Although no one knows the true origin of coffee or how it was discovered, it can be traced back to ancient coffee forests on the Ethiopian plateau (also, coffee forests sound absolutely amazing). Legend has it that Kaldi, a goat herder, discovered coffee beans when his goats became energized after consuming them. As word of this phenomenon moved east, it soon reached the Arabian Peninsula where coffee cultivation and trade really began. Public coffee houses called “qahveh khaneh” started popping up in cities across the Near East.

By the 17th century, coffee had made its way to Europe and was becoming popular across the continent. While some people were fearful of this new drink, the clergy in Venice even condemning it, Pope Clement VIII gave it his approval once trying it. Coffee houses were quickly becoming centers of social activity across England, Austria, France, Germany, and Holland.

In the mid-1600s, coffee was brought to New Amsterdam (later known as New York). Although popular, the new drink was still overshadowed by tea, the favored drink of the colonists, until 1773 when the Boston Tea Party occurred. This event forever changed the modern American drinking preference to coffee.

Thanks to missionaries, travelers, traders, and colonists, coffee seeds were being carried to new lands, and coffee trees were being planted worldwide. By the end of the 18th century, coffee had become one of the world’s most profitable export crops.

Today, the U.S. state that drinks the most coffee is still New York, followed by Seattle, the birthplace of Starbucks. In third place is California, and then, unsurprisingly, Oregon in fourth. On the other side of the spectrum, the states that drink the least amount of coffee all reside in the South, where the residents are notorious iced tea drinkers.