Find out “17 Facts About Coffee You Probably Didn’t Know” Coffee is one of the most popular drinks on the planet, and rightfully so. Its rich aroma and flavor have been capturing the hearts of coffee lovers for centuries. But did you know there is more to coffee than meets the eye? In this article, we’ll uncover 10 facts about coffee that you probably didn’t know. From its origins to its effects on our brains and bodies, let’s explore the amazing world of coffee and all it has to offer!
The History of Coffee
Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans, which are the seeds of berries from the Coffea plant. The genus Coffea is native to tropical Africa, and Madagascar, the Comoros, Mauritius, and Réunion in the Indian Ocean. The plant was exported from Africa to countries around the world. Coffee plants are now cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in the equatorial regions of the Americas, Southeast Asia, India, and Africa. The two most commonly grown are C. arabica and C. robusta. Once ripe, coffee berries are picked by hand, processed, and dried.
The seeds inside the berries are then roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor. They are then ground and brewed with near-boiling water to produce coffee as a beverage. Coffee is slightly acidic and can have a stimulating effect on humans because of its caffeine content. It is one of the most popular drinks in the world,[1] and it can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways (e.g., espresso or caffè latte).
Coffee beans contain a number of natural phenols including Quinine which has an bitter taste; Niacin (Vitamin B3); Chlorogenic acids; trigonelline; cafestol; kahweol; eugenol; quercetin; rutin etc… These natural phenols have antioxidant activity that protect cells from damage caused by free radicals.
The history of coffee dates back to the 15th century in Ethiopia, where it was discovered by a goat herder named Kaldi. Legend has it that Kaldi discovered coffee after he noticed that his goats became more energetic after eating the berries from a certain tree. He then shared his discovery with the local monastery, and knowledge of the energizing effects of the berries began to spread throughout the region. From there, coffee spread to Egypt and Yemen, and by the 16th century, it had reached Persia, Turkey, and northern Africa.
How Coffee is Made
Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world, and millions of people drink it every day. But how is coffee made?
Coffee beans are actually the seeds of a fruit called a coffee cherry. The cherries are picked by hand, and then the beans are extracted and dried. Once they’re dried, the beans are roasted to bring out their flavor.
After roasting, the beans are ground up and brewed with water to make coffee. The type of coffee you end up with depends on the beans you use, how you roast them, and how you brew them.
There are many different ways to make coffee, and each person has their own preferences. But no matter how you make it, coffee is always a delicious and refreshing beverage.
The Different Types of Coffee Beans
There are two types of coffee beans: Arabica and Robusta. Arabica beans are the most popular type of coffee bean. They grow in Central and South America, Africa, and Arabia. They make up about 60% of the world’s coffee production. Robusta beans are a harder, more bitter bean that grows in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Africa. They make up about 40% of the world’s coffee production.
The Different Types of Coffee Drinks
There are many different types of coffee drinks, each with its own unique flavor and characteristics. Some of the most popular coffee drinks include:
- Espresso: This is a strong, concentrated coffee that is usually served in small cups. It has a very bold flavor and can be enjoyed on its own or with milk or sugar.
- Cappuccino: This is a popular Italian coffee drink that is made with espresso and steamed milk. It has a creamy texture and a foamy top.
- Latte: This is another popular coffee drink that is made with espresso and steamed milk. However, it has more milk than a cappuccino and less foam.
- Americano: This is a coffee drink that is made by diluting espresso with hot water. It has a weaker flavor than regular espresso but still retains its boldness.
- Mocha: This is a coffee drink that combines chocolate and coffee flavors. It is made with espresso, chocolate syrup, and steamed milk.
How to Make the Perfect Cup of Coffee
To make the perfect cup of coffee, you will need:
- Freshly ground coffee beans
- A clean coffee filter
- A coffee maker
- Water that is at a rolling boil
Start by bringing the water to a boil. While the water is boiling, grind your coffee beans. You should grind the beans until they are a fine powder. Once the water has reached a rolling boil, remove it from the heat and let it cool for 30 seconds. This step is important because if the water is too hot, it will scald the coffee and make it bitter. After 30 seconds, pour the hot water into your coffee maker and add the ground coffee to the filter. The ratio of coffee to water should be about 1 tablespoon of coffee per 6 ounces of water. Let the coffee brew for 3-4 minutes and then enjoy!
