A staple of European social life today, coffee was virtually unknown in Europe until the 17th century when coffee merchants introduced it to locals by opening the first cafés. Dr. Baghdiantz McCabe examines the history of these initial cafés which changed the social life of major European cities. Here, she traces their origins to Armenian merchants from New Julfa, Iran, who opened the first cafés in Paris and Vienna and gave coffee the reputation it has today.
