Coffee History

Piracy and the coffee.

The one of the most romantic adventures in the coffee history concerned to its appearance on the Caribbean islands.

Up to 18 century the sole provider of coffee was Arabs, who carefully protected its monopoly. The Europeans, tasted bewitching aroma and tested the life-giving force of the magic drink, wished in any way to get into their own hands seedlings or seed of coffee trees.

For the first time to grow coffee seedlings was Dutch, who stole seeds in Mokko - the only port, where Arabs traded a coffee. The French received seeds as a gift: the sultan of Yemen gave them to Louis XIV as a sign of gratitude for his cure by a French doctor, and the coffee trees were grown in the botanical garden of the French king.

A few years alter, in 1720, the naval officer Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu, served in Martinique, came to France and grasped, that the coffee trees will grow well in the Caribbean, where the climate is close to homeland of coffee. He lights up with the idea to carry plants to Martinique, but receives the denial of his request, which doesn't stop him: he simply entered at night in the royal garden and stole the seedling.

Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu load the seedling on the ship, putting it on the deck in a glass box to protect from sea salt sprays. The adventurer swear rather to die than destroy the jewel and went on a journey. The fate with testing of the vow didn't become to delay: immediately after the departure they were attacked by Tunisian pirates. Envious passenger grasped the tree and tried to run to pirates, in motion of skirmish the tree was pretty suffered, but were repulsed and still survived.

But then a new misfortune: the ship enters the brutal storm after which on long time lies into the drift due to calm. It wasn't enough drinking water at the ship, and our hero, following his swear, divided his portion with the coffee seedling, risking to die from thirst.

With such adventures seedling was planted in Martinique, surrounded by shady bushes, where at day and night the slaves was watching the tree. In 1726 the first crop was harvested, and after 50 years in Martinique has grown about 18 millions of coffee trees.

It is the descendants of the legendary tree, stolen from the royal garden, visited the hands of pirates and nursed with last gulp of water at the drifting vessel in the ocean, are now filled all the coffee groves of the Caribbean, Brazil and throughout Latin America.