Do you love your morning coffee? Are you one of those people who can’t start their day without a cup? You are not alone.
Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world after oil as well as the second most consumed beverage. Recent statistics show that worldwide, the daily consumption comes in at a staggering 2.25 billions cups.
Here are 50 interesting facts about coffee that you may not know. Even about historical events and people that coffee impacted or played a part in.
So grab yourself a cup to sip on while you read this.
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Pixabay
1. Coffee beans come from fruit.
Although coffee beans look a lot like actual beans, they are not. They are a seed that’s found in the hit of a red or purple coffee berry that are about the size of the great.
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Pixabay
2. Finns love their coffee
Finland is the greatest coffee loving country in the world. According to statistics from the International Coffee Association, Finland’s coffee consumption per person is over 26 pounds annually.
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Pixabay
3. Coffee powered cars.
Coffee has been turned into a biodiesel. In March 2010, a coffee powered 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco drove 209 miles using 56 espressos per mile and achieving speed of 60 mph.
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Pixabay
4. Coffee started as food.
Before 1,000 CE coffee berries were blended with animal fat in tribes of East Africa and eaten as a nourishing snack.
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Pixabay
5. Coffee is good for you.
The American heart Association as reported that regular consumption of coffee reduces the risk of type II diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. The risk of cardiovascular disease is also reduced.
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Pixabay
6. Humans drink a lot of coffee.
Around the globe humans drink an estimated 2.2 5,000,000,000 cups of coffee every day. In the US, the average daily intake is 3 cups.
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Pixabay
7. Keep it hot with cream.
If you want to keep your coffee hotter longer, and some cream. Cream will increase the viscosity of coffee and reduce the rate of heat loss due to evaporation.
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Pixabay
8. Coffee can be lethal.
Depending on your body weight, if you were to drink 70 to 100 cups of coffee, it could kill you. However, the chances of this happening are rare.
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Pixabay
9. The most expensive coffee.
A coffee called Black Ivory Coffee is the most expensive and rare in the world. Arabica beans are first eaten by elephants in Thailand, and then extracted from their poop.
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Wikipedia
10. The largest cup of coffee.
Caffe Bene holds the world record for the largest cup of iced coffee. The cup was 10’10” high, 3’4” wide, and contained 3,578 gallons.
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Wikipedia
11. We spend a lot on coffee.
The average American spends more than $20 a week on coffee. And that up, and it’s almost $1100 a year.
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Pixabay
12. Calorie counting?
If you are worried about calories, learn to enjoy your coffee without sugar. A cup of black coffee only contains 2 calories.
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Pixabay
13. It’s good for digestion.
Hot coffee contains more acid than iced or cold brewed coffee. It has a chlorogenic acid compound that triggers the secretion of gastric acid and speeds up the digestion of food.
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Pixabay
14. Arabica and Robusta.
These are the two major types of coffees grown for consumption, with the first being the most popular. Robusta has twice the amount of caffeine and also has higher levels of chlorogenic acid.
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Pixabay
15. Brazil produces the most coffee beans.
Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world, and has been since the early 1800s, they are responsible for about 30% of the world’s coffee production.
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Pixabay
16. Pressed coffee.
Espresso refers to the brewing process of coffee. Water is pressed through fine ground coffee at just under the boiling point.
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Pixabay
17. Decaf facts.
Decaffeinated coffee is not 100% decaffeinated. However, it does contain significantly less caffeine than regular coffee or green or black tea.
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Coffee Geek
18. Not just for drinking.
Coffee grounds are also used in beauty products. They make an excellent scrub, and are often added to soaps and other beauty products.
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Pixabay
19. Instant coffee isn’t a new thing.
Who knew instant coffee had been around for so long. The first version was invented in England in 1771.
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Pixabay
20. Beethoven loved his coffee.
He was something of a coffee addict. Not to mention obsessive, since it’s been reported that he would actually count the number of beans to make sure each cup had 60 beans of coffee in it.
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Pixabay
21. Coffee may be good for your cat.
It’s believed that diuretic coffee can strengthen the kidneys of a cat. Cats who drink coffee have broken the Guinness World Records for oldest living cats.
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Pixabay
22. Coffee was discovered by a goat herder.
It was a goat herder in Ethiopia that noticed how his goats reacted after eating red berries. He decided to try them himself and was impressed at how much more lively they made him
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PxHere
23. What cappuccino really means.
The word cappuccino has to do with color. Specifically, that brown color of the robes of Capuchin monks in Italy.
