Greg Jenner

A live dissection of a dolphin in a coffee house.

A live dissection of a dolphin in a coffee house.

Oh, boy. We also need to talk about Voltaire. You studied French. Yes, I did. So you know who Voltaire is. I do know who Voltaire is.

Oh, boy. We also need to talk about Voltaire. You studied French. Yes, I did. So you know who Voltaire is. I do know who Voltaire is.

He enjoyed his coffee. How many cups a day do you think he drank?

He enjoyed his coffee. How many cups a day do you think he drank?

That's a lot of coffee.

That's a lot of coffee.

Whoa. Five zero.

Whoa. Five zero.

So the intellectual revolution was, you know, the Royal Society, powered by coffee, the insurance industry, the economic industry. I mean, coffee is powering everything. And I suppose the interesting question is, this is an import from the Arab world via the Ottoman Empire, who sometimes are the enemy, right? In the 17th century, we have these huge wars between Christianity and Islam.

So the intellectual revolution was, you know, the Royal Society, powered by coffee, the insurance industry, the economic industry. I mean, coffee is powering everything. And I suppose the interesting question is, this is an import from the Arab world via the Ottoman Empire, who sometimes are the enemy, right? In the 17th century, we have these huge wars between Christianity and Islam.

So the Turkish... are the enemy, and yet this is a Turkish drink. I mean, what... Is there a rebranding? Is there a sort of awkwardness there?

So the Turkish... are the enemy, and yet this is a Turkish drink. I mean, what... Is there a rebranding? Is there a sort of awkwardness there?

So cafe au lait. So cafe au lait. So it's a French compromise. They are willing to accept an exotic foreign import, but they have to find a way to... Yeah, to kind of Frenchify it. We need to talk about the darker side of this coffee boom. Where do these things originate from? We've heard they came from Ethiopia, then Yemen, then the wider Islamic world.

So cafe au lait. So cafe au lait. So it's a French compromise. They are willing to accept an exotic foreign import, but they have to find a way to... Yeah, to kind of Frenchify it. We need to talk about the darker side of this coffee boom. Where do these things originate from? We've heard they came from Ethiopia, then Yemen, then the wider Islamic world.

But by the 1600s and definitely 1700s, we're getting coffee plantations? Yeah.

But by the 1600s and definitely 1700s, we're getting coffee plantations? Yeah.

So by the 1780s, 80% of the world's coffee supply comes from the Caribbean. Yes.

So by the 1780s, 80% of the world's coffee supply comes from the Caribbean. Yes.