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The Coffee House: A Cultural History
When the first coffeehouse opened in London in 1652, customers were bewildered by this strange new drink from Turkey—hot, bitter, and black as soot. But those who tried coffee were soon won over, and more coffee-houses were opened across London, America, and Europe. For a hundred years the coffeehouse occupied the center of urban life, creating a distinctive social culture. They played a key role in the explosion of political, financial, scientific, and literary change in the 18th century, as people gathered, discussed, and debated issues within their walls.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 4, 2016
Living in the modern world, it’s hard to imagine a time when people didn’t start the day with coffee or that we didn’t consider meeting someone in a café or inviting them over for a cuppa one of the sweetest of leisure time activities. Yet, until travellers explored the Ottoman Empire and encountered the Coffa-Houses in Constantinople, and trade between nations flourished during the Renaissance, coffee was unknown in the western world.
In his book, The Coffee House: A Cultural History, Markman Ellis, does a magnificent job of following the journey of the humble coffee bean, briefly from its growth and cultivation to its fascinating arrival as a drink that signified both civility and sociability across different cultures, but with particular emphasis on England and London during the 1600s.
Described as the “wine of Islam”, coffee drinking, and the various rituals associated with it, were soon embraced by first, traders and merchants (which encountered the bitter drink that was “black as soot” on their adventures) and then by the folk of London, curious for the new experiences and products shipping companies like the Levant and East India brought to their thriving capital.
It was through the establishment of Coffee-Houses, the first a small stall run by a Greek man named Pasqua Rosee, that proved this black, apparently medicinal drink, was a serious rival to ale, beer and wine that English men and women imbibed so freely. Coffee-Houses (of which there were over 80 by 1663) provided men (they were very much masculine “clubs”, though women might serve – and in various ways) with spaces to read the latest news, exchange information about trade and shipping and catch up on all the latest gossip. They were also places were new inventions were often discussed, auctions held, writers and musicians could demonstrate their latest compositions and, most importantly, political views could be aired.
Developing a reputation as centres of sedition, there were attempts to close them down and control the licensing of the venues. It’s indicative of the significant role these places had in Englishmen’s lives that these efforts were not only resisted, but regarded as attacks on the right to freedom of speech as well.
Contrasting with the drunken atmosphere of taverns, Coffee-Houses were renown for their sobriety and thus the kind of clientele they attracted – men of learning or those who wanted to learn (they were later referred to as “penny universities”). They also became important locations for those wanting to reinforce and make social and professional connections. Samuel Pepys, for instance, understanding the role the Coffee-House could play in furthering his own career, quickly abandoned the tavern for the coffee-house and the more useful people he might meet behind their doors.
Egalitarian in nature, Coffee-Houses didn’t stand on formality and, providing a person could pay the charge, he had to sit in the next available seat and engage with whoever he happened to be seated next to.
As time went on, Coffee-Houses became even more numerous, grander in their interiors, offered their clientele more by way of news and spaces to engage freely in debate and even did their utmost to attract particular trades and professions. It’s from the Coffee-House that Lloyd’s of London, for example, was born, along with other well-known institutions – and not only in England – Florians in Venice also started as a Coffee-House.
Filled to the brim with wonderful anecdotes and interesting facts about coffee, those who drank it, ran the coffee-houses and traded in the commodity, Ellis’s book also catapults us into the present and the changing social role of coffee, cafes and drinkers, including information on large coffee-based corporations such as Starbucks.
It was the historical and cultural aspects that I found most compelling. Ellis writes in such a readable way, and with a light touch, that only enhances his meticulous research and makes this book so insightful.
A must-read for lovers of coffee, history and those who simple enjoy learning more about how what was once a luxury commodity became not only ubiquitous but part of so many people’s daily rituals.
In his book, The Coffee House: A Cultural History, Markman Ellis, does a magnificent job of following the journey of the humble coffee bean, briefly from its growth and cultivation to its fascinating arrival as a drink that signified both civility and sociability across different cultures, but with particular emphasis on England and London during the 1600s.
Described as the “wine of Islam”, coffee drinking, and the various rituals associated with it, were soon embraced by first, traders and merchants (which encountered the bitter drink that was “black as soot” on their adventures) and then by the folk of London, curious for the new experiences and products shipping companies like the Levant and East India brought to their thriving capital.
