Huge influence on 17th century British politics and culture
If cafe culture flourished in France, it was coffee house culture that enjoyed a major influence on society in England across the English Channel for 100 years from the late 17th century.
A coffee house is literally a cafe or establishment where you can drink coffee, a novelty that was introduced from the Arab world, and is said to have first appeared in Constantinople, Turkey in the 1550s.
From there, coffee and coffee houses spread to Italy, including Venice, France, and England.
While coffee establishments like this existed all over Europe, in world history the term "coffee house" refers to the coffee houses that became popular in England in the late 17th century.
<The interior of a coffee shop. Customers are seated at long tables drinking coffee, pipes in hand. Coffee is served from the counter on the left, and coffee pots are heated in the fireplace at the back. Painting from around 1700 ( owned by the Trustees of the British Museum) >
The British Empire is known for its tea culture, and the British Empire is known for its coffee culture.
Jurgen Habermas, a prominent contemporary German philosopher, was inspired by Hannah Arendt's concept of the "public sphere" and called the discussions that modern citizens undertake on an equal footing in coffee houses, reading groups, and so on the "public sphere."
The "public sphere" is a place where anyone can participate and where public opinion is formed through autonomous discussion. The popularity of coffee houses in Britain was so great that it had such a major impact on changing the social structure.
How was coffee drunk?
Now, before talking about the origins and rise of coffee houses in Britain, let's take a look briefly at how coffee was drunk here from the late 17th century through to the 18th century.
In Islamic countries, where coffee was widely consumed before it was consumed in Europe, the common method was to roast and crush the coffee beans and then boil them in water (initially the beans and the surrounding husks were roasted together, but by the time it reached Europe, only the beans were roasted).
In the late 17th century, coffee pots and pans were made in Turkey and the Arab world, and coffee was brewed in batches for several people. This method of brewing was also used in Turkish coffee houses, and it is believed that this method was introduced to Europe.
Even today, Turkish coffee is made by boiling powder, sugar, and water in a coffee pot called a cezve (ibrik).
Initially, sugar was imported in small quantities in Europe and was very expensive, so in Venice people added spices instead of sugar (there was also a way of drinking it with spices in the Arab world, but spices from Southeast Asia were also very expensive).
Britain had a source of sugar in its Caribbean colonies. By developing plantations and sending slaves to increase sugar production, Britain began to import large amounts of sugar in the second half of the 17th century.
Thus, in the coffee houses, people began to enjoy the exotic combination of coffee and sugar, and also tobacco, and so the goods of the triangular trade entered into people's lives.
In Islamic countries, where coffee was widely consumed before it was consumed in Europe, the common method was to roast and crush the coffee beans and then boil them in water (initially the beans and the surrounding husks were roasted together, but by the time it reached Europe, only the beans were roasted).
In the late 17th century, coffee pots and pans were made in Turkey and the Arab world, and coffee was brewed in batches for several people. This method of brewing was also used in Turkish coffee houses, and it is believed that this method was introduced to Europe.
Even today, Turkish coffee is made by boiling powder, sugar, and water in a coffee pot called a cezve (ibrik).
Initially, sugar was imported in small quantities in Europe and was very expensive, so in Venice people added spices instead of sugar (there was also a way of drinking it with spices in the Arab world, but spices from Southeast Asia were also very expensive).
Britain had a source of sugar in its Caribbean colonies. By developing plantations and sending slaves to increase sugar production, Britain began to import large amounts of sugar in the second half of the 17th century.
Thus, in the coffee houses, people began to enjoy the exotic combination of coffee and sugar, and also tobacco, and so the goods of the triangular trade entered into people's lives.
The rise of coffee houses
The first coffee house in England was opened in Oxford by a Jew named Jacobs in 1650, at the height of the Puritan Revolution. At first, people drank coffee as a medicine to relieve hangovers.
The first coffee house in London is said to have been opened in 1652 by a Greek servant of the merchant Edwards, Pascha Roset, in St. Michael's Lane, northwest of the Tower of London. In 1656, a man named James Farr opened the Rainbow Coffee House in Fleet Street, which became famous and was visited by many people. After this, the number of coffee houses increased rapidly, and by the beginning of the 18th century, there were approximately 3,000 coffee houses in London.
The first coffee house in London is said to have been opened in 1652 by a Greek servant of the merchant Edwards, Pascha Roset, in St. Michael's Lane, northwest of the Tower of London. In 1656, a man named James Farr opened the Rainbow Coffee House in Fleet Street, which became famous and was visited by many people. After this, the number of coffee houses increased rapidly, and by the beginning of the 18th century, there were approximately 3,000 coffee houses in London.
Role as an information center
<Garaway's Coffee House was located on Exchange Alley. The sign is at the left entrance.>
Samuel Pepys, a famous diarist who lived in 17th century London, was a high-ranking Admiralty official and is known for his candid accounts of his life.
His diary reveals that he visited his favourite coffee house near London's Royal Exchange at least three times a week, and sometimes twice a day, to meet friends and colleagues by appointment, or simply to hear trade and political talks and gather information.
