The first to bring a knowledge of coffee to United States was Captain John Smith, who founded the Colony of Virginia at Jamestown in 1607. Captain Smith became familiar with coffee in his travels in Turkey.
Coffee a minor luxury import into English colonies, coffee became popular after the Boston Tea Party 1773, as North Americans substituted coffee for tea.
At that time coffee was consumed mostly in homes, not in cafes as was common in much of Europe.
With the Civil War, coffee moved slowly away from being simply a domestic drink and purely a breakfast beverage.
War combined with growth of major cities such as New York and spread of industry led ever more people to drink coffee outside the home, in the field and at hotels and train stations.
Two coffee houses were listed in Chicago directories for 1843 and 1845: the Washington coffee house, 83 Lake Street and the Exchange coffee house, Clarke Street between La Salle and South Water Streets.
Early history of coffee in United States