It was through the establishment of Coffee-Houses, the first a small stall run by a Greek man named Pasqua Rosee, that proved this black, apparently medicinal drink, was a serious rival to ale, beer and wine that English men and women imbibed so freely. Coffee-Houses (of which there were over 80 by 1663) provided men (they were very much masculine “clubs”, though women might serve – and in various ways) with spaces to read the latest news, exchange information about trade and shipping and catch up on all the latest gossip. They were also places were new inventions were often discussed, auctions held, writers and musicians could demonstrate their latest compositions and, most importantly, political views could be aired.
Developing a reputation as centres of sedition, there were attempts to close them down and control the licensing of the venues. It’s indicative of the significant role these places had in Englishmen’s lives that these efforts were not only resisted, but regarded as attacks on the right to freedom of speech as well.
Contrasting with the drunken atmosphere of taverns, Coffee-Houses were renown for their sobriety and thus the kind of clientele they attracted – men of learning or those who wanted to learn (they were later referred to as “penny universities”). They also became important locations for those wanting to reinforce and make social and professional connections. Samuel Pepys, for instance, understanding the role the Coffee-House could play in furthering his own career, quickly abandoned the tavern for the coffee-house and the more useful people he might meet behind their doors.
Egalitarian in nature, Coffee-Houses didn’t stand on formality and, providing a person could pay the charge, he had to sit in the next available seat and engage with whoever he happened to be seated next to.
As time went on, Coffee-Houses became even more numerous, grander in their interiors, offered their clientele more by way of news and spaces to engage freely in debate and even did their utmost to attract particular trades and professions. It’s from the Coffee-House that Lloyd’s of London, for example, was born, along with other well-known institutions – and not only in England – Florians in Venice also started as a Coffee-House.
Filled to the brim with wonderful anecdotes and interesting facts about coffee, those who drank it, ran the coffee-houses and traded in the commodity, Ellis’s book also catapults us into the present and the changing social role of coffee, cafes and drinkers, including information on large coffee-based corporations such as Starbucks.
It was the historical and cultural aspects that I found most compelling. Ellis writes in such a readable way, and with a light touch, that only enhances his meticulous research and makes this book so insightful.
A must-read for lovers of coffee, history and those who simple enjoy learning more about how what was once a luxury commodity became not only ubiquitous but part of so many people’s daily rituals.
June 15, 2009
I was not particularly impressed by this book. The idea behind it, a history of the coffee house, does sound interesting, but the book itself is a very slow and dry read. A lot of the late 17th century into the 18th in Britain, when the coffee houses were flourishing, simply does not make for engaging reading. At least not with this author who seems to get bogged down in a lot of minutia that is honestly not very interesting. The book will then move to how the coffee houses lost their appeal in favor of other establishments such as the cafes in continental Europe ending with the sad conclusion of today's very sanitized and homogeneous chain stores (i.e. Starbucks), where by now, any semblance of the spirit of community, debate, and intellectualism of the coffee houses has been made extinct. Overall, I think this book could have been a lot better, but it simply drags on and on. To be honest, this book might have made an interesting essay or two someplace, but it feels stretched.
If you want a history of coffee (overall, not just the coffee house), there are better books out there. Same if you are interested in Starbucks, which I am not personally.I will be seeking the other coffee books out. This particular book is one I am not recommending.
If you want a history of coffee (overall, not just the coffee house), there are better books out there. Same if you are interested in Starbucks, which I am not personally.I will be seeking the other coffee books out. This particular book is one I am not recommending.
February 9, 2015
A fascinating anthropological look at coffee culture, I was amazed by some of the early findings and descriptions of coffee throughout the middle east. It seems so obvious now -- of COURSE coffee houses started in countries that didn't allow alcohol/pubs for social gatherings -- but reading the early history was really quite fascinating.
The book is incredibly well researched, with good portions of first-hand accounts included in the text. The journey from the Reformation of Europe to modern times, critiquing Starbucks and McDonald's 'third-place' attitudes, is made in an entirely smooth and detailed way. It should be noted that the book is written in an almost British-empire sense, in that it was written by a British academic and has strong focus on the evolution of coffeehouses in Britain. I didn't mind this (let's spend more time on Samuel Johnson! or in the ancient streets of Oxford!), but I could see it being a problem if you aren't familiar with British history or geography.
The book is incredibly well researched, with good portions of first-hand accounts included in the text. The journey from the Reformation of Europe to modern times, critiquing Starbucks and McDonald's 'third-place' attitudes, is made in an entirely smooth and detailed way. It should be noted that the book is written in an almost British-empire sense, in that it was written by a British academic and has strong focus on the evolution of coffeehouses in Britain. I didn't mind this (let's spend more time on Samuel Johnson! or in the ancient streets of Oxford!), but I could see it being a problem if you aren't familiar with British history or geography.
