Visit our Online Flea Market!

October 10, 2011

Can't face the day without it . . . . . . .

You know what I'm talking about - COFFEE!!!  Nectar of the Gods.  The Juice of Life.  Liquid Black Gold. 


Right behind the wheel as mankind's  most important invention, the automatic drip coffee maker ranks a close second.

Legend credits the discovery of coffee to the early Oromo (aroma?!) people of Ethiopia.  By the 16th century, popularity of the hot beverage grew as the trade routes of Egypt, Yemen, India, and Persia expanded into Italy and Europe.


The earliest written accounts of coffee drinking appeared in 1583 by Leonard Rauwolf, a German physician who spent 10 years in India:


A beverage as black as ink, useful against numerous illnesses, particularly those of the stomach. Its consumers take it in the morning, quite frankly, in a porcelain cup that is passed around and from which each one drinks a cupful. It is composed of water and the fruit from a bush called bunnu.
                                                                                            —Léonard Rauwolf, Reise in die Morgenländer


Although not as popular as tea, coffee became a lucrative commodity through trade and exploration into the Americas.  Following the protest of the Tea Party and during the American Revolution, consumption of coffee increased as the demand for tea decreased.  The rest, as they say, is history - America was hooked on the invigorating and stimulating beverage. 

With the introduction of gourmet coffee shops in the 90's, an entire new generation of young people developed an addiction appreciation of the beauty and deliciousness of the coffee bean.   The demand for coffee-related memoriabilia has grown in the last few years.  Whether displayed as a collection or used for "repurposefulness", vintage coffee cans and signs are a charming addition to just about any decor.


Gas signs have been popular collectibles
for many years but vintage metal coffee
signs are quickly gaining popularity.

 


 





Today's Images:  Paradigm; Old Chum; 99centdreams





No comments:

Post a Comment