Coffee

In this episode of "In Our Time," Melvyn Bragg leads a panel discussion with Jonathan Morris, Markman Ellis, and Judith Hawley to explore the history of coffee. The conversation traces coffee's origins from Ethiopian legends to its spread through the Ottoman Empire and into Europe, where it fueled intellectual and commercial life in coffee houses. The panel discusses coffee's role in global trade, including the Dutch East India Company's cultivation in Java and the reliance on slave labor in French colonies and Brazil. They also address the criticisms of coffee culture, its decline in favor of tea in Britain, and its resurgence in America, while also discussing the social and economic implications of coffee production and consumption, including fair trade and the challenges faced by smallholder farmers.