology in Practice
The study of human life is all around us.
www.anthropologyinpractice.com@anthinpractice
