The counterman scooped out Sumatran coffeebeans,ground them,put the grounds in a filter in the cone and poured hot water over them to give me a sample of their product.
My first batches were very uneven — some seeds roasted very dark, some very light, but still, because it was fresh it was the best coffee I had ever had!
Sometime between 575 and 850 CE, nomadic mountain warriors of the Galla tribe in Ethiopia would combine crushed coffee beans with animal fat, and snack on that for energy during long treks and warfare.