Coffee Houses Were Called Penny Universities
Coffee is a drink made from roasted beans. In seventeenth-century London its houses became centres of news and business.
Coffee is a drink brewed from the roasted seeds of the *Coffea* plant. London's coffee houses earned the nickname *penny universities*: for the price of a cup you could sit, read the newspapers and join the conversation. Lloyd's of London and the London Stock Exchange both grew out of specific coffee houses.
- A drink from roasted beans. *A cup of coffee.*
- The plant or its seeds. *Coffee plantations.*
- Coffee as a modifier. *A coffee break.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | coffee | Fresh coffee. |
| Plural | coffees | Two coffees. |
| Genus | Coffea | Coffea arabica. |
| Related | caffeine | High in caffeine. |
| Related | espresso | A double espresso. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Lloyd's began in a coffee house.Edward Lloyd's, frequented by shipowners.
- Arabica and robusta are the main species.Arabica is milder.
- Coffee beans are seeds, not beans.They come from a fruit called a cherry.
Coffee facts
- Not a bean — the seed of a fruit, the coffee cherry
- Arabica — most of world production, milder flavour
- Robusta — hardier, more caffeine, more bitter
- Espresso — brewed under pressure, not a roast level
- Penny university — the nickname for London coffee houses
From Turkish *kahve*, from Arabic *qahwah*. The drink reached Europe through Ottoman trade in the sixteenth century.
Is espresso a type of bean?
No. It is a brewing method using pressure. Any bean can be used, though roasts are often chosen to suit it.
Why were coffee houses called penny universities?
Because a penny bought entry, coffee and access to newspapers and informed conversation.