A11

Kevin Steen

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Are you secretly planning world domination, or the overthrow of a corrupt government? Your local coffee house is a great place to whisper political intrigue.

In his book, The Coffee Companion - a connoisseur's guide, author Jon Thorn says men sang, danced, played music and chess in Meccan coffee houses in the early 1500's, but they quickly morphed into crucibles of heavy political debate.

In the orthodox Muslim world, coffee was declared a forbidden substance akin to wine, but frequent severe attempts to ban the beverage were unsuccessful. Coffee had become central to the culture. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em: in the end, the drink finally achieved respectability by being subject to taxes. Ah, taxes. We love to hate them.

Fast forward to England, where coffee houses popped up in the early 1600's, first in Oxford, then in London. London's houses were called 'penny universities,' because one penny supplied an upper-or-middle-class gentleman with coffee and newspapers, along with the opportunity to hear lively discussions between the learned and prestigious.

In fact, Charles II was displeased with the discussions going on in the coffee houses of his capital city. In 1675 he issued a proclamation calling for the suppression of coffee houses in an effort to stem political rabble-rousing. He recanted within 11 days, however, because of the huge public outcry. Long live free speech!

Coffee houses were most popular during the eighteenth century. Each London location became known for the kind of patrons it attracted: businessmen, artists and writers, politicians. Yet the best known of all coffee houses is probably The Green Dragon - the anonymous instigators of the Boston Tea Party planned their infamous stunt there in 1773.

For those of you unfamiliar with American history, the Boston Tea Party refers to a group of American colonists who seized three English ships in Boston Harbour. They dumped a huge cargo of tea overboard in protest of the East India Company's monopoly on the tea trade and the accompanying high British taxes.

Many colonists continued the protest by abandoning tea in favour of coffee, thus making coffee a symbol of freedom in America. At the modern coffee house, we've traded dissidence for open mike night and an internet connection, but in the grand tradition of free speech we're happy to host a friendly debate. Tories, you sit on the right, Whigs on the left. And no skulking in the corner.

* Kevin Steen is a true coffee lover and proprietor of Damascus Coffee House in Riverview. Do you have a coffee question for Kevin? Visit him at the shop, or call him at 855-4646.