Close Call For Coffee...!

Can you believe that at one time, coffee nearly became against the law in England? True, so help me!

Seems that those of us that enjoyed the fellowship of other coffee drinkers and the establishments  (think coffee houses) that sold the stuff were considered ne'er-do-wells by the King. The law passed, but lucky for us, was abolished before taking effect. Here is the terrifying story for ya.

Coffeehouses

In 1675, Charles II of England issued a proclamation to end the legality of coffeehouses. According to him, too many people spent the whole day in coffeehouses doing nothing other than gossiping and spreading rumors about the government. The law did not stop there. It also forbade people from selling coffee, chocolate, sherbet, and tea from any shop or house.

Back then, coffeehouses were centers of gossip. The phrase “coffeehouse politician” was even coined to refer to men who spent the whole day in coffeehouses, doing nothing other than discussing politics. The law was passed on December 29, 1675, and was supposed to become active on January 10, 1676, but it was abolished on January 8. The undoing of the ban was backed by several ministers of Charles II, who themselves were lovers of coffee. 

Like I said, that was a close call for all us coffee drinkers. I'm certainly glad that the law was abolished, because if it had remained in place and had found it's way to the states...that would NOT have been a good thing! Know what I mean?

Coffee out on the patio again today. Let's be thankful that no such law has ever been passed here...yet!