The History of Coffee ....
The coffee plant is indigenous to Abyssinia, Ethiopia and probably Arabia. The first documented mention of the coffee plants is by an Arabian physician near the end of the ninth century of the Christian era. It is believed that when the Abyssinians came out of Arabia into Ethiopia, it's possible they brought the coffee tree with them; however, the Arabians are the first to discover and promote it's use as a beverage and for the propagation of the plant, even if they found it in Abyssinia and brought it to Yemen. Some historians believe that the first cultivation of coffee dates back to AD 575 in Yemen. The Arabians realized they had a lucrative product and for a period of time, they were able to prevent its spread to other countries by not allowing any of the berries to leave the country without first being steeped in boiling water, or parched as to destroy their ability to germinate. But with thousands of pilgrims journeying to and from Mecca each year, it was not possible to watch every possible transporter. In the 1600's coffee was introduced into southern India by a Moslem pilgrim. But it was not until 1840 that the English began the coffee cultivation in India.
Romancing a Coffee Plant:
This is the story of Captain Mathieu de Clieu, a naval officer at Martinique. Upon visiting France for personal reasons, he was determined to introduce coffee cultivation to Martinique. The captain began his efforts in obtaining a coffee plant to take back to Martinique. It was with the help of a "kindly office of a lady of quality" that he was able to do this.
By 1777, it is reported that there were 18,791,680 coffee plants in Martinique. De Clieu was honored in 1746 by Louis XV as a distinguished officer to whom the colonies, as well as France itself, and commerce in general, are indebted for the cultivation of coffee.
There is some confusion over when de Clieu passed away and to whether he died in poverty. But he is, without doubt, remembered as a generous, caring, and sympathetic man who felt he was serving his country with his love for that single coffee plant. The only memorial to de Cleiu is a botanical garden in Martinique. It was dedicated to de Cleiu, "whose memory has been too long left in oblivion".