Coffee: From Devil's Brew to World Power

About This Podcast

Did you know a Pope once 'baptized' coffee, saving it from being banned as the 'devil's brew'? This episode traces coffee's explosive journey from a 15th-century Sufi monk's spiritual aid in Yemen to the intellectual engine of the Enlightenment in Europe's 'penny universities' and revolutionary Parisian cafes. Uncover how this simple bean built empires on the dark foundation of colonial exploitation and fundamentally reshaped society into the caffeinated world we know today. How did a secret bouquet of flowers containing coffee cuttings lead to the rise of Brazil as a global superpower?