Here, Bertia.

All right, time for yo gossip.

All right, coffee is a beloved morning and afternoon beverage that can be both cozy and energizing.

But for a Swedish king in the 1700s, it wasn't just a harmless beverage that could give you bounds of energy.

It was a dangerous drink that he believed could be used to kill people.

Hear ye, hear ye!

Come forth, all Instagram bettys and crypto bros

for the most salacious gossip in the whole village.

Abby's done the work to bring you the old gossip.

So this is the late 18th century,

and Sweden was under the rule of King Gustav III,

a monarch so cultured, he threw mass balls, collected art like Pokemon cards, and wore more ruffles than a French poodle at a Renaissance fair.

But behind the powdered wigs and regal poses lay dark and percolating paranoia.

You see, Gustav had a mortal enemy.

It wasn't Denmark.

It wasn't the Russians.

No, his nemesis was, coffee.

We're going to redo that one because that wasn't as ominous as I wanted it to be.

It wasn't as dramatic as you wanted, okay?

It wasn't Denmark. It wasn't the Russians. His nemesis was coffee.

Thank you. There we go. I'm way more into it now.

I had to Gustav coffee was the devil's brew. It was an imported menace that threatened the moral fiber of Swedish society.

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