Health Benefits of Coffee
Coffee is not only one of the most popular beverages in the world, but it’s also packed with health benefits. Coffee is a great source of antioxidants and has been shown to improve brain function, protect against Alzheimer’s and dementia, lower the risk of death, and even help you lose weight.
So what are the health benefits of coffee? Let’s take a look:
1. Coffee is a great source of antioxidants.
2. Coffee has been shown to improve brain function.
3. Coffee can help protect against Alzheimer’s and dementia.
4. Coffee may lower the risk of death.
5. Coffee can help you lose weight.
Side Effects of Drinking Too Much Coffee
Coffee is a great way to wake up in the morning, but too much coffee can have some negative side effects. Drinking more than four cups of coffee a day can lead to anxiety, restlessness, and insomnia. Too much caffeine can also cause an upset stomach, diarrhea, and headaches. If you find that you’re experiencing any of these side effects, try cutting back on your coffee intake.
17 Things You Didn’t Know About Coffee
The first one happened circa 1511 in Mecca, Saudi Arabia because the governor thought it encouraged people to hang out and brainstorm ways to overthrow him. Eventually, the rule was overturned and order was restored. Thank goodness, because that would not fly today. For more fun trivia about the world’s most beloved beverage, here are 17 things you didn’t know about coffee.
1. It wasn’t always called ‘coffee’
People surmise the word “coffee” entered the English language sometime in the 16th century. Apparently, it was borrowed from the Italian word “caffe,” which comes from the Dutch word “koffie,” taken from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” which stemmed from Arabic “qahwah.”
2. Coffee beans are actually cherry seeds
Coffee comes from a flowering bush-like plant that grows cherries. Once ripened, they’re picked, processed and dried. Each cherry contains two or three seeds, which the average person would recognize as coffee “beans.” The plant’s fruit isn’t very pulpy, but it is edible. Taste depends on the growing area, climate, and other factors, but the general consensus is that they’re sweet like honey.
3. One origin story is pretty humorous
Legend has it an Ethiopian herdsman named Kaldi discovered the coffee plant circa 850 A.D. As the tale goes, his goats became crazy energetic after nibbling on the small, red fruit of a bush. Kaldi tried them out himself and gleefully brought them to an Islamic monk, but the monk disapproved and threw them into a fire, prompting the familiar smell of delicious coffee. Everyone panicked and raked the beans to save them from the flames, then ground them, dissolved them in hot water, and voila! The world’s first cup of coffee was born. Although the story is entertaining, experts warn it’s probably made up and there are too many other accounts to confirm which one is true.
4. Happy wife, happy life
By the late 15th century, coffee shops were everywhere in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul). The drink had become such a huge part of the Turkish culture that, according to legend, a law was created that gave any woman the power to divorce her husband if he neglected to provide her with an adequate amount of coffee. Understandable, right?
5. Brewed coffee has more caffeine than espresso per serving
People ordering espresso might think they’re getting more bang in espresso because it’s a more concentrated form of coffee, but according to the USDA, there’s only 64 milligrams of caffeine in one serving (1 fluid ounce). Coffee has 95 milligrams of caffeine in one serving (8 fluid ounces).
6. The lighter the roast, the more caffeine
As a general rule of thumb, the lighter the bean, the more caffeine it has. So, a light roast is most likely to wake you up in the a.m. — or carry you through a lull in the afternoon — followed by a medium roast, and lastly a dark roast. As far as the type of coffee, reach for cold brew over iced or drip coffee on particularly groggy mornings. It has the most caffeine.
7. You can overdose on it
A life-threatening caffeine overdose is extremely rare, but it is possible. According to a medical review from 2018, most deaths are accidental and the culprit is over-the-counter medication, not beverages. The FDA suggests drinking 400 milligrams of caffeine per day at maximum to stay safe. That’s an estimated four 8-ounce cups of brewed coffee. More could lead to migraines, increased heart rate, muscle tremors, nausea and dysphoria. More serious side effects, including seizures and hallucinations, are likely to happen with the consumption of 1,200 milligrams of caffeine or more.
8. These high-profile people had crazy coffee habits
Writer François-Marie Arouet, better known as Voltaire, reportedly drank 40 to 50 cups of a chocolate-coffee mixture each day. Although this is much more than the suggested daily intake, the world-famous thinker lived a lengthy life and died when he was 83 years old. Similarly, it’s alleged that former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt drank a gallon of coffee per day and died at age 60 after a blood clot traveled from his leg to his lungs. Though it’s unknown just how many cups he had daily, Beethoven would count exactly 60 beans to each serving — no more, no less.
