Food - Drink
The Possible Reason Coffee Became The Morning Drink Of Choice
By EMILY BOYETTE
Coffee was allegedly discovered by a goat herder who saw his goats making erratic movements after eating coffee beans, and when he told this to a monk, the monk realized these "berries" could give him enough energy to pray through the night. Coffee then became a popular nighttime beverage, but it wouldn't join morning routines until much later.
Before coffee became more popular, alcohol was a breakfast staple for all of Europe, and children even drank hard cider in the morning. A change was clearly in order for the alcohol-soaked continent, and in the 1700's, coffee became far more affordable and widely available to everyday citizens, not just the upper crust of society.
Coffee made drinkers more alert, in contrast to the dull drowsiness of alcohol, and workers also noticed a huge boost in their energy levels and quality of work. Coffee became the de facto replacement for beer and wine, and later got big in America after conflicts with the English, such as the Boston Tea Party, greatly decreased the popularity of tea.