咖啡館的前世今生

Today， the idea of a coffee house usually brings to mind a cozy1） place that serves gourmet coffee2） and espresso3） drinks， with couches to lounge4） in while you sip5）. So how did the coffee house get its start？

Now， I'm looking back through time to see where the coffee house started， and how much it's changed （or hasn't changed？）

The first record of a public place serving coffee dates back to 1475. Kiva Han was the name of the first coffee shop， located in the Turkish city of Constantinople （now Istanbul）.

Coffee was such an important item during that time period that it was legal in Turkey for a woman to divorce her husband if he could not supply her with enough coffee. Turkish coffee was served strong， black and unfiltered6）， usually brewed in an ibrik7）.

The idea of adding cream and sweeteners to one's coffee came into fashion in Europe around 1529， when the first coffee house in Europe was established. Vienna was invaded by the Turkish army， who left many bags of coffee behind when they fled the city. Franz Georg Kolschitzky8） claimed the coffee as the spoils9） of war and opened a coffee house. Apparently， he had lived in Turkey and was the only person who recognized the value in the beans. He introduced the idea of filtering coffee， as well as softening the brew with milk and sugar. The beverage10） was quite a hit， and when coffee houses also started serving sweet pastries11） and other sweets， their popularity exploded.

Coffee establishments12） continued to spread， with the first one opening up in London in 1652. Though its popularity was growing in Europe， the idea arrived in England again from Turkey. An English merchant who dealt in Turkish goods （such as coffee） had two of his servants leave him， to go into business for themselves. "The Turk's Head" coffee house13） was born. It was in an English coffee house that the word "tips" was first used for gratuities14）. A jar with a sign reading， "To Insure Prompt15） Service" sat on the counter. You put a coin in the jar to be served quickly.

The British called their coffee houses "penny universities" because that was the price for the coffee and the social upper-class of businessmen were found there. In fact， a small coffee shop run by Edward Lloyd16） in 1668 was such a business center， which eventually became the still-operating Lloyd's of London insurance company.

From there， the idea spread further through Europe. Italy in 1654 and then Paris in 1672. Germany embraced the coffee house for the first time in 1673.

When America was colonized， the coffee house was quick to follow. The role of the American coffee house was the same as those in England： the hotspots for the business community. The Tontine Coffee House （1792） in New York was the original location for the New York Stock Exchange because so much business was conducted there.

Until now， coffee houses were serving regular coffee. Then came espresso. In 1946， Gaggia17） invented the commercial piston18） espresso machine， which was far easier to use and safer than earlier models.

The Gaggia coffee bar， in Italy， was the first location to use these machines and to offer espresso along with the regular coffee. The modern age of coffee houses was born.

Of course， the age-old coffee house should not be confused with the coffee shop of recent decades. Coffee shops are really restaurants that serve a typical menu of diner19） food， along with basic coffee. Tim Hortons20） is a good example of a popular coffee shop that has somewhat transcended the basic "diner" and though they serve a wide menu of food， they are known across the country for their excellent coffee. Even so， I wouldn't class them as a coffee house because they don't serve espresso or any espresso-based drinks.

And who could forget the most popular and wide-spread coffee house of them all， Starbucks？ They opened their first store in 1971， in Seattle and have taken the world by storm21）.

Whether you prefer the wide-spread chains or the local independent coffee house， you're taking a step into a long history of coffee each time you stop for a latte22）.