9. Bach wrote a song about coffee
Circa 1735, Johann Sebastian Bach penned “Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht,” also known as the “Coffee Cantata.” In the song, a father-daughter duo argues about how she drinks too much coffee and that’s why she doesn’t have a lover. Alas, if she gave it up she’d “become so upset that I would be like a dried-up piece of roast goat.” Yikes. When her father gives her an ultimatum, she lies to please him. While he’s out finding her a husband, she secretly tells potential suitors they must let her drink coffee if they want to marry her.
10. Coffee sent Brazil to the Olympics
Brazil couldn’t afford to send its 69 athletes to Los Angeles for the Summer Olympics in 1932, so they put them on a ship with 50,000 sacks of coffee and sold the beans at different ports along the way. Good thing Brazil has been the world’s largest coffee producer for more than 150 years, so they had beans to spare.
11. It inspired the world’s first webcam
In 1991, researchers at the University of Cambridge in England set up a camera feeding a live picture of a coffee machine in the “Trojan Room” so employees could see whether or not the pot was full. If they could see ahead of time that it was empty, it’d save them a trip and inevitable disappointment. A couple years later, the camera was connected to the internet and soon became an international sensation. People watched from all corners of the world until it was turned off for good in 2001.
12. Fun-suckers tried to ban it a bunch of times
The first recorded crackdown on coffee happened in Mecca circa 1511 because the governor thought it encouraged people to hang out and brainstorm ways to de-throne him. In 1524, the order was overturned and people could drink coffee once more. One legend claims that Italian clergymen tried to make coffee illegal around 1600 because they thought its side effects were “satanic,” but Pope Clement VIII loved the drink, so he declared that coffee should be baptized instead of banned. Occasional bans occurred in parts of the Ottoman Empire, and in 1633 Sultan Murad IV actually made drinking coffee in public in the capital punishable by death. Coffee was banned in Sweden multiple times due to health-related speculations, and it was almost banned in Prussia because the king wanted people to drink more beer instead.
13. Women once believed it turned men into useless corpses
In the late 1600s, men in London used the coffee shop as a gathering place to write and talk politics. Apparently, this ticked off many of their wives, who penned a pamphlet for “The Women’s Petition Against Coffee” — or as they liked to say, a “newfangled, abominable, heathenish liquor called coffee.” It’s unconfirmed whether or not women actually wrote the pamphlet (coffee shops were perceived by many men as places of gossip and political unrest also), but either way, you have to admit the content is prime: “For can any woman of sense or spirit endure with patience that when… she approaches her nuptial bed, expecting a man that… should answer the vigour of her flames, she on the contrary should only meet a bedful of bones, and hug a meager useless corpse?”
14. We spend a lot of money buying coffee
The average American spends about $1,100 on coffee each year, according to a 2016 study by investment app Acorn. An estimated 34 percent spent more money on coffee than investments. (Wait, coffee isn’t an investment?) This year, The Daily Meal found that we spend $4.63 on coffee every weekday, which amounts to $1,208.43 per year if we don’t buy coffee on the weekend.
15. New York City has the most coffee shops in the U.S. per capita
According to a 2018 study by Wallet Hub, New York City has the most coffee shops, coffee houses and cafés per capita. (Maybe it’s no coincidence that the Big Apple takes first for most doughnut shops per capita, too.) Runners up include San Francisco, California; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; and Las Vegas, Nevada.
16. Coffee is grown in just two states
Most coffee comes from high-altitude soil in Latin America and Africa, but it’s harvested right here in America as well. The only two states able to grow coffee commercially are Hawaii and California. The crop also grows in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory.
17. Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer
You may already know this, considering it’s held the title for more than 150 years now, but Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer. Data shows that the country is responsible for a third of the globe’s coffee production. Vietnam is responsible for about half as much, followed by Columbia and Indonesia.
Conclusion
Whether you’re an avid coffee drinker or not, it can’t be denied that coffee has a fascinating history and is one of the most popular drinks in the world. We hope this article’s 10 facts about coffee have been informative and interesting for you! So brew up a cup of your favorite blend and enjoy learning about its unique origins with every sip.
Continue to check our website for more articles of this kind. And, please use our comment section as well, we would love to hear from you.
