In the Middle Ages and the early years of the Modern Era not many citizens of the United Kingdom were aware of tea or coffee. Only travelers were aware of such things. The common folk usually had beer at breakfast. But, slowly tea and coffee began to gain popularity as did chocolate. So, along with tea parlor*, cafés, and chocolate houses also began to flourish.

The first coffee-house in London was started in St. Michael’s Alley, Cornhill, in 1652 and the first tea-house was opened in Exchange Alley in 1657 and in the same year a Frenchman opened the first chocolate-house in Queen’s Head Alley, Bishopsgate Street. The rise in popularity of chocolate led to chocolate houses sprouting like Starbucks. You can sit and sip chocolate, or purchase the commodity for preparation at home in a chocolate house (sounds like Starbucks?). You can buy chocolate in London for ten shillings or fifteen shillings per pound - just like coffee from Starbucks. Course if you want to be economical you can buy Flavia Coffee. Chocolate houses were full of aristocrats enjoying their chocolate

The literature from that era such as comedies, satirical essays, memoirs and private letters of frequently mention chocolate. Getting into the habit of drinking chocolate was deemed a token of elegant and fashionable taste. The physicians extolled its medicinal virtues. Of course anything exotic, including chocolate was considered to have medicinal values. The club is is common scene in a English man’s life. These clubs evolved from your run of the mill coffee house - starbucks - and to something more aristocratic, which eventually became like a chocolate house.

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tags: chocolate, chocolate houses, chocolate clubs, starbucks, flavia coffee

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