The Little Lamb and the Black Water

Coffee is hailed as the most popular consumed beverage in the world.

In the 17th century, coffee was consumed even more than water. When we savour our coffee every morning, we may wonder about its production, roasting method, origin, or even its story...

The fairy tale begins

Once upon a time…

There was a cute little lamb (or was it a goat?) in the grass garden of Isopia, Africa. One day, when it was playing around, he passed a tree full of red fruits. 

Suddenly, it was hit on the head by the fruit that fell from the tree. Gazing at these strange fruits, the cute little lamb couldn't resist the unique aroma but took a bite.

The fruit was sweet and sour, and even slightly stimulating. The little lamb started dancing with joy and excitement, and other little lambs were also attracted to try these mysterious fruits. Eventually, the entire flock of lambs danced together with excitement!

Here comes the Hero

The young shepherd in the distance saw this strange scene and ran over curiously. He bent his knees to pick up a red fruit and took a mouthful of it. Unfortunately, he bit the hard seed and hurt his teeth. He threw away the fruit angrily, and the fruit accidentally fell in the fire under a pot of boiling water. 

Soon, a strong smoky fragrance that the young shepherd never smelt came from the fire. He tried taking another bite of the roasted seed, but the seed was still too hard to bite. He then ground it into powder.

At the same time, the cute little lambs came over curiously to see what nice food the shepherd was making. They bump into the shepherd and he accidentally pour all the powder into the boiling water.

The Magic happens

Magically, the boiling water mixed with black powder emits an even better aroma. The young shepherd took a sip of the “black water”, and amazingly, he could taste all kinds of flavours: chocolate, lemon, jasmine, rose, strawberry, blueberry, peach… The shepherd began to dance with excitement!

Soon, everyone in the village fell in love with this exciting “black water” that was full of aromas and made people dance happily after drinking.

The Development

Later, the “black water” was spread to Yemen, Arabia and then to India. Until the Dutch who had maritime hegemony brought this “black water” into Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1690, a Dutch captain sailed to Yemen and got a few saplings that would grow red fruits. He took these saplings to the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) and planted them successfully.

Gradually, “black water” is spread all over the world.

What can we learn from this story?

Nature gives coffee (black water) a natural flavor. It seems to awaken everyone's most primitive sensation: Eyes, to be attracted by red fruits and black water; Nose, to smell the unique aroma of coffee beans; Tongue, to taste the unique fruity flavors of coffee.

Coffee is awakening our hearts and encouraging us to dance with excitement and joy like the cute little lambs and the young shepherd.

… And they lived happily ever after.