Coffee aficionados often claim that the spread of its popularity among Catholics is due to Pope Clement VIII's influence. According to the legend, there was opposition to coffee as "Satan's drink", leading to the pope's advisors asking him to denounce the beverage. However, upon tasting coffee, Pope Clement VIII declared: "Why, this Satan's drink is so delicious that it would be a pity to let the infidels have exclusive use of it." Clement allegedly blessed the bean because it appeared better for the people than alcoholic beverages.Wallin, Nils-Bertil. "Coffee: A Long Way From Ethiopia", Yale Global, November 5, 2002 The year often cited is 1600. It is not clear whether this is a true story, but it may have been found amusing at the time.
Coffee aficionados often claim that the spread of its popularity among Catholics is due to Pope Clement VIII's influence. According to the legend, there was opposition to coffee as "Satan's drink", leading to the pope's advisors asking him to denounce the beverage. However, upon tasting coffee, Pope Clement VIII declared: "Why, this Satan's drink is so delicious that it would be a pity to let the infidels have exclusive use of it." Clement allegedly blessed the bean because it appeared better for the people than alcoholic beverages.Wallin Nils-Bertil. "Coffee: A Long Way From Ethiopia", Yale Global, November 5, 2002 The year often cited is 1600 It is not clear whether this is a true story, but it may have been found amusing at the time.