Coffee Canon Colin Mansfield

When I say the words, “Civil War” what are the first things that pop into your mind? If you’re from the United States, it’s probably things like slavery, Abraham Lincoln, or Gettysburg. But, in fact, the thing Civil War Soldiers journaled about more than anything else was coffee. War has a way of making people appreciate the small pleasures in life. Coffee, as it turns out, is one of the biggest small pleasures that exists.

Over the next several episodes we’ll be exploring the intersection of warfare and coffee, beginning this week with the American Civil War.

Episode Ten Sources:



* “If War Is Hell, Then Coffee Has Offered U.S. Soldiers Some Salvation,” NPR Morning Edition, https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/07/25/485227943/if-war-is-hell-then-coffee-has-offered-u-s-soldiers-some-salvation

* “How Coffee Fueled the Civil War,” by Jon Grinspan, The New York Times, https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/09/how-coffee-fueled-the-civil-war/ 

* “General Reub Williams’s Memories of Civil War Times: Personal Reminiscences of Happenings that Took Place from 1861 to the Grand Review,” by Reub Williams and Sally Coplen Hogan, https://books.google.com/books?id=4KwyAQAAMAAJ&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=coffee 

* “Leaves & beans of History: The Civil War,” by Matt Foster, Barista Guild of America, http://www.baristaguildofamerica.net/leaves-beans-of-history-the-civil-war/ 

* “Soldiers Loved a Refreshing Cup of Coffee,” by Kim A. O’Connell, HistoryNet, https://www.historynet.com/soldiers-loved-a-refreshing-cup-of-coffee.htm 

* “Civil War Facts,” American Battlefield Trust, https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/civil-war-facts 

* “Civil War Technology,” by History.com editors, History.com, https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/civil-war-technology 

* Music



* “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” lyrics by Julia Ward Howe.

* “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” lyrics by Patrick Gilmore.

* “BLACK V: CROW” by, how the night came http://freemusicarchive.org

* “YELLOW V: Love’s Labour’s Lost” by, how the night came http://freemusicarchive.org

* “YELLOW: II As You Like It” by, how the night came http://freemusicarchive.org

* “Moment of Truth” by, David Hilowitz http://freemusicarchive.org







Episode Ten Transcript:



Over the course of United States’ history, nothing has had a bigger impact on its economy and culture than the wars that its fought in. This shouldn’t be a huge surprise – war has a way of stripping away all the superfluous extras in a culture. Things like celebrity gossip and trendy clothes pale in comparison to having to consider the value of human life.

For many Americans, wars are deeply personal. Whether it’s a grandfather who served in World War II, an uncle that served in the Gulf War, or a friend that deployed to Afghanistan,

Coffee’s history includes examples of shops and cafes that didn’t fit their historical context.  On this episode of Coffee Canon, we deep-dive into one of these; a shop that was opened in 1919, but bears a striking resemblance to modern artisan coffee shops. The Double R Coffee House was ahead of its time, and its owners bear a familiar, American name – Roosevelt.

This episode contains references to a wealth of sources and articles, which I’ve linked to below. Most notably, I ordered scans of the Library of Congress file titled “Double R Coffee House.”  You can download the PDF here.

Below are a couple of images from The Double R Coffee House, some of which are discussed in this episode (click for full resolution versions):

Final note: Coffee Canon is now available on Spotify! Click here to listen, and make sure to click the “Follow” button!

Episode Nine Sources:



* “The Roosevelt Family Built a New York Coffee Chain 50 Years Before Starbucks,” Smithsonian Magazine, by Jancee Dunn.

* “Meet Me at the Double R Coffee House,” New-York Historical Society, by Edward O’Reilly.

* New York Times article announcing coffee shop opening (November 26, 1919): https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1919/11/26/96868990.pdf

* “All About Coffee” by William Ukers, 1922. Page 690 (769 of PDF) blurb about the coffeehouse while it was still open.

* Double R Coffeehouse mentioned in The Greenwich Village Quill (Magazine & Guide to Greenwich Village), August 1921 publication.

* Joshua Reyes, The Rough Writer: The News of the Volunteers at Sagamore Hill, Volume 9, Issue 3.

* “Simmons’ Spice Mill” VOL XLIII, dated January 1920. Page 56 (31 of PDF) blurb about the origins of the “Brazilian Coffee House” months after it opened.

* Wikipedia



* Philip Roosevelt (cousin of President Teddy Roosevelt) served as President of Double R Coffeehouse. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Roosevelt#cite_note-5

* Discussing Kermit Roosevelt and Teddy Roosevelt’s South American expedition in 1913-1914: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermit_Roosevelt#River_of_Doubt_South_American_expedition





* HP Lovecraft blog that discusses him visiting the coffeehouse: https://tentaclii.wordpress.com/2011/08/12/lovecrafts-double-r-coffee-house-photo/



* “On The Double-R Coffee House” full poem by HP Lovecraft (1925): http://www.hplovecraft.hu/print.

