In the Beginning:
Legend has it, coffee was discovered by an Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi. One day, he noticed his goats frolicking around in an unusually spirited manner. He observed that they were also eating the berries of a nearby shrub. Not being one to be left out of all the fun, he decided to try the berries himself. He was energized and pleased with the effects the cherries had on him. He told his friends and soon word spread throughout the region. The rest is history.
Coffee Timeline:
Here is an interesting timeline of the history of coffee from the UTNE READER, Nov/Dec 94, by Mark Schapiro, "Muddy Waters"

Prior to 1000 A.D.: Members of the Galla tribe in Ethiopia notice that they get an energy boost when they eat a certain berry, ground up and mixed with animal fat.
1000 A.D.: Arab traders bring coffee back to their homeland and cultivate the plant for the first time on plantations. They also began to boil the beans, creating a drink they call "qahwa" (literally, that which prevents sleep).
1453: Coffee is introduced to Constantinople by Ottoman Turks. The world's first coffee shop, Kiva Han, open there in 1475. Turkish law makes it legal for a woman to divorce her husband if he fail to provide her with her daily quota of coffee.
1511: Khair Beg, the corrupt governor of Mecca, tries to ban coffee for feat that its influence might foster opposition to his rule. The sultan sends word that coffee is sacred and has the governor executed.
1600: Coffee, introduced to the West by Italian traders, grabs attention in high places. In Italy, Pope Clement VIII is urged by his advisers to consider that favorite drink of the Ottoman Empire part of the infidel threat. However, he decides to "baptize" it instead, making it an acceptable Christian beverage.
1607: Captain John Smith helps to found the colony of Virginia at Jamestown. It's believed that he introduced coffee to North America.
1645: First coffeehouse opens in Italy.
1652: First coffeehouse opens in England. Coffee houses multiply and become such popular forums for learned and not so learned - discussion that they are dubbed "penny universities" (a penny being the price of a cup of coffee).
1668: Coffee replaces beer as New York's City's favorite breakfast drink.
1668: Edward Lloyd's coffeehouse opens in England and is frequented by merchants and maritime insurance agents. Eventually it becomes Lloyd's of London, the best-known insurance company in the world.
1672: First coffeehouse opens in Paris.
1675: The Turkish Army surrounds Vienna. Franz Georg Kolschitzky, a Viennese who had lived in Turkey, slips through the enemy lines to lead relief forces to the city. The fleeing Turks leave behind sacks of "dry black fodder" that Kolschitzky recognizes as coffee. He claims it as his reward and opens central Europe's first coffee house. He also establishes the habit of refining the brew by filtering out the grounds, sweetening it, and adding a dash of milk.
1690: With a coffee plant smuggled out of the Arab port of Mocha, the Dutch become the first to transport and cultivate coffee commercially, in Ceylon and in their East Indian colony - Java, source of the brew's nickname.
1713: The Dutch unwittingly provide Louis XIV of France with a coffee bush whose descendants will produce entire Western coffee industry when in 1723 French naval officer Gabriel Mathieu do Clieu steals a seedling and transports it to Martinique. Within 50 years and official survey records 19 million coffee trees on Martinique. Eventually, 90 percent of the world's coffee spreads from this plant.
1721: First coffee house opens in Berlin.
1727: The Brazilian coffee industry gets its start when Lieutenant colonel Francisco de Melo Palheta is sent by government to arbitrate a border dispute between the French and the Dutch colonies in Guiana. Not only does he settle the dispute, but also strikes up a secret liaison with the wife of French Guiana's governor. Although France guarded its New World coffee plantations to prevent cultivation from spreading, the lady said good-bye to Palheta with a bouquet in which she hid cuttings and fertile seeds of coffee.
1732: Johann Sevastian Bach composes his Kaffee-Kantate. Partly an ode to coffee and partly a stab at the movement in Germany to prevent women from drinking coffee (it was thought to make them sterile), the cantata includes the aria, "Ah! How sweet coffee taste! Lovelier than a thousand kisses, sweeter far than muscatel wine! I must have my coffee." 1773: The Boston Tea Party makes drinking coffee a patriotic duty in America.
1775: Prussia's Frederick the Great tries to block inports of green coffee, as Prussia's wealth is drained. Public outcry changes his mind.
1886: Former wholesale grocer Joel Cheek names his popular coffee blend "Maxwell House," after the hotel in Nashville, TN where it's served.
Early 1900's: In Germany, afternoon coffee becomes a standard occasion. The derogatory term "KaffeeKlatsch" is coined to describe women's gossip at these affairs. Since broadened to mean relaxed conversation in general. 1900: Hills Bros. begins packing roast coffee in vacuum tins, spelling the end of the ubiquitous local roasting shops and coffee mills. 1901: The first soluble "instant" coffee is invented by Japanese-American chemist Satori Kato of Chicago.
1903: German coffee importer Ludwig Roselius turn a batch of ruined coffee beans over to researchers, who perfect the process of removing caffeine from the beans without destroying the flavor. He markets it under the brand name "Sanka." Sanka is introduced to the United States in 1923.
1906: George Constant Washington, an English chemist living in Guatemala, notices a powdery condensation forming on the spout of his silver coffee carafe. After experimentation, he creates the first mass-produced instant coffee (his brand is called Red E Coffee).
1920: Prohibition goes into effect in United States. Coffee sales boom.
1938: Having been asked by Brazil to help find a solution to their coffee surpluses, Nestle company invents freeze-dried coffee. Nestle develops Nescafe and introduces it in Switzerland. 1940: The US imports 70 percent of the world coffee crop.
