Coffee is the drink of choice for a lot of people. If you are a coffee lover who believes in God, you may have asked this question at least once. Is there is a God of coffee? Is that is a he or she? Which country does he or she belong to? Many more questions follow suit.
Who is the God of coffee? There is no official God of coffee. Coffee was discovered in the 9th century which is very long after the discovery of most religions. So you’re not going to find a God for coffee in the old texts of any religion. Having said that there are a few Gods who might compete for this title for several reasons. Let’s discuss the below.
Who Is The God Of Coffee?
Before we dive into the discussion of who might be the God of Coffee, let’s talk about coffee’s origin story.
Kaldi, a goat herder (or lamb), accidentally found coffee when his goats got a bolt of energy after chewing on some leaves from a nearby tree. The goats refused to fall asleep which made Kaldi try the same for more energy.
Once he confirmed his theory from its aroma and taste, he takes some part of the coffee plant to this King who then experiments with different recipes that lead to the discovery of our beloved caffeine drink. It wasn’t specialty coffee but that was the start.
All of this happens in the land of Ethiopia.
If coffee was discovered in Ethiopia, then it is only fair to think that the God of Coffee should also be from Ethiopia.
When we proceeded with this idea in mind, we could only think of one God who is worthy of the title of God of Coffee. Waaqa.
Waaqa
Waaqa or Waaq or Waq is the Sky God of Ethiopia. He is our Ethiopian candidate for the title.
This God belongs to the Waaqeffanna religion of the Oromo People.
The Oromo people are one of the native populations of Ethiopia and even now, you can find 1,095,000 Oromos in present-day Ethiopia.
Here’s the reason to believe why he is a good candidate.
The Oromo people have had a relationship with coffee and caffeine. They believe that coffee is a gift from heaven. Since Waaqa is the Sky God, he can be credited for the gift of coffee.
Another myth involves Waaqa killing one of his favorite disciples. He goes to the grave the next day and sheds tears. From those tears came plants which are now known to the human race as coffee plants.
Waaqa is also called the Black God which really doesn’t give anything related to this topic except it’s a decent fact.
The only problem we have with Waaqa is that the Oromo people consider him to be omnipotent. He gives us everything so you can’t really credit him for coffee alone.
Let’s move on to our next candidate.
Caffeina
Goddess Caffeina is the Roman Goddess of energy, stamina, and determination.
When you think of coffee, you can easily relate two of these three qualities to your cup of joe.
Roman mythology is a vast one and a Goddess that gives you energy and stamina is surely in the race for the title of the God of Coffee.
The goddess is portrayed as a lady rising from a hot coffee cup. This beautiful god will give you clear thought, stimulation, and creativity.
One of the biggest problems with Caffeina is that she has been created very recently. You don’t see any references to her in history, and the earliest reference we could find is in 2006.
But hey, Caffeina now exists and is in contention. But the argument for the title is quite weak and do let us know if you can bring some strong points in favor of her.
Also Read: Can Coffee Make Your A Genius?
Ek Chuaj
Ek Chauj or Ek Chuah or Ekchuah or God M is the Mayan God of Cacao/cocoa.
He is also known as the Merchant God with a pack and a spear. He carries transportation goods and tells the dangerous ways of a merchant. This is why travelers and merchants worship him.
Did you know that cacao was an important item traded by the Mayans and was even used as a currency?
Both cacao and coffee have a nice, rich bitter taste to them which makes this Mayan God a decent contender. But considering coffee has no place in the Mayan civilization, he does not get very lucky with the title.
Saint Drogo
Saint Drogo of Sebourg or Dreux or Drugo or Druron is a flemish saint born in the 11th century.
He is known as the patron saint of coffee and a few other things. All champion baristas love him.
Though the patronage is anachronistic, he is still regarded as the patron saint of your everyday cup of coffee and coffee house.
Coffee didn’t come to his place till the 15th century so there is no point in making him the God. Also, he is only a saint and hasn’t transcended to godliness as far as we know. So close but no cigar.