4. lounge [la?nd?] vi. 懶洋洋地站（或坐、躺）著

5. sip [s?p] vt. 小口地喝，抿

如今，咖啡館這個概念通常會讓人聯想到一個供應極品咖啡和意式咖啡的舒適去處，那里有長沙發，你可以啜飲著咖啡懶洋洋地斜靠在上面。那么，咖啡館是如何誕生的呢？

現在，我將回溯時光，探尋咖啡館是從何處起源的，并看看它有多大變化（或者有多少沒變？）

有關公共場所提供咖啡的最早記錄要追溯到1475年。第一家咖啡館名叫基瓦漢，位于土耳其君士坦丁堡（即現在的伊斯坦布爾）市。

咖啡在那個時代是如此重要，以至于在土耳其，倘若丈夫不能給妻子足夠的咖啡，那妻子完全可以“休”夫，而且是合法的。土耳其咖啡味道濃郁，不加牛奶也不過濾，通常用伊芙利克壺沖泡。

在咖啡中加奶油和甜味劑的點子1529年左右在歐洲流行起來，也是在這時歐洲有了第一家咖啡館。維也納被土耳其軍隊侵略，后者在逃離這座城市時留下了很多包咖啡豆。弗朗茨·格奧爾格·科爾舍斯基聲稱這些咖啡是戰利品，并開了一家咖啡館。顯然，他曾在土耳其生活過，是唯一知道這些豆子價值的人。他引入了咖啡要過濾以及咖啡要用牛奶和糖調和好讓咖啡口感更溫潤的理念。這種飲料大獲成功，而當咖啡館還開始供應烘烤糕點和其他甜點時，其受歡迎度更是暴增。

咖啡館繼續流行，倫敦的第一家咖啡館于1652年開張。雖然咖啡館在歐洲越來越受歡迎，但開咖啡館的想法又是從土耳其傳到英國來的。有一個做土耳其商品（如咖啡）買賣的英國商人讓他的兩個仆人離開他，去自己做生意。“The Turk's Head （意為土耳其人的頭）”咖啡館就這樣誕生了。正是在一家英國咖啡館中，單詞“tips”第一次被用作小費的意思。柜臺上擺了一個罐子，罐子上有個小牌寫著，“為了確保盡快服務”。想要盡快得到服務，你就在罐子里放一枚硬幣。

英國人稱他們的咖啡館為“便士大學”，因為那時一杯咖啡的價格是一便士，而且上流社會的商人們經常聚集于此。事實上，愛德華·勞埃德1668年開始經營的一家小咖啡館就是這樣的一個商務中心——它最終演變為直到今天仍在運營的倫敦勞埃德保險集團。

從這里，咖啡館的概念在整個歐洲進一步傳開。意大利的第一家咖啡館于1654年開張，巴黎的第一家于1672年開張。德國在1673年欣然開起了第一家咖啡館。

當美洲被殖民時，咖啡館也緊隨殖民者來到這里。美國咖啡館的角色和英國的一樣：商界人士的熱門去處。紐約的唐提咖啡館（1792）是紐約證券交易所的原址，因為許多生意都是在這個咖啡館里做成的。

直到這時，咖啡館供應的都是普通咖啡。后來誕生了意式咖啡。1946年，加吉亞發明了商用的活塞意式咖啡機，它比此前的咖啡機容易操作得多，并且更為安全。

意大利的加吉亞咖啡館是首家使用這種活塞意式咖啡機、除普通咖啡之外還供應意式咖啡的咖啡館。咖啡館的新時代開啟了。

當然，古老的咖啡館不應與近幾十年的咖啡館混為一談。如今，咖啡館其實是餐館，除了基本的咖啡之外，還供應小餐館常有的食物。蒂姆·霍頓斯就是高人氣咖啡館的一個范例，它有點超出了基本的“小餐館”的范疇，雖然供應種類繁多的食物，但卻以優質的咖啡聞名全加拿大。即使這樣，我也不會將這類“咖啡館”歸為咖啡館，因為它們不供應意式咖啡或任何以意式咖啡為基底的飲料。

而誰又會忘記所有咖啡館中最受歡迎并且分布最廣的星巴克呢？他們于1971年在西雅圖開了第一家店并已在全球大獲成功。

無論你偏愛分布廣泛的咖啡連鎖店還是當地的獨立咖啡館，每當你停下來喝一杯拿鐵，你都在走進咖啡悠長的歷史。