December 22, 2020
Quite an interesting account of a place where people drink coffee throughout history.
This book is a bit British oriented, especially in the beginning. The early chapters are a bit "impenetrable" because of the historical sources with their "old(er?)" English. I was put off the first time because of that. Suddenly it reads much better when it gets to the 1900, especially the one about Starbucks.
This book is a bit British oriented, especially in the beginning. The early chapters are a bit "impenetrable" because of the historical sources with their "old(er?)" English. I was put off the first time because of that. Suddenly it reads much better when it gets to the 1900, especially the one about Starbucks.
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March 14, 2019Did not finish.
Found the writing somewhat boring to be honest.
Found the writing somewhat boring to be honest.
July 2, 2012
"The value of the coffee traded on international commodity markets is surpassed only by oil." (xi)
"[T]he legacy of the early coffee-house is not simply to be found in Starbucks and other modern retailers of coffee, but also in the stock market, in insurance companies, in political parties, in the modern regard for public opinion, in the institutions of literary criticism, in the research cultures of modern science and in the Internet." (xii)
"In this period, 'wit' meant much more than mere humour, embracing a notion closer to the imaginative faculty: wits were noted for their ingeniousness, inventiveness with language and ideas, not just their jests and puns." (152)
"There were many routes to enlightenment and the rule of reason in the eighteenth century, but the English one -- moderate, civic and middle class -- was understood to be through the doors of a coffee-house, armed with a newspaper." (206)
"The interior arrangements of the coffee shop recalls the communal space of the early coffee-house, but atomizes people into distinct individuals, promising customers peace and security from others, not encounter and discussion." (255)
"[T]he legacy of the early coffee-house is not simply to be found in Starbucks and other modern retailers of coffee, but also in the stock market, in insurance companies, in political parties, in the modern regard for public opinion, in the institutions of literary criticism, in the research cultures of modern science and in the Internet." (xii)
"In this period, 'wit' meant much more than mere humour, embracing a notion closer to the imaginative faculty: wits were noted for their ingeniousness, inventiveness with language and ideas, not just their jests and puns." (152)
"There were many routes to enlightenment and the rule of reason in the eighteenth century, but the English one -- moderate, civic and middle class -- was understood to be through the doors of a coffee-house, armed with a newspaper." (206)
"The interior arrangements of the coffee shop recalls the communal space of the early coffee-house, but atomizes people into distinct individuals, promising customers peace and security from others, not encounter and discussion." (255)
July 25, 2013
What Ellis is really interested in is the way English (and, to some extent, American) coffee house culture from the 1650s to the later eighteenth century created a space for a new kind of public sociability that had a demonstrable effect on politics, cultural history, and the development of business life and urban culture. He includes some useful background to the introduction of coffee to England, and he briefly extends the discussion past the peak of that coffee house culture (the most interesting part of which is the role coffee bars played in London youth culture of the 1950s), but the book is at its best when he's focussing on the lively and varied space of the early modern coffee house (the coffee served there sounds like it was really nasty stuff). I did enjoy his scorn for what he calls "the lactification of the coffee-house" as modern branded coffee chains offer a sanitized and ersatz version of that public sociability with all its liveliness.
February 4, 2012
Did you know that coffee was popular in England before tea? This was in large part because tea was very expensive and so a luxury item. The book covers much more than the history of the coffee house. Ellis narrates the discovery of coffee, features of the early coffee trade and the lore of coffee's medicinal qualities. The book teaches you how the coffee house came to be associated with Republicanism and sedition (because it, well, was associated with republicans and the seditious). The belief that the coffee house bred radicalism led to governments sending spies in to regularly monitor conversations. In an attempt to stop the banning of coffee houses, two proprietors even volunteered themselves as spies.
July 29, 2020
I liked this book, but it has some serious flaws.
Pros
Clear organization
Somewhat informative
Penetrable prose
Cons
Not a lot here that is not mentioned in other books on the subject (or wikipedia for that matter). This makes for a good first book on the subject but repetitive for anyone familiar with it.
Very much a narrative history without an interesting methodology of clever way to relate new insights.
Despite the title, this book is about the Western coffee house, particularly the English coffee house. There are some references to the Arabic and Turkish origins (the standard stories found in almost all books on the subject), but . . .
In sum, a decent but not great book, especially if one take into account all of the other books on the topic.