Siren
Have you seen the Starbucks logo and ever wondered what on earth that thing is?
Well, that’s Siren, a mythical creature resembling a mermaid.
The only reason why this mythical creature is on this list is because of its connection with the World’s lovable coffee shop.
Other than that, the siren is not a god by any means and doesn’t have any folklore bringing it closer to the world of coffee. But we’re sure she’d like a good espresso.
Hestia
Hestia is the Goddess of Hearth and is a candidate from Greek.
The name stands for fireplace or hearth which is where we make our coffee.
Born to Cronus and Rhea, Hestia is regarded as pure and beautiful. She always got the first offering of sacrifice, a fact that has nothing to do with coffee.
Since she is involved with the fireplace, you can consider her for the title. But the problem here is that coffee did not come to Roman until the 15th century.
By century number 15, the olympian gods were a very old concept and there is no way they can be associated with a drink discovered in the 9th century.
Bastet
Bastet is the Egyptian goddess of the hearth, home, domesticity, cats, women’s secret, fertility, and childbirth.
Just like Hestia, this Egyptian counterpart is the goddess of the hearth. But she also is the goddess of other important things, so we’re not sure if we should restrict her to the kitchen (not in 2021!).
Bastet is depicted in many ways. The most popular depiction is that of a cat that is gazing ahead. You can also see Bastet in human form (but with a cat head) with a litter of cats around her legs.
To be honest, Bastet is not a strong contender for the title as she has nothing to do with coffee except for the hearth connection.
Zao Jun
Zao Jun is the Chinese god of the Kitchen and also known as the stove god.
He protects the hearth and the family. Once again we try to make a connection between hearth and coffee with Zao Jun.
The earliest stories of the kitchen date back to the 2nd century BC. So Zao Jun was present when coffee was discovered in the 9th century.
Stories about this Chinese god is of a man who was later promoted to god status. Most of the stories are of a sad man who took the wrong path. He either betrays his wife, sells his wife, or takes his own life.
Just before the Chinese New Year, Zao Jun reports to the Jade Emperor about the household activity of all families. They are then punished or rewarded based on the report submitted by Zao Jun.
Annapurna
Annapurna is the Indian goddess of food and nourishment.
Pretty much every Indian belonging to the Hindu religion is aware of the Annapurna goddess.
Though she is the goddess of everything that is food and nourishment related, calling her the God of Coffee would be an overstatement as coffee is not a native of the Indian land.
Pamona
Pamona is the Roman goddess of fruit trees.
The good thing here is that Pamona is one of the rare names that were not abducted from the Greek pantheon.
Talking about Pamona, she is the goddess of fruit trees, orchards, and gardens. She also protects the above and helps in their cultivation.
Now, we know that coffee is a shrub or tree and both these categories are being protected by Pamona. But to give her the title might seem too much as coffee made it to Europe only during the 15th century.
Also, she is all about the growth and nourishment of fruit trees. Since coffee berries are a little more than that, we are sure that we’d find a better contender for the title.
Demeter
Demeter is the Greek goddess of harvest and agriculture.
She is all about the grains and cereals and less about fruit trees like coffee and others.
It might look a bit harsh but we can confidently say that she is not the right fit for the title as cereals and grains are right up her alley than coffee.
God Of Coffee – Wrap Up
That’s all folks. We’ve reached the climax.
in our opinion, the closest winner to the God of Coffee is Waaqa mainly because of the fact that caffeine had its humble discovery in the land of Ethiopia.
There is no way you’re going to have a Roman god, Greek god, Mayan god, Indian god, Chinese god, or an American god.
Waaqa or Waq is the perfect choice for the God of Coffee as he is the God that Oromo people worship.
We wrote all of this with good fun in mind. The intention is not to hurt any country, culture, or its religion (Christian or other) but to find a fitting God of Coffee. If you have any objections or questions regarding this post, do let us know and we’ll get back to you at the earliest.