The way we drink and experience coffee has changed drastically. To many people, it’s become a specialty beverage where taste not only matters, but is decrypted using a multi-tiered tasters wheel consisting of 73 individual flavors. Cafes today focus not just on profit margins, but on growing standards and fair wages for farmers. Baristas take their craft seriously, competing against each other for trophies shaped like espresso tampers and portafilters. So…how’d we get here?

Episode Eight Sources:



* “Norway and Coffee,” The Flamekeeper, by Trish Rothgeb https://web.archive.org/web/20031011091223/http://roastersguild.org/052003_norway.shtml  

* “About Us,” Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters https://www.wreckingballcoffee.com/pages/about-us

* “What is ‘Third Wave Coffee’, & How Is It Different to Specialty?” Perfect Daily Grind, by Julio Guevara https://www.perfectdailygrind.com/2017/04/third-wave-coffee-different-specialty/ 

* “The Three Waves Of Coffee,” Coffee Kind https://coffeekind.com/blogs/the-reading-room/the-three-waves-of-coffee

* “The Future of Specialty Coffee and the Next Wave,” Coffee Talk, by Timothy J. Castle http://coffeetalk.com/ctmagazine/01-2016/21518/

* “Do You Know Trish Rothgeb?” Fresh Cup Magazine, by Ellie Bradley https://www.freshcup.com/do-you-know-trish-rothgeb/ 

* “In San Francisco, Wrecking Ball Coffee’s Making Better Less Cool,” Sprudge, by Michael Light http://sprudge.com/in-san-francisco-wrecking-ball-coffees-making-better-less-cool-87750.html

* “Trish Rothgeb On The State of Specialty Coffee,” Imbibe Magazine, by Penelope Bass http://imbibemagazine.com/trish-rothgeb/ 

* “I Want Coffee, Not Coffee,” The Specialty Coffee Chronicle Issue 4, by Nicholas Cho https://www.scribd.com/doc/62935061/Doing-Good-and-Making-Change-Chronicle-Issue-4 

* “2018 World Barista Championship Official Rules and Regulations, Version 2018.01.23.” https://www.dropbox.com/s/anqulrq9v090n4b/2018%20WBC%20Rules%20and%20Regulations-JAN23.pdf?dl=0

* World Barista Championship, https://worldbaristachampionship.org/world-barista-championship-amsterdam-2018/

* “What Goes Into Competition Preparation”, Origin, by Winston http://originroasting.co.za/v3/goes-competition-preparation/ 

* US Coffee Championships Timeline http://www.uscoffeechampionships.org/timeline/ 

* “The BGA and the Third Wave,” CoffeeGeek.com, by Nicholas Cho http://coffeegeek.com/opinions/bgafiles/04-02-2005/ 

* “Why Do Americans Drink Half As Much Coffee Today As They Did 60 Years Ago?” Zócalo Public Square, by Murray Carpenter a href="http://www.zocalopublicsquare.

The Netherlands is only about 1,000 miles from the Arctic Circle, making farming difficult. And yet, Dutch culture is intimately tied to coffee culture and history. Many of the biggest events that turned coffee from a novelty to a commodity happened because of the Dutch. On this episode of Coffee Canon, we explore the stories and people that took coffee from Europe to the Caribbean and South America.

Episode Seven Sources:



* Dutch coffee history

*



* “History of Dutch Coffee,” dutch-coffee.nlhttps://www.dutch-coffee.nl/history-of-dutch-coffee/

* “Dutch Coffee History And Culture,” Know Your Grinder, by Dave https://knowyourgrinder.com/dutch-coffee-history-and-culture/

* “The History of Coffee,” National Coffee Association, http://www.ncausa.org/About-Coffee/History-of-Coffee

* “The History of Coffee,” Go Coffee Go, by Professor Peaberry https://www.gocoffeego.com/professor-peaberry/history-of-coffee/1700

* “Petty Theft Brought Coffee to America,” Modern Nation, by Josh Hrala http://modernnotion.com/how-an-act-of-petty-theft-brought-coffee-to-america/





* “All About Coffee,” by William H. Ukers, 1922

* Coffee drinking statistics

*



* “Here Are the Countries That Drink the Most Coffee—the U.S. Isn’t in the Top 10,” The Atlantic, by Roberto A. Ferdman https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/01/here-are-the-countries-that-drink-the-most-coffee-the-us-isnt-in-the-top-10/283100/

