Today, coffee is everywhere. In our kitchens, our offices, our morning rituals and our sociable breaks. It is synonymous with energy, pleasure and sometimes even creativity. Yet this drink, which we consider harmless, was long regarded as dangerous, subversive, even diabolical. Throughout history, coffee has been banned, censored, taxed and demonised, sometimes even associated with political or religious plots.
A look back at a little-known history of scandals, collective fears and revolutions… all surrounding a simple cup of coffee.
A drink viewed with suspicion from the start
Coffee emerged in the Middle East around the fifteenth century, particularly in Ethiopia and Yemen. It quickly spread throughout the Muslim world, where it was consumed to stay awake during long night-time prayers. But its stimulating effect aroused curiosity.
Unlike alcohol, which is forbidden in Islam, coffee provides mental stimulation, encourages conversation and draws crowds. The first coffee houses — known as qahveh khaneh — became places for debate, music and sometimes criticism of those in power.
And that is precisely where the problems began.
Mecca, 1511: the first official ban
In 1511, in Mecca, the governor Khair Beg officially banned coffee. The reason? He believed that the drink incited rebellion, encouraged political conversations and drew worshippers away from the mosque.
Coffee was then likened to a drug, just as wine was. Coffee houses were closed and sacks of beans were burnt in public. But the ban did not last long. Faced with public anger and the lack of a clear religious basis, the Sultan of Cairo overturned the decision.
The first lesson: coffee was already standing up to authority.
The Ottoman Empire: coffee houses closed, customers punished
In the sixteenth century, coffee swept through Istanbul. Coffee houses became major meeting places, where people discussed poetry, politics and society. They were nicknamed ‘schools of the wise’.
But to the Ottoman sultans, these places were dangerous. Under the reign of Murad IV (1623–1640), repression was brutal. Coffee was banned, coffee houses destroyed and coffee drinkers severely punished. Some sources even mention executions.
Murad IV saw coffee as a catalyst for dissent, capable of uniting the people against authority. Despite this, people continued to drink it… in secret.
Christian Europe: the ‘devil's drink’
When coffee arrived in Europe in the seventeenth century, it was not immediately greeted with enthusiasm. In Italy, some priests denounced a drink from Muslim lands, calling it ‘Satan's drink’.
Legend has it that Pope Clement VIII, intrigued, tasted coffee before passing judgement. His verdict: too good to be left to the infidels. He is then said to have ‘baptised’ coffee, putting an end to the controversy.
True or not, this anecdote neatly illustrates the religious mistrust surrounding coffee in its early days in Europe.
Coffee houses and revolutions: a political drink
In England, coffee houses appeared in London around 1650. They quickly became places for public debate, open to everyone regardless of social class. For the price of a cup, you could read the newspapers, listen to intellectuals and debate freely.
They soon became known as ‘penny universities’.
But King Charles II had little appreciation for this freedom. In 1675, he tried to ban coffee houses, accusing them of fuelling plots against the monarchy. Once again, the measure caused an outcry and was quickly abandoned.
Coffee established itself as a drink for critical thinking.
France and the Enlightenment in a cup
In Paris, coffee houses flourished in the eighteenth century. The most famous, Café Procope, welcomed Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot and many other Enlightenment figures. Coffee became the intellectual fuel for a generation that questioned the established order.
It is no coincidence that, a few decades later, the French Revolution broke out. Without claiming that coffee caused it, it is clear that it provided a space for discussion and the spread of new ideas.
Drinking coffee meant thinking differently.
When coffee threatened… the economy
Bans were not always religious or political. In eighteenth-century Prussia, King Frederick II tried to limit coffee consumption for economic reasons. As coffee was imported, it was costly to the state.
He therefore promoted beer as the national drink and set up a dedicated coffee police force tasked with tracking down clandestine roasters. To no avail. People continued to drink coffee, sometimes in secret.
Once again, passion prevailed over restrictions.
Why did coffee inspire so much fear?
A common thread emerges from these episodes. Coffee was not just a drink. It was:
- stimulating in a world accustomed to alcoholic drinks
- a unifying force in hierarchical societies
- conducive to discussion, ideas and questioning
Unlike alcohol, coffee awakens rather than lulls to sleep. And an awakened population has always worried those in power.
From a banned drink to a symbol of freedom
Today, coffee is celebrated, woven into rituals and sometimes even revered. But its history reminds us that it was long seen as a danger. Every cup we drink carries a legacy of debate, struggle and freedom of expression.
At Cafemalin, we like to remember that coffee is not just a product. It is a drink steeped in history, culture and meaning. A companion to free spirits, creative minds, thinkers… and everyone who likes to take time to reflect, cup in hand.
The next time you savour your coffee, think about this:
you may be drinking one of the most revolutionary drinks in history. ☕
You may also enjoy reading:
The history of Viennese coffee houses: warm havens from the cold
