![]() (Incidentally, the King was later assassinated, but by members of the nobility rather than the public. Coffee may have been dangerous-but to the crown, rather than to the public’s health. One theory is that his anti-coffee movement was born of a fear of social gatherings, gossiping, and plots against the monarchy arising from anti-Royal sentiment. While the study didn’t prove Gustav III correct, we’re not sure that he really cared about the medical effects of coffee so much as about royal security. Unfortunately for Gustav III, the tea-drinking twin died first at the ripe old age of 83, after both the doctors and the King had already died. Two doctors supervised and recorded the results. One was required to drink three pots of coffee a day, the other three cups of tea, until their deaths. Convicted criminals, the twins had their death sentences reduced to life imprisonment in exchange for their participation in the experiment. So why did Gustav III do this? Did he really believe coffee was that dangerous? Well, he was so determined to prove its “ill effects” on health that he ordered an ethically dodgy experiment (later described as Sweden’s first clinical trial) on a set of identical twins. Later he banned tea and coffee consumption altogether. Failure to pay the tax attracted fines and the confiscation of cups and crockery. During his first year of rule, he issued a royal order against coffee and tea, imposing heavy taxes on the consumption of them. The movement against coffee reached its zenith in the reign of King Gustav III (1746-92), who believed it was dangerous. Kaffehus (coffeehouses) were typically found in shipping ports and patronised by sailors and other people considered unsavoury-a damning indictment in the eighteenth century. Yet despite the smooth start, coffee-already seen as unsuitable for women-soon acquired a seedy reputation. It grew in popularity in the 1700s after King Karl XII, after experiencing it in Turkey, developed a taste for it. (v) to have a coffee-break SEE ALSO: Coffee Shop Culture According To A Coffee Pro: Introduction History of Fika : Bans, Conspiracy Theories, and Secret MeetingsĬoffee first appeared in Sweden in 1685, and was easily available in pharmacies within 3 years. It’s a ritual: an action that can only be described as fika. Nordic countries are among the world’s biggest consumers of coffee, so this shouldn’t be a surprise-yet there’s something different about coffee consumption in Sweden. Despite being banned on multiple occasions (yes, you read that right), coffee has become an integral part of Swedish culture. It might be a controversial claim, but if you ask me, no one gets more excited about an invitation to drink coffee than a Swede.
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