Coffee is symbolic of vitality, accomplishment, and achievement. We drink it when we need an extra boost of energy in order to get ourselves going or to keep ourselves going.
Coffee itself, eventually becomes very closely associated with what we achieve.
This article takes a look at coffee and what it symbolizes, how it earned its historical reputation and how we use it to motivate ourselves to begin or to complete that final hurdle.
When did coffee first earn its association with socializing and thinking?
Believe it or not, coffee houses have been around since the 1500s, and began in the Middle East as places to meet and enjoy a new and exotic beverage.
Reason to visit them, however, very gradually evolved from social to political (and then radical) because coffee, besides being warming and tasting very pleasant, contained caffeine, which was also remarkably stimulating.
The stimulated mind produced ideas (sometimes dangerous ones), and solutions (sometimes unwelcome ones) that were at once new and creative, and for some, troublesome.
Coffeehouses gained a reputation for harbouring renegades.
How did the first coffeehouses earn their reputation?
This is precisely how coffeehouses became known as places of revolutionary ideas and began to be watched closely by those in charge.
Coffee houses also had a different atmosphere to a bar or tavern.
The coffee house was not so much a place to relax after work as one to define and refine work and ideas that was just beginning or had stalled halfway through, or which needed further stimulus from new minds and new voices.
What kind of ideas and thinking began to be associated with coffee?
As coffeehouses spread across Europe, the interest in the lucrative potential of the coffee bean also grew. Coffeehouses, however, remained cheap and convenient places to visit, drink a “dish” of coffee, and air one’s ideas.
These ideas were becoming increasing intellectual, and to energetically question the status quo became the norm.
Needless to say, women were not allowed access to such excesses of thinking.
Coffeehouses were men’s domains, and began to represent intellect, high thinking, philosophy, invention, change.
They even represented good health and good conduct because coffee house did not provoke the same excesses and displays of drunkenness associated with taverns and public houses.
However, coffee drinkers began to attract criticism, and were described in Europe as idle and disaffected persons who misspent much of their time, and that went to places where evil and dangerous effects were produced.
What else does coffee symbolize?
Coffee as a beverage continued its influence on the socializing world, stimulated no doubt by growing investment into the profitable bean industry.
Coffee’s next symbolic association was with “culture”, and coffee culture became a worldwide phenomenon.
This occurred through the elevation of the humble coffee bean, which through advertising and social media, began to symbolize the earth, work ethics and harmony of environment.
What do cafes and modern coffee houses symbolize?
The modern café symbolizes a place to meet, interact, take a break, stimulate, and continue on. The morning coffee represents the start of the day.
The afternoon break represents the transformation of energy and the evening coffee symbolizes persistence and commitment.
The modern coffee house, whether a chain store or specialty house, invests in trained baristas who can produce dozens of different coffees made quickly and to style.
While modern cafes serve food and other beverages, it is the status and quality of their coffees which attract and keep customers.
How does coffee symbolize morning?
Coffee is an instant energy drink, and its “wake up” effects are immediately pleasant and always very welcome.
We refer to morning coffee as refreshing, invigorating, necessary, and heart-warming. We also associate the morning coffee with good life in general, and we link it to success, health and achievement.
Coffee lovers who don’t get their morning cup usually don’t function well until they do. We also use coffee to restore us after a hard night, regarding it as a healthy morning after ritual to begin a new day as refreshed as possible.
When did the coffee bean take on its own symbolism?
The growing interest in and concern for world environments and cultures has provoked coffee drinkers to pay closer attention to the coffee bean and its environments.
Not only are these environments scrutinized, but the bean production processes themselves are examined and advertised as part of the coffee drinker’s total experience.
Ethical industry and fair trade have become watchwords, and purchasing beans properly is symbolic of responsible consumption.
What does a coffee bean symbolize?
The coffee bean itself now features as the selling icon for coffee, It represents life, work, and sustainability and invites the coffee drinker to be an active participant in cycle of the coffee bean from harvest to cup.
A favourite and common coffee icon is the cupped hands holding a pool of freshly harvested beans.
Is coffee replacing tea as a favourite drink?
Coffee is not replacing any other drink and never has done, but it does continues to hold its own very dynamic place in beverage history and culture.
Coffee fulfills a need that cannot quite be replaced by anything else. Although caffeinated drinks range from chocolate drinks to soft drinks, they do not replace coffee just as coffee is too individualistic to replace anything else.
What does coffee symbolize in the modern world?
Coffee continues to remind and reassure us that our life and energy are intact. The world currently consumes over 2 billion cups of coffee per day, in various forms and at various times.
The fragrances of coffee are universally enjoyed and recognized and are so powerful that coffee aromas are used to sell things, such as houses.
The smell of coffee can convince prospective buyers that a particular home symbolizes home: safety, cosiness, prosperity, good ideas; just enough motivation needed to seal the deal.
Hi, I’m Jen Williams, chief editor and writer for ThirstPerk.com.
I’ve been drinking coffee and tea for most of my life, but it wasn’t until I started working at Thirstperk.com that I became an expert on the subject. I’m a total caffeine addict who has spent hours upon hours reading about and experimenting with the different types of coffees out there in my search to find the perfect cup of joe.
I’ve been a tea lover for as long as I can remember as well. I grew up in a house with a mom who loved to drink herbal tea, and I think that’s where my love for tea first began. These days, I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting teas to try, and I love experimenting with different brewing methods and flavoring combinations.
