Historical Overview
Founding
While coffee had been known to Somae since
the Threshing, the first coffeehouse did not open until over 270 years later, in 155 AM. Anharans had a confused excitement for coffee in the first few years after the war, but that faded as it proved difficult to import for a poor and destroyed Eastmarches. As Somae recovered, they attracted the interest of Tahati traders, and merchants from
Serenbar began bringing coffee back to the city.
The return of coffee to the city really found its footing with the start of the Somae Golden Age. As the consequential
Edmyr III came to power, the city also saw the establishment of Altairai. It was founded by, without a doubt, a Tahati.
His ethnicity is all that is known for sure. He was certainly charismatic, with a well-reported reputation for remembering names and stories. Surviving sources place him as coming from the
Julfar Savanna, Tahawayt, various oases towns to the east, or even Far-Serenbar. His name was perhaps Altair, though others have been given.
Coffee Boom
Altairai opened just before the agreed-upon start of the Golden Age of Somae, but much has been attributed to the energy coffee brought. Many of the famed architects of the
Galaan Period convened here, Lord Edmyr III graced it at the start of his reign, and it became the unofficial embassy for visitors from across
al-Tahat.
"The newly anointed Edmyr did today grace a novel variety of tavern found within the city, serving a rejuvenating bitter liquid consumed by the desert-dwellers." - Collegian Crier
When Altairai was the only coffeehouse in the city, keeping the doors open was difficult. As soon as a shipment of beans arrived in the city, it would be hustled up from the docks under guard and quickly sell out. The craze spread to Anharan businessmen, and shops were established along cliffs overlooking the docks. This would become known as the Winches. Coffeehouses here hoisted imported beans up from below, eventually installing cranes and diversifying the coffee available in the city.
Calming
The development of the Winches saw a decrease in the popularity of Altairai. The owners of the new coffeehouses quickly snatched up the suppliers of Altairai. Most of these were merchants from
the Mawan and Serenbar, who looked down on Anharan-Tahati hybrids of Tahawayt and gladly stopped supplying Altairai. A conglomerate excluding the Tahati-owned coffeehouse was established -
Evelyn Imports.
"The aroma of spices fills the air, and robed men deep in their books sip from tiny cups, some full of a black liquid, others golden, or somewhere in between." - Narratives of Somae
The founder of Altairai passed away during this lull in business, and his daughter, Altaira, took over - another theory for the name of the coffeehouse. Altairai became a haven for philosophers and writers searching for a quieter place to work, especially as bureaucrats swarmed to the Winches to talk politics or the news. The more effete crowd values the traditional Tahati coffee methods found here over the Anharan format of the Winches.
Srs BF&H
While many coffeehouses in Anhara function as community lecture halls, Altairai has a consistent crowd of educated, retired, and mildly wealthy academics and thinkers. It became a natural location for the selling of books. One of the ways Somae grows its world-renowned
library is by seizing books found on vessels or in travelers' bags, returning a copy and keeping the original. Many ships choose to leave the city without accepting their copy.
"Allow me to entreat - Ladies, Gentlemen - do permit me to put this ineffable piece of elegance under your protection - observe this extraordinary literary jewel!" - Auctioneer of Sirs Brodie, Fane, & Hamlyn
In 252 AM, Sir Reynaud Brodie, a customs agent managing the Rookery, began selling copies of books seized on passing ships to customers in Altairai. Eventually, this operation grew to include Sirs Fane and Hamlyn, two professors at the Academy Somae, who helped acquire rare tomes to auction at the coffeehouse. They eventually moved across the street to the corner of Exchange and the Tatirlae, founding Somae's first auction house.
Architectural Overview
Tahati Coffeehouse
Altairai is a fundamentally Tahati establishment and has remained largely within the family since its founding. While Somae prides itself on its international character and tolerance towards Tahawayt, the city's attitudes have never been consistent nor as polite as advertised. Altairai's traditional Tahati methods and character had to stand against undercutting by Anharans in the Winches, anti-Tahati backlash, and the development of Highgrove into a financial district.
"Heavy tapestries drape the walls, carpets layer over each other on the floor. The room feels insulated from the busy Exchange Street outside, a little muffled haven of authors and thinkers." - Narratives of Somae
Nevertheless, a loyal if smaller following has developed around the "traditional" Tahati coffee served here - or what Somae perceives traditional Tahati coffee to be. The walls are decorated with intricately painted blue-and-white tiles. There are tables and chairs, but many opt to sit, or lounge, on cushions on the floor. The latter is preferred by the philosophical visitors, who enjoy communal discussion, and the former by those who would prefer to interact over a game of cards or write on a surface.
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