Coffee! - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Hilde Bracegirdle · 10-30-2006, 03:13 PM

A few more thoughts.

Coffee could conceivably been brought up to Bree, the Shire hobbits obtaining it through that market.

Or a traveler, addicted to coffee, could have visited north and made his/her own substitution for the drink, dubbing that ‘coffee’. Neither readers, narrators nor hobbits would be the wiser.

JennyHallu · 10-31-2006, 08:40 AM

*quietly climbs off soapbox* Sorry.

I do disagree with Lal though...I think there are other considerations here than she's looking at.

Thinlómien · 11-01-2006, 03:52 AM

What if it is this simple: in Tolkien's Middle-Earth coffee grew in colder climate than in our world? Wouldn't be the only difference between the two worlds.

I mean, if a book has elves, hobbits, dwarves and orcs etc prancing around (not to mention balrogs and such) is it really any wonder that in such a world coffee may grow in a different climate than in our world?

Hilde Bracegirdle · 11-01-2006, 04:31 AM

Yes, perhaps a strain of coffee plant that has since died out. A precurser of Coffea robusta that went the way of Australopithecus robustus.

Lalwendë · 11-01-2006, 06:23 AM

Well yes! It is after all fantasy, and it does have many odder things than coffee that grows in strange climates.

The Shire could indeed (going right back to the need for scientific explanation of course) have micro-climates. Would anyone here believe that palm trees not only grow but bear fruit on Scotland's west coast? Well that's due to the gulf stream. Even odder, I live at high altitude in a city that's already at high altitude, on the lee of the Pennines in Northern England and I can grow tropical plants in my garden.

There is also the possibility of a changed climate. Did Mount Doom and Sauron's industry contribute to global warming? It would certainly explain the extreme weather Middle-earth could get, the harsh winters they'd had (which brought down Wolves from the North), and maybe uncommonly hot summers, seasonal shifts which might vary wildly from region to region.

10-31-2006, 08:40 AM	#2
JennyHallu The Pearl, The Lily Maid Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In my luxury Barrow, snuggled up in a pile of satin pillows, eating fresh fruit. Posts: 1,628	quietly climbs off soapbox Sorry. I do disagree with Lal though...I think there are other considerations here than she's looking at. __________________ <=== Lookee, lookee, lots of IM handles!

11-01-2006, 03:52 AM	#3
Thinlómien Shady She-Penguin Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: In a far land beyond the Sea Posts: 8,093	What if it is this simple: in Tolkien's Middle-Earth coffee grew in colder climate than in our world? Wouldn't be the only difference between the two worlds. I mean, if a book has elves, hobbits, dwarves and orcs etc prancing around (not to mention balrogs and such) is it really any wonder that in such a world coffee may grow in a different climate than in our world? __________________ Like the stars chase the sun, over the glowing hill I will conquer Blood is running deep, some things never sleep Double Fenris

11-01-2006, 04:31 AM	#4
Hilde Bracegirdle Relic of Wandering Days Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: You'll See Perpetual Change. Posts: 1,480	Yes, perhaps a strain of coffee plant that has since died out. A precurser of Coffea robusta that went the way of Australopithecus robustus. Last edited by Hilde Bracegirdle; 11-01-2006 at 11:22 AM.

11-01-2006, 06:23 AM	#5
Lalwendë A Mere Boggart Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: under the bed Posts: 4,737	Well yes! It is after all fantasy, and it does have many odder things than coffee that grows in strange climates. The Shire could indeed (going right back to the need for scientific explanation of course) have micro-climates. Would anyone here believe that palm trees not only grow but bear fruit on Scotland's west coast? Well that's due to the gulf stream. Even odder, I live at high altitude in a city that's already at high altitude, on the lee of the Pennines in Northern England and I can grow tropical plants in my garden. There is also the possibility of a changed climate. Did Mount Doom and Sauron's industry contribute to global warming? It would certainly explain the extreme weather Middle-earth could get, the harsh winters they'd had (which brought down Wolves from the North), and maybe uncommonly hot summers, seasonal shifts which might vary wildly from region to region. __________________ Gordon's alive!

10-30-2006, 03:13 PM	#1
Hilde Bracegirdle Relic of Wandering Days Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: You'll See Perpetual Change. Posts: 1,480	A few more thoughts. Coffee could conceivably been brought up to Bree, the Shire hobbits obtaining it through that market. Or a traveler, addicted to coffee, could have visited north and made his/her own substitution for the drink, dubbing that ‘coffee’. Neither readers, narrators nor hobbits would be the wiser.