Pros
Clear organization
Somewhat informative
Penetrable prose
Cons
Not a lot here that is not mentioned in other books on the subject (or wikipedia for that matter). This makes for a good first book on the subject but repetitive for anyone familiar with it.
Very much a narrative history without an interesting methodology of clever way to relate new insights.
Despite the title, this book is about the Western coffee house, particularly the English coffee house. There are some references to the Arabic and Turkish origins (the standard stories found in almost all books on the subject), but . . .
In sum, a decent but not great book, especially if one take into account all of the other books on the topic.
January 17, 2013
I haven't managed to finish this book, but dip into it from time to time, usually over a nice cup of jo. It's got some fascinating historical insights into the place of coffee and, especially, the coffee house, in modern democracies and Britain in particular -- which was drinking coffee (and banning it) before tea made its way into our cups. I'm always intrigued to read about the cultural and social importance of food and drink, which is one of the things this book does well, even if it's not a quick or very easy read. And I love visiting what may be (according to the book) the site of the first coffee house in Europe, just up the road from where I live!
March 16, 2008
This is an excellent study of the coffee house in Western history. It traces the emergence of the first coffee houses in London in the 17th century, with the involvement of Turkish immigrants - sometimes in fairly powerful roles, often in marginalized ones. It's good on the development of discussion and debate in the coffee houses as well, but I would have liked more development of this aspect of the book. Still, all in all it's probably the best discussion of the social impact of the coffee house in the Early Modern period.
April 3, 2015
This is a British book about the history of coffee, and as a coffee lover and a historian I very much enjoyed it. I think there are other such histories that might give a better view of coffee as an institution in America, however. The best part was the discussion of Soho in the 1950's. He also makes the accurate and insightful observation about the Seattlization of coffee-houses which is a milk based business, geared toward the American palatte disinclined toward bitter flavors. It also notes that the original charm of the coffeehouse, sociability is tanked by these chains.
July 31, 2013
This was an interesting read that also had some frustrating elements. As for positives, Ellis' book is well researched, very informative and exudes a passion for the subject. The negatives are the inclusion of endless details which cause the narrative to slow at times. It also focuses almost exclusively on British coffee houses despite the rich legacy of other European traditions. That said, there aren't many books on a topic I love so I'm glad I read it.
December 8, 2015
Fantastically well-researched and referenced work. The author's painstaking yet vivid reconstruction of the role that coffee played in the construction of Western cultural norms and institutions (the concept of public opinion and Lloyds of London, for example) will delight and surprise lovers of the now-quotidian drink.
October 21, 2015
The coffee house is a pivotal institution in European (and especially English) social history. It is the origin of political parties, gentlemen's clubs, the Masons, the Royal Society, joint stock companies and insurance. And yet this book fails to grip. Too much detail, I suspect.
February 2, 2009
A very well written and researched book on a phenomenon that has interested me since I first heard about Lloyds Coffee Shop.
November 22, 2017
Could be very interesting but way too long and unnecessarily detailed, so it becomes boring relatively quickly
October 18, 2025
Perhaps I have fabricated the entire narrative of revolutionary aroma, and the coffee-houses smelled of nothing in particular, and the government spies' reports were merely bureaucratic tedium, and I have constructed an entire historical romance around a banal past because I cannot accept the banality of history.
Which interpretation is correct? Does it matter? Either way, something has been lost. Or something never existed and I have invented its loss. The melancholy is identical.
When I close my eyes and imagine the Green Dragon Tavern, am I remembering an actual historical space or a space constructed by museums, by historical novels, by the collective fiction we call "the past"?
And if I cannot distinguish between my actual knowledge and my invented knowledge, what does that suggest about the reliability of all historical narratives, including the one I am currently constructing?
Which interpretation is correct? Does it matter? Either way, something has been lost. Or something never existed and I have invented its loss. The melancholy is identical.
When I close my eyes and imagine the Green Dragon Tavern, am I remembering an actual historical space or a space constructed by museums, by historical novels, by the collective fiction we call "the past"?
And if I cannot distinguish between my actual knowledge and my invented knowledge, what does that suggest about the reliability of all historical narratives, including the one I am currently constructing?
December 30, 2024
Well-researched. Provocative. Sometimes ponderous while the author revels in his research. Sometimes witty, especially in the final chapter where he shows the contrast between the corporate homogeneity of Starbucks and its imitators, on the one hand, and the revolutionary fertility of English coffeehouse of the 1650s.
July 26, 2024
Amazing history of coffee and coffeehouses that inspired my research project on the rise of capitalism in London and American Colonies
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March 9, 2015COFFEEE
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