History of Coffee - Turkey 1600

Coffee had reached Turkey by the year 1660. Coffee had become the favorite drink in the Arab world, all the way from Constantinople to Cairo and from Damascus to Mecca. There, the “Kaveh Kanes” (coffeehouses) were highly appreciated and flourishing.

The Governor of Mecca, spurred by the monks whose temples were empty, had been persuaded to prohibit the drinking of coffee and closing the coffeehouses.

The Governor had charged that coffee caused people to behave in a manner forbidden by religion, and the safest course was to judge it illegal. And so, the first indictment against coffee was drawn. The people of Mecca were forbidden to drink coffee and the coffeehouses were closed and the coffee beans in the warehouses were ordered burned. But a prompt and severe edict from the Caliph of Cairo reversed these orders.

“Coffee was enjoyed throughout the Arab world, and undoubtedly sampled by travelers from Europe long before it was introduced to the Continent”, narrates Professor Andres Uribe, in his book "Brown Gold", the amazing story of coffee.

Yours truly,

Mariano Ospina

History of Coffee - Mecca 1550

By the year 1550, the Governor of Mecca had prohibited the drinking of coffee and closed down all coffeehouses. But the friends of coffee were numerous. They all flaunted their vehement opposition to the Governor’s order and coffee drinking took place in secret until word of the suppression reached Cairo.

The Caliph, a fervent coffee lover, disapproved the edict of the Governor of Mecca and ordered the laws against coffee revoked. The coffeehouses, once again, opened their doors to an increased patronage who drank the coveted beverage in luxurious, richly carpeted lounges. Singers, dancers and storytellers again performed while the guests relaxed amidst banks of pillows.

“Throughout the cities in the Arab world, in the homes of rich and poor, coffee was consumed at all hours and it became a gesture of hospitality to offer coffee to friends, associates and visitors”, narrates Professor Andres Uribe, in his book "Brown Gold", the amazing story of coffee.

Yours truly,

Mariano Ospina

History of Coffee – Arabian Peninsula 1500

The story of coffee growing and drinking starts in the Horn of Africa, in Ethiopia, where the coffee tree probably originated in the province of Kaffa. Merchants took the beans into Yemen and Arabia, through the great port of its day, Mocha.

Coffee was certainly being cultivated in Yemen by the 15th century. Authorities actively encouraged coffee drinking and the first coffeehouses, called "kaveh kanes", were opened in Mecca. They quickly spread throughout the Arab world and became successful places where chess was played, business was conducted and music was enjoyed.

Yours truly,

Mariano Ospina

History of Coffee - France 1670

By 1669 coffee had reached the Paris of King Louis XIV, brought by Suleiman Aga, the Turkish Ambassador to France.

Louis XIV, besieged by a clamoring court, three ex-mistresses, a bankrupt nation and advanced gout, needed stronger beverages than coffee. He paid little attention to the new Ambassador. But Suleiman Aga wasted little time trying to woo the King for he was very successful with the nobility.

By 1670, when the Ambassador learned from the nobles that France was not concerned about the forthcoming movement of a Turkish army into southern Europe, his mission was successfully accomplished, and he departed for Constantinople, “leaving the French nobles thirsty for coffee", narrates Professor Andres Uribe, in his book "Brown Gold", the amazing story of coffee.

Yours truly,

Mariano Ospina

Pueblos del Café - Salazar, Colombia

The town of Salazar de Las Palmas, founded in 1583, is home to a people known for its courageous Indian and Spanish ancestors.

Salazar claims to have been the first coffee-growing town in Colombia, a claim that is not put in doubt. According to historians, the person who almost single-handedly introduced coffee, the product which would become so closely identified with the country, was the Jesuit priest Francisco Romero.

His method was direct and simple: upon hearing confession he would tell his flock to plant coffee beans as penance. Thus it was that coffee planting sprang up in all the towns of Colombia's province of North Santander, on the border with Venezuela.

The Colombian Architect and painter Fernando Turk Rubiano has painted a beautiful watercolor of this town. You can see his entire art collection at www.colarte.arts.co.

Yours truly,

Mariano Ospina

History of Coffee - Colombia 1835

The story of Ospina Coffee began in 1835 when Don Mariano Ospina Rodríguez, one of Colombia’s coffee pioneers, initiated his search for the best lands in which to grow coffee.

His vision was to produce a coffee of unrivaled flavor and quality. His destiny was to make history. In due time he established his first plantation in the lush mountains of Antioquia, and in 1857 he was elected President of Colombia.

The Ospina tradition of excellence thrives today with the release of our signature Ospina DYNASTY Coffee, Premier Grand Cru, Grand Reserve.

Truly yours,

Mariano Ospina

Pueblos del Café - Atánquez, Colombia

The town of Atánquez, in northeastern Colombia, sits at the piedmont of the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, which soars to over 17,000 feet. The Kuankuanos, an Indian group that has survived until the present, live near the area on the Candela River.

Isolated from the region's urban centers, they work in small farms, cultivating sorghum, plantain, sugar cane and coffee. Some of the houses along the cobbled streets of Atánquez evidence pre-Colombian Indian features.

The Colombian Architect and painter Fernando Turk Rubiano has painted a beautiful watercolor of this town. You can see his entire art collection at www.colarte.arts.co.

Yours truly,

Mariano Ospina