Historians define English coffeehouses as public social houses during the 17th and 18th centuries; in which patrons would assemble for conversation and social interaction; while taking part in the newly emerging coffee consumption habits of the time. Travellers introduced coffee as a beverage to England during the mid-17th century.

For the price of a penny; customers purchased a cup of coffee and admission to a coffeehouse; where men engaged in conversation. Topics discussed within the coffeehouses included politics and political scandals; daily gossip; fashion; current events; and debates surrounding philosophy and the natural sciences. Historians often associate English coffeehouses; during the 17th and 18th centuries; to the intellectual and cultural history of the Age of Enlightenment.