It is doubtless that Louis XIV’s desire to obtain a coffee tree was driven by his wish to avoid having to deal through Arab traders and pay the ensuing markup. The Arab traders controlling the trade made attractive margins supplying coffee to Europe. The Dutch, driven by the same desire, were the first to successfully import and propagate a live plant in Europe, though there is almost no place in Europe where the plant would thrive except for in its greenhouses. It took several tries for the king of France to obtain a plant that would survive, as he finally did from the municipality of Amsterdam in 1714. The single 5-foot tree given Louis XIV was planted at the Jardin de Plantes, after a ceremonial reception. The Jardin des Plantes was overseen by the King’s Physician. It contained both exotic “collectible” plants from around the world as well a medicinal herb garden. And with this plant starts the lineage of almost all coffee plants found in the Carribean, Mexico, Central America, and South America.