Two tidbits I learned today about the burnt beans …
(1) From Claudia Roden’s book Coffee: A Connoisseur’s Companion:
In Italy it was the priests who appealed to Pope Clement VIII to have the use of coffee forbidden among Christians. Satan, they said, had forbidden his followers, the infidel Moslems, the use of wine because it was used in the Holy Communion, and given them instead his “hellish black brew.” It seems the Pope liked the drink, for his reply was: “Why, this Satan’s drink is so delicious that it would be a pity to let the infidels have exclusive use of it. We shall cheat Satan by baptizing it.” Thus coffee was declared a truly Christian beverage by a farsighted Pope. (p. 14)
(2) J.S. Bach wrote Coffee Cantata (c. 1734) a comic opera about a father concerned over his daughter’s coffee consumption:
Oh! How sweet the coffee tastes,
Lovelier than a thousand kisses,
Mellower than muscatel wine.
Coffee, coffee I must have,
And if someone wants to refresh me,
Ah, let him give me coffee!
Learn more about it here. Read the full text here. Funny stuff.
(3) UPDATE … Dean, a faithful blog reader in NC, recommends sipping java with david m. bailey’s album Coffee With The Angels playing in the background. Check out track 3, Java Junkie. “The Cubans drink it sweet. The Turkish drink it strong. Me? I just drink it all day long.”
Tony Reinke 
sweet…i remember hearing JHarris at a conf. give thanks for the gift of sleep…but if there wasn’t enough sleep he thanked God for the gift of coffee…mmmm…coffee
[…] I wasn’t sure if I should put this performance of the "Coffee Cantata" by J.S. Bach (HT: Tony Reinke) in the Music form or The Iron Chef or The Puritan Pub. Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht – […]
Thanks for the review of Thomas Boston’s works! It influenced me to go with him over a few other Puritans. After merely looking at the contents of the volumes and reading a few selections I’m already eager to digest more. I see that I have a real treasure for myself and my future ministry. Thanks again for pointing us to cross-centered men from the past and present.
I am reading up on Spurgeon for the last paper of my seminary coursework and learned that one of the many ministries started by Spurgeon while at The Tabernacle was a coffee-house ministry. Does anyone know where I can learn more about this? Even just the ministry’s name to search for would be helpful.
Thanks!