Nav: Home > Coffee >

The Origins and Evolution of Coffee: Coffee's Source Stories and Characteristics, Chinese Coffee Knowledge and Culture

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, The Origins and Evolution of Coffee - Chinese Coffee Knowledge and Culture. According to historical records, coffee was first successfully cultivated in Taiwan in 1884, marking the beginning of coffee's development in China. The earliest coffee cultivation in mainland China began in Yunnan in the early 20th century, when a French missionary brought the first coffee seedlings to Yunnan

FrontStreet Coffee · The Origin and Development of Coffee - Chinese Coffee Knowledge and Culture

According to historical records, coffee was successfully cultivated in Taiwan for the first time in 1884, marking the beginning of coffee's development in China. The earliest coffee cultivation in mainland China began in Yunnan in the early 20th century, when a French missionary brought the first coffee seedlings to Binchuan County in Yunnan. In the nearly hundred years that followed, coffee cultivation in vast China remained scattered and minimal.

However, in recent years, the development of coffee cultivation and consumption in China has increasingly garnered global attention. International coffee companies such as Maxwell House, Nestlé, and Columbia have established branches or factories in China, offering superior varieties and better prices for the Chinese market. As part of the Western lifestyle, coffee has officially entered Chinese homes and lives. Coffee shops in major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou have sprung up like mushrooms following the growth of coffee culture, becoming a new consumption trend for young people and adding to the urban landscape.

Coffee's Journey to America

In 1668, coffee as a fashionable beverage became popular in South America, and coffee houses soon followed, appearing in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and other North American cities. The Boston Tea Party of 1773 was planned in a coffee house called the Green Dragon. Today, both the New York Stock Exchange and the Bank of New York in New York's famous Wall Street financial district originated from coffee houses. Coffee was first cultivated in the Americas in the 1720s, and once again, the Dutch were the first to bring coffee to Central and South America. Coffee spread from Dutch colonies to French Guiana and Brazil, and later the British brought it to Jamaica. By 1925, coffee cultivation had become a tradition in Central and South America. In the same year, Hawaii also began cultivating coffee, making it the only coffee-producing region in the United States, and Hawaiian coffee is among the best in the world.

Global Coffee Production and Culture

To date, Brazil has long been the world's largest coffee producer, accounting for approximately 30% of global coffee production, while Colombia ranks as the second-largest producer with about 12% of global production. North America is currently the region with the highest coffee consumption. In Seattle, "latte" culture has reinterpreted the essence of coffee culture, blending unique flavored coffees, exquisitely designed coffee equipment, with fashion and art, sweeping the world.

Coffee's Arrival in Europe

Venetian merchants first brought coffee to Europe in 1615. By 1683, Europe's first coffee house opened in Venice, with the most famous being the Florian Café, which opened in St. Mark's Square in 1720 and remains thriving today. Notably, the world's largest insurer—London's Lloyd's Company—originated from a coffee house.