1942: During W.W.II, American soldiers are issued instant Maxwell House coffee in their ration kits. Back home, widespread hoarding leads to coffee rationing.
1946: In Italy, Achilles Gaggia perfects his espresso machine. Cappuccino is named for the resemblance of its color to the robes of the monks of the Capuchin order.
August 29th 2005: THE VINTAGE COFFEE HOUSE OPENS!!  

Coffee Tasting Terms
Acidity: A sharp radiance and pleasing quality that enhances coffee’s flavor. Coffee comes in various levels of acidity; however, coffees in which acidity is lacking are most likely boring and unexciting.
Acrid: An intensely tart impression on the back of the tongue.
Aftertaste: The taste that remains in the mouth after swallowing a sip of coffee, which may leave impressions such as caramel, chocolate, fruitiness, spiciness, smokiness, or roastiness, to name a few.
Alkaline: A dry feeling left at the back of the tongue.
Aroma: The fragrance or smell of fresh-brewed coffee, ranging from fruity to herby to smoky and more.
Astringent: When acidity is at an undesirable level, we may say “astringent” referring to its intense briny sensation at the tip of the tongue.
Bitter: A twinge or strong taste noticeable at the back of the tongue. Dark roasts are prominently bitter, adding to the fullness of the coffee. High levels of bitterness can be unpleasant, especially if due to over-extraction or brewing too little coffee at a too-fine grind.
Body: The weight of a coffee as perceived in the mouth. A coffee may have light, medium, full, or very full body. Bright: Sharp acidity.
Briny: The salty feeling in the mouth after drinking over-roasted or over-brewed coffee.
Buttery: A rich and oily heaviness in the mouth that’s found in fuller-bodied coffees.
Caramelly: A sweet aroma suggestive of candy or syrup.
Carbony: A roasty aroma suggestive of a burnt substance that is present in many very dark-roasted coffees.
Chocolaty: A roasty, sweet aroma suggestive of unsweetened chocolate, cocoa, or even vanilla.
Cinnamon: A spicy aroma suggestive of cinnamon.
Clean: A coffee that finishes clear, graceful, and smooth in the mouth, not dry.
Cocoa: A bittersweet aroma suggestive of unsweetened chocolate.
Complex: Flavors that have multiple layers of sensation.
Dirty: A taste that is not earthy or musty but actually grimy in flavor.
Dry: A coffee that finishes parched or dehydrated in the mouth, not clean. Also the opposite of sweet.
Earthy: The aroma or flavor of moist soil or earth.
Fine: A quality coffee in terms of acidity, body, and overall positive characteristics.
Flat: A dull, lackluster coffee, deficient in acidity.
Flavor: The fusion of a coffee’s aroma, body, and acidity.
Floral: An aroma suggestive of flowers.
Fresh: A positive trait used to describe freshly roasted coffee with vibrant flavor and aroma.
Fruity: A sweet or tangy aroma or flavor suggestive of berries or citrus.
Full: Indicating strong character, in terms of acidity, body, and flavor.
Grassy: An herbaceous aroma or flavor suggestive of alfalfa or grass.
Harsh: A negative characteristic describing a bitter, unpleasant, or offensive taste or sensation.
Herbal: An herbaceous aroma or flavor suggestive of grass, dried herbs, or dry beans.
Light: Indicating a delicate character, in terms of acidity, body, and aroma.
Lively: Pleasingly vibrant in acidity.
Mellow: A coffee that finishes mildly and delicately.
Mild: A moderately bodied coffee that finishes with balanced acidity and sweetness and lacks bitterness or dryness.
Musty: Coffee that has been aged properly may take on this cellared aroma.
Nutty: A roasty aroma or flavor suggestive of peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, etc.
Pungent: A strong and piercing sensation in the mouth, characteristic of full-bodied coffees.
Rancid: Coffee that has not been stored properly may take on this highly offensive sour flavor.
Rich: A full-bodied coffee that finishes with a depth and complexity of flavor and an overall pleasing taste.
Roasty: Coffee that has been dark roasted properly may take on this smoky, high-quality flavor.
Scorched: Coffee that has not been roasted or brewed properly (usually due to excessive heat) may take on this highly bitter, acrid aroma.
Smoky: Coffee that has been dark roasted properly may take on this roasty, high-quality flavor.
Sour: When acidity is at an undesirable level, we may say “sour” referring to its intense briny sensation at the tip of the tongue. Spicy: A fragrance or flavor reminiscent of spices like cinnamon or allspice.
Stale: Coffee that has not been stored properly may take on this flat, one-dimensional cardboard flavor.
Strawy: A negative herbaceous aroma or flavor suggestive of hay.
Strength: The ratio of water to ground coffee.
Strong: Characteristic of rich, full-bodied coffees.
Sweet: A mild, smooth, or fruity taste noticeable at the tip of the tongue.
Syrupy: A sweet, thick, and sticky heaviness in the mouth.
Tangy: An intensely piercing sweet and sour impression along the sides of the tongue.
Tart: An intensely sour sensation along the sides of the tongue.
Varietal: A coffee grown in a specific geographical area, usually with distinct tastes that derive from the area’s soil, climate, and cultivation methods.
Weak: Characteristic of light-bodied coffees, not flat.
Wild: Coffee that has been contaminated or has endured chemical changes may take on odd, unpleasant, or tangy flavors that significantly vary from cup to cup. Winey: Having the rich, fruity essence of a fine red wine.
Woody: Coffee that has been aged properly may take on this aroma or flavor, suggestive of tree bark or oak.