Whether it is mocha java, kahveh, a cuppa joe, or half-decaf, skim, no-whip latte, coffee seems to be everywhere - even in Beijing's Forbidden City [since closed]. But this ubiquitous pick-me-up was not always so prevalent nor always so popular. At varying times a carefully guarded secret, at others a banned drink, these did not prevent the dark brew and its aroma from spreading from its place of origin in Ethiopia to the world.