* “Mapped: The countries that drink the most coffee,” The Telegraph, by Oliver Smith http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/maps-and-graphics/countries-that-drink-the-most-coffee/





* Greenhouses

*



* “This Tiny Country Feeds the World,” National Geographic, by Frank Viviano https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/09/holland-agriculture-sustainable-farming/

* “Way Back When: A History of the English Glasshouse,” Hartley Botanic, by





* Wikipedia

*



* The History of Coffee, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_coffee

* Gabriel de Clieu, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_de_Clieu

* Greenhouse, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse

* Dutch East India Company, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_East_India_Company

* Coffee production in Martinique, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_production_in_Martinique





* Music

*



* Podington Bear, The Confrontation – http://freemusicarchive.org

* Podington Bear,

From the halls of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent to the streets of the Grand Bazaar, from the fields of Kaldi the Goat Herder to the room of an Israeli fortune teller; Turkish Coffee runs the gambit. It’s the world’s oldest brewing technique – surviving military coups, government bans, and industry monopolies. It’s unfiltered, strong, and unlike anything else you’ve ever tasted. It has survived the test of time, both served to royalty with panache, and served to commoners streetside.

Episode Six Sources:



* Wikipedia:



* Turkish Coffee: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_coffee

* Tasseography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasseography

* History of Coffee: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_coffee

* Pieter van den Broecke: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_van_den_Broecke





* “Coffee grounds brewed trouble for Israeli fortuneteller,”  McClatchy Newspapers, by Dion Nissenbaum http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/article24466912.html

* “Fortune Teller Held for ‘Cancer’ Fraud: https://www.haaretz.com/1.5056803

* All about the Turkish Coffee Pot: http://www.turkishstylegroundcoffee.com/turkish-coffee-utensils/turkish-coffee-pot/

* “Turkish Coffee: A Story of Mystery, War, Romance & Empire,” Perfect Daily Grind, by P. Dobrenov: https://www.perfectdailygrind.com/2015/09/turkish-coffee-a-story-of-mystery-war-romance-empire/

* “Don’t Call It ‘Turkish’ Coffee, Unless, Of Course, It Is,” NPR by Joanna Kakissis https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/04/27/179270924/dont-call-it-turkish-coffee-unless-of-course-it-is

* Story of Kaldi the Goat Herder: http://www.ncausa.org/About-Coffee/History-of-Coffee

* “The Coffee Trail: A Muslim Beverage Exported West,” Foundation for Science Technology and Civilisation by Salah Zaimeche: http://www.muslimheritage.com/uploads/Main%20-%20Coffee.pdf

* Ukers, William H. (1935), “All About Coffee” 2nd Edition; The Tea & Coffee Trade Journal Company, New York: https://www.amazon.com/about-Coffee-Second-William-Ukers/dp/1614270023

* “The World of Caffeine: The Science and Culture of the World’s Most Popular Drug” By Bennett Alan Weinberg, Bonnie K. Bealer https://books.google.com/books?id=Qyz5CnOaH9oC&pg=PA3&dq=coffee+goat+ethiopia+Kaldi&lr=&ei=paxHStuDJ4XuzATj97hf#v=onepage&q=coffee%20goat%20ethiopia%20Kaldi&f=false

* “Istanbul’s Historic Coffeehouses,” The Guide Istanbul by Joshua Bruce Allen: http://www.theguideistanbul.com/article/istanbuls-historic-coffeehouses

* Music:



* Podington Bear,

Around this time of year we hear stories of people giving back to the less fortunate in their communities. Whether it’s Ebenezer Scrooge from a Christmas Carol forgiving debts, or your local church donating money to a worthy cause, there’s something about the Holiday season that propels people to give.

Last week, just before Christmas, I got the opportunity to interview Nathan Westwick from Wild Goose Coffee Roasters. I wanted to do an episode highlighting Wild Goose because they place a huge emphasis on giving back to their community – but not just during the Holidays.

All year long, for every pound of coffee Wild Goose sells, they donate 10 pounds of food to a local food bank. Purchase coffee here to support their mission. Use the hashtag #1equals10 and let them know you’re taking part.

Through their commitment and actions, the folks at Wild Goose remind us that we each have the power to positively influence those around us in practical ways at all times of the year – and what better time to be reminded, than this Holiday season?

Happy New Year! May your 2018 be filled with love, generosity, and excellent coffee!

Colin

Episode Five Sources:



* Interview: Nathan Westwick, founder/owner of Wild Goose Coffee Roasters.

*  Music



* Hyson – Silent Knight, FreeMusicArchive.org

* Podington Bear – Winter Walk, FreeMusicArchive.org

* Podington Bear – Threshold, FreeMusicArchive.org

* Fresh Nelly – Auld Lang Syne, FreeMusicArchive.org