Historical Treasures
COFFEE POT
During the reign of the Stuarts, coffee became a popular beverage of high society Britain, 1702
In Cambridge in 1650, a strange new enterprise began – the coffee house. Coffee houses were a particularly popular development during the reign of the Stuarts. Serving male-only clientele, they also forbade alcohol and soon became places for the societal elite to meet and discuss ideas. In these smokey houses, with the smell of roasting coffee in the air they would debate the latest theories in politics, philosophy, literature, art, theology and the developing sciences. These establishments were also popular with traders and businessmen who would meet to make deals and discuss business propositions.