The port of Mocha, located in Yemen, was a major trading destination for European sailors. They would fill their ships with coffee and spices to resell to the ever-growing demand in Europe. With increased demand came greater pressure to supply the world with coffee. Sometime around 1615 the Dutch smuggled Yemeni coffee plants and began cultivating small seedlings in coloniazed areas like Ceylon and the Indonesian island of Java. The Dutch's transplanting gamble payed off because the trees grew plentiful in the volcanically rich soils. Soon the Indonesian coffee was flooding the European markets. Sailors and traders could now purchase green coffee beans grown on two edges of a continent in the coffee belt.

The point that the two distinct varietals were first blended together is lost to history. One is theory is that the sailors took a scoop of each bean and roasted them on the ship to enjoy on the long voyage home to stretch supplies. Another possibility is that upon reaching their final port, sailors brought the beans to coffee houses who experimented. Coffee roasters realized the new crop from Mocha and Java could be mixed into a premium product for increasingly caffeinated customers.

The romantic in me would like to imagine that it was fate that brought Mocha and Java together. The gentle waves of the ocean tossed and turned and encouraged the two beans to mingle and mix in the hull of the ship. A coupling, which became a near perfect blend: the exciting tanginess of the Mocha complimented the rich full-body of the Java. A love story, which continues to this day and can be experienced at any of our Old City Coffee locations. Come by and taste the love.