{"id":13002,"date":"2021-05-19T09:00:08","date_gmt":"2021-05-19T09:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=13002"},"modified":"2021-05-13T12:19:52","modified_gmt":"2021-05-13T12:19:52","slug":"die-kaffeeriecher-the-coffee-sniffers-of-germany","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/die-kaffeeriecher-the-coffee-sniffers-of-germany\/","title":{"rendered":"Die Kaffeeriecher: The Coffee Sniffers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guten Tag! Today\u2019s post is about one of my favourite things \u2013 coffee! We\u2019ve talked about coffee (der Kaffee)<\/strong> a few times on the blog, including this post on Germany\u2019s Kaffee und Kuchen Kultur<\/strong> <\/a>(coffee and cake culture), and this one,<\/a> which talks about a scam called die Kaffeefahrt<\/strong>. In today\u2019s post, however, we\u2019re going back in time to the 18th Century to learn about a group of people called die Kaffeeriecher: <\/strong>the coffee sniffers!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"kaffeeriecher\"

Photo by Jonathan Sanchez<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

<\/h2>\n

Die Kaffeeriecher: The Coffee Sniffers<\/h2>\n

Firstly, let\u2019s look at the word itself! Der Kaffee<\/strong> is the German word for coffee<\/em>. Riechen<\/strong> is the verb \u2018to smell\u2019 or \u2018to sniff\u2019. To be a \u2018Riecher\u2019 means to be a \u2018sniffer\u2019, and in this case, the word is referring to a group of people, hence the feminine article (die). Der Riecher<\/strong> is also an alternative way of saying die Nase<\/strong> (nose).<\/p>\n

The term Kaffeeschn\u00fcffler<\/strong> is sometimes used instead of Kaffeeriecher<\/strong>. Schn\u00fcffler comes from the verb schn\u00fcffeln,<\/strong> meaning ‘to sniff’.<\/em> However, it also means \u2018to snoop around\u2019<\/em> \u2013 and this is very appropriate, given the nature of the Kaffeeschn\u00fcffler!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Who were the Kaffeeriecher\/Kaffeeschn\u00fcffler?<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s go back to the 18th Century, when Germany was still the Kingdom of Prussia (K\u00f6nigreich Preu\u00dfen)<\/strong>. Following the Siebenj\u00e4hrigen Krieg<\/strong> (Seven Years War, 1756 \u2013 1763), Prussia\u2019s treasury was leer<\/strong> (empty), so Friedrich II, the king at the time, made some changes in an attempt to boost the economy again. His goal was to get people consuming food and drink items from inside the Kingdom, so coffee, which was imported from across the border, was out. The state took over coffee roasting, with only state-owned and approved Kaffeer\u00f6stereien<\/strong> (coffee roasters) allowed to brew coffee. Any coffee that was available was sold at a hugely inflated price, so only the very well-off could afford it. Friedrich II wanted people to drink locally brewed das Bier<\/strong> (beer), or a coffee alternative made using der Chicoree<\/strong> (chicory), instead.<\/p>\n

Whilst some accepted the alternatives, others turned to smuggling foreign coffee into the country. The coffee beans themselves were easy to smuggle (schmuggeln<\/strong> \u2013 to smuggle), but once in the country, one thing was harder to hide: the delightful smell of the coffee while it was roasting!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"kafferiecher\"

Photo by Battlecreek Coffee Roasters<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Friedrich knew coffee smuggling was a problem, so, to seek out anyone who was illegally smuggling and roasting coffee, he hired 400 people to work as Kaffeeriecher<\/strong>. These people \u2013 all of whom were die<\/strong> Soldaten<\/strong> (soldiers) who had been injured during the war – would walk the streets, and even search people\u2019s houses sniffing for coffee<\/em>, seeking out anyone who was roasting the drink without a permit. Offenders were fined if caught, though this didn’t deter people very much and the smuggling continued.<\/p>\n

The rules were lifted and the Kaffeeriecher\u2019s jobs came to an end in 1787, following Friedrich II\u2019s Tod<\/strong> (death), and people were free to enjoy good quality coffee once more.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"kaffeeriecher\"

Photo by Julia Solonina<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

<\/h3>\n

I hope you enjoyed this post! Here is some related vocabulary that you may find useful:<\/h3>\n

Die Kaffeer\u00f6sterei \u2013 Coffee roaster<\/p>\n

Das Schwarzbrennen \u2013 Roasting illegally\/without license<\/p>\n

Die Kaffeebohnen \u2013 Coffee beans<\/p>\n

Der Kaffeekonsum \u2013 Coffee consumption<\/p>\n

r\u00f6sten \u2013 to roast<\/p>\n

importieren \u2013 to import<\/p>\n

schmuggeln \u2013 to smuggle<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"kafferiecher\"

Guten Tag! Today\u2019s post is about one of my favourite things \u2013 coffee! We\u2019ve talked about coffee (der Kaffee) a few times on the blog, including this post on Germany\u2019s Kaffee und Kuchen Kultur (coffee and cake culture), and this one, which talks about a scam called die Kaffeefahrt. In today\u2019s post, however, we\u2019re going…<\/p>\n

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