In 1833, the leader of the Mormon Church, Joseph Smith, set out an edict known as The Word of Wisdom (think – the Mormon version of going kosher.) One of the statements includes a warning against “hot drinks,” which has been interpreted to mean coffee and tea.
This abstinence from coffee is a pretty important symbolic gesture, central to a Mormon’s identity. So I guess you could say that my (Mormon Girl’s) active choice to become a coffee geek, to plunge headlong into a world that for over 40 years was totally off limits and forbidden to me…well, I guess that’s symbolic too. I’m not quite sure what it all means…but I guess I’ll try to figure it out here…along with drinking lots of yummy coffee!
Mormon Girl's Guide to Good Coffee 