Guzzling coffee is not a new habit. In fact, Americans have loved coffeehouses since the 19th century. The 1940s was a particularly good time for coffee, with Americans drinking more than 46 gallons each every year (per the USDA). Consumption has dropped since then, but the truth remains that most Americans can't get through the day without a cup of coffee.
Sharif traces coffee's journey from Abyssinia to Yemen, where Sufi mystics used it to stay awake for night-time dhikr (remembrance of God), before it reached Mecca around the year 1500 (AH 905). Its rapid popularity with pilgrims and townspeople provoked suspicion from conservative jurists. The very word qahwa - traditionally a poetic synonym for wine - cast a shadow over the new beverage.