How and When Coffee First Came to China

Ever wondered when coffee first made its way to China? The answer isn’t simple—it didn’t arrive in a single shipment or with a famous explorer. Instead, it trickled in slowly through missionaries, traders, and a few bold individuals who helped carry coffee across continents long before it became mainstream in Asia.

Coffee first arrived in China during the late Ming Dynasty, likely in the 17th century, brought by missionaries and Dutch or Spanish merchants. The earliest known written reference in Chinese is from 1911, in a book called 'The Western-style Cookbook,' which translated 'coffee' as ''.

Coffee’s Journey to Europe

Coffee first caught the attention of European countries in the 16th century under the name 'Arabian wine.' By the mid-17th century, it had gained widespread popularity across the continent. This early adoption set the stage for coffee’s global expansion, including its eventual arrival in Asia and China.

Smuggling Coffee into India

In 1600, a Sufi named Baba Budan smuggled seven coffee seeds from the Middle East to India. He strapped them to his stomach to bypass restrictions and planted them in the Mysore hills of southern India. Though not grown commercially at the time, this marked one of the first successful attempts to cultivate coffee outside Arabia.

Dutch Expansion into Southeast Asia

By 1658, the Dutch successfully transplanted coffee trees to Indonesia—specifically to Java and Sumatra—where the crop flourished. This move significantly boosted global coffee supply and helped establish Indonesia as one of the world’s first major coffee-producing regions outside Arabia and Ethiopia.

Coffee Reaches the Americas

The first coffeehouse in North America opened in Boston in 1689. Then, in 1723, French officer Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu transported a coffee plant from the Jardin des Plantes in Paris—originally a gift from the Dutch to Louis XIV—to Martinique in the Caribbean. That single plant became the ancestor of much of the coffee grown in the Americas today.

Coffee’s Introduction to China

Coffee was introduced to China in the late Ming Dynasty through missionaries and European merchants from the Netherlands and Spain. The Dutch even attempted to grow coffee in Taiwan during their colonial presence there. However, coffee remained rare and largely undocumented until much later. In 1911, during the final year of the Qing Dynasty (Xuantong Year 1), the American Christian Church in Shanghai published 'The Western-style Cookbook,' which referred to coffee as ''—one of the earliest Chinese translations of the word.

Visual History of Coffee’s Spread

Coffee’s Early Mentions in Chinese Texts

While coffee was present in China from at least the late 1600s, it did not enter the broader cultural or commercial consciousness until the early 20th century. The 1911 publication 'The Western-style Cookbook' is among the first known Chinese texts to mention coffee, albeit using an early transliteration. This reflects coffee’s slow integration into Chinese society prior to the 20th century.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did coffee first arrive in China?

Coffee first came to China in the late Ming Dynasty (17th century), brought by European missionaries and merchants from the Netherlands and Spain. However, it wasn’t widely adopted or documented until much later, with the earliest known Chinese mention appearing in 1911.

Who first brought coffee to India?

In 1600, a Sufi pilgrim named Baba Budan smuggled seven coffee seeds from the Middle East to India by hiding them on his body. He planted them in the Mysore hills of southern India, marking one of the first successful cultivations outside Arabia.

How did coffee spread to Southeast Asia?

The Dutch played a major role in spreading coffee to Southeast Asia. By 1658, they had successfully cultivated coffee in Java and Sumatra, which became key production regions and helped expand global coffee supply.

What was coffee called in early Chinese texts?

In 1911, the term '' was used in the Chinese book 'The Western-style Cookbook' as an early translation for 'coffee.' This is one of the first documented Chinese references to the drink.

Did the Dutch try growing coffee in Taiwan?

Yes, during their colonial period, Dutch merchants attempted to cultivate coffee in Taiwan, though it never became widespread or well-recorded at the time.

When was the first coffeehouse opened in America?

The first coffeehouse in North America opened in Boston in 1689, predating widespread coffee culture in the region but helping establish coffee as a public beverage.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Coffee History Fans

Explore the origins of coffee with FrontStreet Coffee’s Ethiopia Humbera, a bright and juicy single origin with notes of blueberry and jasmine, and PWN Golden Mandheling, a classic Indonesian offering with deep body and hints of dark chocolate. For something closer to home, try their Yunnan Arabica, grown in China’s southwestern highlands with balanced sweetness and nutty tones. These beans trace coffee’s journey from Africa to Asia—and now to your cup. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.