A History of Coffee
A History of Coffee is the story of how a tiny psychoactive seed changed the world and shapes our lives today.
Across six episodes, documentary maker James Harper and professional historian Jonathan Morris narrate how humans race coffee across oceans to keep up with demand for this addictive drink.
Coffee creates enormous fortunes for some, and misery for others. Sometimes the environment benefits, but more often it is plundered.
If we want to make coffee a more equitable industry that’s also kinder to the environment, a place to start is understanding the stories and systems that put the coffee into your cup this morning.
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Follow Jonathan Morris @coffeehistoryjm and James Harper @filterstoriespodcast. Read full transcripts at www.historyofcoffee.org.
- Update frequency
- every 11 days
- Average duration
- 36 minutes
- Episodes
- 16
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2023
4) Just Friends? America’s love affair with coffee
America is coffee-obsessed. From Central Perk’s red couch being the centre of major plot twists in Friends to the fact the average American drank more than two cups a day.
And the conventional expla…
And the conventional expla…
00:44:24 |
Mon 17 Apr 2023
3) Espresso Lungo: The slow road to Italy’s democratic espresso culture
One morning back in the ‘80s, Howard Schultz walks out of his Milan hotel, stumbles into an espresso bar, and fundamentally changes coffee history.
He discovered (and then popularises) the iconic, …
He discovered (and then popularises) the iconic, …
00:44:57 |
Mon 17 Apr 2023
2) A Lasting Stain: Haiti, Colonialism and Coffee
Haiti was once the biggest, most profitable coffee growing region in the world.
But today Haiti is one of the world’s poorest nations where you can’t get a bag of Haitian beans delivered to Berlin …
But today Haiti is one of the world’s poorest nations where you can’t get a bag of Haitian beans delivered to Berlin …
00:47:33 |
Mon 17 Apr 2023
1) It’s Just Coffee? How coffee houses changed the world
A coffee shop is a lot more than just a place to drink coffee. The seats and sofas encourage you to invite a friend, and chat.
And chatting is powerful: ideas that emerge from these caffeine-fuelled…
And chatting is powerful: ideas that emerge from these caffeine-fuelled…
00:45:41 |
Mon 17 Apr 2023
Introducing: Series Two of A History of Coffee
We're back with more stories about the tiny psychoactive seed that changed the world and continues to shape our lives today.
In Series Two, we reveal how the invention of the coffee shop revolutioni…
In Series Two, we reveal how the invention of the coffee shop revolutioni…
00:05:01 |
Mon 03 Apr 2023
BONUS: Coffee’s Ticking Time Bomb
We have an exciting announcement....AND, a story about Sri Lanka and coffee history we think you're really going to like.
Sri Lankan coffee has delicious notes of chocolate and caramel. But it’s ba…
Sri Lankan coffee has delicious notes of chocolate and caramel. But it’s ba…
00:45:56 |
Tue 31 May 2022
BONUS: A History of Tea
Coffee has a fascinating history stretching back hundreds of years. But tea takes it to the next level, stretching back thousands.
And it too was colonised by Europeans with huge repercussions that …
And it too was colonised by Europeans with huge repercussions that …
00:28:00 |
Tue 15 Feb 2022
BONUS: Decolonising Coffee History
Each sip of coffee we drink is steeped in dark colonial past.
The reason we can enjoy it every morning is because it's relatively cheap, and many people suffered under European colonisers to create…
The reason we can enjoy it every morning is because it's relatively cheap, and many people suffered under European colonisers to create…
00:48:05 |
Tue 22 Jun 2021
BONUS: Stimulating stories or fantastic flavours: what sells coffee?
We are hard at work on the bonus episode about decolonising coffee history.
But...in the meantime, here's an episode from a sister podcast we think you'll enjoy.
You can listen to more episodes fro…
But...in the meantime, here's an episode from a sister podcast we think you'll enjoy.
You can listen to more episodes fro…
00:31:10 |
Tue 25 May 2021
6) The Future of Coffee?
Do you grind your beans fresh before brewing your coffee? If so, you are helping overturn a race-to–the-bottom with deep roots in colonial extraction that today is leaving millions of coffee farmers …
00:47:06 |
Thu 13 May 2021
5) Desperately Seeking Sustainability
When was the last time you bought a coffee that was Fairtrade certified?
Certifications make it easy for consumers to put their ethics into practice. But, hidden beneath the glossy sticker is a maze…
Certifications make it easy for consumers to put their ethics into practice. But, hidden beneath the glossy sticker is a maze…
00:37:24 |
Fri 23 Apr 2021
4) A Dark Bitter Powder
How do you drink your instant coffee? If you’re like most of the world, you fill your mug with milk and sugar to sweeten the taste.
By adding milk and sugar to your instant, you helped bring new gr…
By adding milk and sugar to your instant, you helped bring new gr…
00:36:14 |
Thu 11 Mar 2021
3) Coffee Catches Fire
A hundred years ago one Brazilian man owned so many coffee trees he could fill every inch of a European country with them.
But why does Brazil grow so much? And who is drinking these lakes of caffei…
But why does Brazil grow so much? And who is drinking these lakes of caffei…
00:40:06 |
Tue 02 Mar 2021
2) Slavery, Suffering and Affordable Luxury
Why do we get upset when we’re charged €36 for an ordinary cappuccino?
The answer flies us to the Caribbean where white Europeans make black Africans suffer.
In this second episode of A History of…
The answer flies us to the Caribbean where white Europeans make black Africans suffer.
In this second episode of A History of…
00:42:39 |
Wed 17 Feb 2021
1) A Five Gun Salute to the Origins of Coffee
Here’s a surprising fact: coffee was only invented around the time Michelangelo was chiselling his statue of David.
Why did it take so long for humans to invent the cup of coffee?
In this first ep…
Why did it take so long for humans to invent the cup of coffee?
In this first ep…
00:39:30 |
Wed 17 Feb 2021
Introducing: A History of Coffee
A History of Coffee is the story of how a tiny psychoactive seed changed the world and shapes our lives today.
Across six episodes, documentary maker James Harper and professional historian Jonatha…
Across six episodes, documentary maker James Harper and professional historian Jonatha…
00:04:12 |
Mon 15 Feb 2021
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