The Church declared coffee “ the devil’s drink”, until Pope Clement VIII decided to sanctify it in the 15th Century. In the 17th Century, scientists also believed that coffee was a poison, adding that "on the Day of Judgement, anyone who has drunk it will emerge from the tomb as black as coffee grounds".

In the 18th Century, King Gustav III of Sweden inadvertently proved that coffee was in fact completely harmless. Believing it to be poison, the king signed a death sentence, for people to be executed by drinking coffee. It is said that despite receiving large doses, the two guilty parties survived well into their 80’s.