The Coffee Trader is a suspenseful historical novel about a commodities trader in 1659 Amsterdam who hatches a bold scheme to corner the fledgling coffee market. Miguel Lienzo, a Portuguese Jew who fled to Amsterdam to escape the Inquisition, is a trader on the Exchange. When he sees an opportunity to build his fortune by controlling the coffee market, he can’t resist, despite the many risks.
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In his classic song “Coffee Blues,” Mississippi John Hurt sings about how he misses his coffee—specifically, his Maxwell House coffee. But even more than his coffee, he misses his girl, who made his coffee but has moved away. Just a “lovin’ spoonful” from her would take care of his blues.
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This great short comedy, a cautionary tale about a coffee-swilling “java junkie,” premiered on “Saturday Night Live” in 1979 and became a cult classic. The film stars Peter Aykroyd as Joe, a regular guy who’s down on his luck and tries to drown his sorrows in coffee. But no amount of coffee is enough.
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During World War II, the U.S. government found it necessary to restrict civilian coffee consumption to about half its normal level. Despite record coffee production in Brazil and elsewhere, the war disrupted coffee shipping. The government imposed rationing to make coffee available to all citizens on an equal basis, while giving priority to the needs of the military. Americans did their patriotic duty but were relieved when rationing ended in mid-1943.
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Original Sin is a 2001 thriller (usually described as an “erotic” thriller) starring Antonio Banderas and Angelina Jolie in a tale of love, deception, murder — and coffee. For coffee aficionados, it’s a plus that in this version of the story Luis owns a coffee plantation and a coffee export business. And it’s an especially nice touch that several plot turns, including the climax, are marked by Luis drinking cups of coffee, shot in close-up. Can a cup of coffee change your day? How about your life?
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‘The Various Flavors of Coffee’ by Anthony Capella is a captivating historical novel that follows the life and loves of Robert Wallis, a bohemian would-be poet whose life is dramatically changed by a cup of coffee. One morning at the Café Royal in London in 1896, a coffee merchant overhears Wallis’s remark that his coffee is “rusty” and offers him a job to help develop a standard “vocabulary of coffee.” Accepting the challenge, Wallis embarks on a journey in the coffee trade that will transform his life.
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Coffee quotations from classic literary works, including novels, poetry, and more, are a testament to coffee’s longstanding popularity and to the enduring link between reading and coffee. This article highlights a small sample of favorite coffee quotations from classic works of literature.
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Leonetto Cappiello, often called “the father of modern advertising,” revolutionized the art of poster design in the early 20th century. His designs for clients like espresso coffee machine manufacturer Victoria Arduino and Café Martin coffee used vibrant colors and bold, dynamic compositions to immediately grab the viewer’s attention. Capiello’s posters are commercial art at its best.
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Jim Jarmusch’s 2003 film Coffee and Cigarettes comprises 11 vignettes where people try to connect—often awkwardly—over coffee and cigarettes. Very cool and hip, with lots of deadpan humor.
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Coffee was the fuel that got the 1932 Brazil Olympic team to the Xth Olympiad in Los Angeles. Brazil’s athletes did not have much success in the Olympic competitions, but the story of their unique journey to the 1932 Olympic Games will always have a place in both Olympic lore and coffee history.
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