His diary reveals that he visited his favourite coffee house near London's Royal Exchange at least three times a week, and sometimes twice a day, to meet friends and colleagues by appointment, or simply to hear trade and political talks and gather information.
For the economic activities of the emerging bourgeoisie, which had been gaining power since the mid-17th century, coffee houses served as centers for the exchange of business information.
Merchants exchanged information with the nobles and influential people who frequented the royal court and parliament, and in some cases even conducted business here. For example, at Garraway's Coffee House in Cornhill, London, the buying and selling of ships was done in a unique way, and sugar, coffee, timber, spices, and tea were all traded in separate coffee houses. At Jonathan's Coffee House, also in Cornhill, stock trading took place. This is famous for being the scene of the South Sea Bubble of 1720, when the stock price of the trading company South Sea Company soared and then burst, causing a major problem at the time.
Coffee houses also gave birth to the insurance industry. Lloyd's Coffee House began publishing Lloyd's News, a magazine containing shipping information, to customers from around 1692, and began handling marine insurance. At the time, insurance was underwritten individually by financial institutions, but for high-risk transactions such as maritime transport, it was difficult for individuals to underwrite the insurance, so underwriters who gathered at Lloyd's began to underwrite the insurance jointly. The current Lloyd's Insurance Society and the London insurance market known as Lloyd's originated in coffee houses.
In this way, it was clearly decided which coffee house one went to and what kind of information one could obtain. The same could be said about political parties.
Merchants exchanged information with the nobles and influential people who frequented the royal court and parliament, and in some cases even conducted business here. For example, at Garraway's Coffee House in Cornhill, London, the buying and selling of ships was done in a unique way, and sugar, coffee, timber, spices, and tea were all traded in separate coffee houses. At Jonathan's Coffee House, also in Cornhill, stock trading took place. This is famous for being the scene of the South Sea Bubble of 1720, when the stock price of the trading company South Sea Company soared and then burst, causing a major problem at the time.
Coffee houses also gave birth to the insurance industry. Lloyd's Coffee House began publishing Lloyd's News, a magazine containing shipping information, to customers from around 1692, and began handling marine insurance. At the time, insurance was underwritten individually by financial institutions, but for high-risk transactions such as maritime transport, it was difficult for individuals to underwrite the insurance, so underwriters who gathered at Lloyd's began to underwrite the insurance jointly. The current Lloyd's Insurance Society and the London insurance market known as Lloyd's originated in coffee houses.
In this way, it was clearly decided which coffee house one went to and what kind of information one could obtain. The same could be said about political parties.
Political and economic information comes together and journalism emerges
＜The Spectator, a representative daily newspaper published in London in the 18th century, published on June 4, 1711. One of the magazines enjoyed in coffee shops (British Library)＞
Coffee houses were cheap, costing just one penny to enter and one penny to drink coffee, and any man could enter. They were places where people could freely discuss things.
In the late 17th century, when the aftereffects of the Puritan Revolution were still lingering, coffee houses were most attractive for their freedom of speech, where people could discuss politics and criticize authority. This is why it is said that public opinion was formed here. Eventually, each party began to gather at their favorite coffee house.
Coffeehouses were places where people could obtain such political and economic information. Newspapers and magazines that compiled and printed this information were born one after another, and were placed inside coffeehouses so that people could read them. Journalists who published newspapers and magazines also obtained their information from coffeehouses. It was coffeehouses that played a major role in the emergence of journalism.
From the late 17th century to the early 18th century, a wide variety of people gathered in London's coffee houses, from nobles to con artists. On the one hand, political discussions were held, and on the other, criticism of poetry and plays and literary debates were fought, while on the other, business transactions were conducted, and various information was exchanged. This is when the "coffee house culture" flourished.
However, the function of the coffee house was gradually replaced by clubs where only a select few could gather, rather than being open to the public. Meanwhile, in the 19th century, coffee houses transformed into places where workers could gather and read newspapers and magazines.
In the late 17th century, when the aftereffects of the Puritan Revolution were still lingering, coffee houses were most attractive for their freedom of speech, where people could discuss politics and criticize authority. This is why it is said that public opinion was formed here. Eventually, each party began to gather at their favorite coffee house.
Coffeehouses were places where people could obtain such political and economic information. Newspapers and magazines that compiled and printed this information were born one after another, and were placed inside coffeehouses so that people could read them. Journalists who published newspapers and magazines also obtained their information from coffeehouses. It was coffeehouses that played a major role in the emergence of journalism.
From the late 17th century to the early 18th century, a wide variety of people gathered in London's coffee houses, from nobles to con artists. On the one hand, political discussions were held, and on the other, criticism of poetry and plays and literary debates were fought, while on the other, business transactions were conducted, and various information was exchanged. This is when the "coffee house culture" flourished.
However, the function of the coffee house was gradually replaced by clubs where only a select few could gather, rather than being open to the public. Meanwhile, in the 19th century, coffee houses transformed into places where workers could gather and read newspapers and magazines.
Reference: Akio Kobayashi , Coffee Houses: A History of Urban Life in 18th Century London, Jinjindo Publishing, 1984
