The Importance of Coffee Houses in Europe

Coffee arrived in Europe since the 17th century and quickly spread throughout the continent. Soon after that, lots of coffee houses were established in major cities in Europe and changed Europeans culture and society. Coffee houses became favorite place for people to gather. We’ll discuss the reason coffee is so popular in Europe and the impact it have as a place for social activities.
Coffees as an alternative of Alcoholic drinks

For centuries, people in Europe chose alcohol as an alternative due to unsanitary water. People would often drink alcoholic drinks from morning till night and this cause people became drunk, lowering their performance in work. According to the historian Tom Standage, the first coffee houses started springing up in the late 1600's, people chose coffee as an alternative to alcoholic drinks since its helps them to keep alert and stimulated so their performance improved (eVenues, 2012). Referring to National Coffee Association USA 1911, with the coming of coffee to Venice in 1615, the local clergy condemned it. There was a great controversy that Pope Clement VIII was asked to intervene. He decided to taste the coffee for himself. He found the drink so satisfying that he gave it Papal approval. Despite such controversy, in the major cities of England, Austria, France, Germany and Holland, coffee houses were quickly becoming centers of social activity and communication. This brings a new age of hospitality industry in European history.

Coffee houses as meeting places

According to The Economist 2003, Coffee houses popularity began with the growing middle class workers that do their everyday job with plans, ideas, and creativity in offices rather than performing physical labor in the open, they found that coffee was very helpful to sharpen their mental faculties. Coffeehouses were places for