July 16th, 2012
The story of coffee goes back to the 13th century, when it came out of
Ethiopia, then spread to Egypt and Yemen. It reached the Middle East,
Turkey, and Persia during the 16th century, and then Europe during the
early 17th, though not without controversy. In Venice, some called it
the ‘bitter invention of Satan,’ but the Pope, upon tasting it, gave it
his blessing. By 1652, St. Michael’s Alley, the first cafe in London opened its doors, bringing coffee to England, thanks to a Sicilian immigrant, Pasqua Rosée.
Today, the British Museum houses a handbill that may well be the
first advertisement for coffee in England. It proves remarkable for a
couple of reasons. First, the ad introduced Brits to what’s now a staple
of the Western diet, and eventually they’d bring it to North America.
And, what’s more, you can see another instance of the adage that the
more things change, the more they stay the same. Advertising is
advertising, and then, as now, beverages were sold on their taste and
health properties. And, of course, you were encouraged to consume the
product not once, but twice a day. You can find a transcription of the
text, courtesy of Vintage Ads, below the jump.
via BoingBoing
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