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Pixabay
24. Cat Crap coffee.
Okay, they’re not cats. There actually civets, our little cat like. Like the elephants mentioned above, they eat the berries, and their partially digested beans are pooped out and cleaned by farmers. This is one of the most expensive coffees in the world.
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Pixabay
25. Dark roast.
Dark roast coffee does not mean it has more caffeine. The beans are larger because of the heating process which expands them and deepens their color.
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Pixabay
26. Welcome to America.
Coffee has been in America since the 17th century. The first coffeehouse opened in Boston in the late 1600s, but it wasn’t until the late 1700s that it became in demand.
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Pixabay
27. The first to be freeze-dried.
Coffee was the first food product to ever be freeze-dried. This was done in 1938 by Nestlé in order to keep up with the surplus coming out of Brazil.
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Wikipedia
28. Your morning cup of Java.
The cortisol hormone which rises as soon as you wake up, falls within three hours. So typically, the best time of the day to drink your coffee without stressing your body is between 9:30 AM at 11:30 AM
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Pixabay
29. Second most recognizable scent in America.
Do you know what the most recognizable scents in the US are? In order, they are coffee, peanut butter, and roses.
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Pixabay
30. Don’t drink it when you’re pregnant.
Okay, this one isn’t too surprising. I would imagine most people know that pregnant women should not drink coffee. Or at least they should drink very little of it.
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Pixabay
31. There is a national coffee day.
Every September 29 is National Coffee Day in the US. Many places will even serve it free.
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PxHere
32. Schools for the wise.
If you visit a coffeehouse in Turkey, they are called Schools for the Wise. Since 1475 coffee drinkers would congregate to talk about current events and share knowledge. Thus, the name Schools for the Wise.
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Pixabay
33. Coffee trees grow fast.
Coffee trees mature in 3 to 4 years. This is from the time the seed is planted to win the berries are ripe enough to pick.
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Pixabay
34. Only two states grow coffee.
There are only two states in the US to grow coffee trees. This is Hawaii and California. They are the only places that have the correct soil composition.
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Pixabay
35. Second most popular.
Coffee is the second most popular drink in the world. It is second to tea, which is the most consumed beverage.
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Pixabay
36. Coffee shops or band at one time.
Some governments felt that coffee shops were dangerous. This is because people gathered there to discuss revolutionary issues, and governments felt that rebellions could be planned while there.
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Pixabay
37. The Boston tea party.
Perhaps there was some truth to number 36 where governments banned coffeehouses. The Boston Tea Party was partially planned while at a coffee shop.
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Pixabay
38. Coffee contains more than 1200 chemical compounds.
The chemical makeup of coffee is quite complex. Because of this it requires optimal brewing conditions, since this is the only way to achieve maximum flavor and aroma while at the same time preserving its oils.
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Pixabay
39. Arabica is the most popular coffee.
Over 70% of all coffee consumed is made with arabica beans. Some feel that it is a better quality coffee, and its popular because it has a sweeter flavor and less caffeine than Robusta.
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Wikipedia
40. Heavily traded commodity.
After oil, many claim that coffee is the second most traded product in the world. And if, one day, we are fueling our vehicles with it, that will only increase.
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Pixabay
41. Just add milk.
It was back in the 17th century that a French doctor first recommended that milk be added to coffee to reduce some of its acidity. Thus, café au lait was born.
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Pixabay
42. George Constant Louis Washington.
There was another George Washington. This one is credited for starting the mass production of instant coffee, which was popular on the battlefields of World War I.
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Pixabay
43. Coffee helps fight depression.
Due to its number of stimulants and antioxidants coffee is said to help combat depression. A Harvard research study found that women who drank more caffeinated coffee had a lower risk of depression.
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Pixabay
44. Coffee is full of antioxidants.
Yet another reason to drink coffee. Antioxidants are powerful in their ability to keep the body healthy.
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Pixabay
45. Coffee addict.
Honoré de Balzac, a 19th-century French playwright and writer would binge on about 50 cups of coffee every day. He even documented his addiction in an essay entitled The Pleasures and Pains of Coffee.
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Wikipedia
46. Tall trees.
The coffee tree can grow up to 30 feet in height, and in the right environment live up to 100 years. 60 inches of annual rainfall is necessary for both Arabica and Robusta varieties.
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Pixabay
47. Red berries contain beans.
Coffee berries are not harvested until they are red. At this point the bean has fully developed.
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Pixabay
48. A cup of coffee with your medicine.
Drinking coffee with many medications enhances their effectiveness. For example, a cup of coffee with ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help reduce headache.
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Pixabay
49. A watched pot.
Cambridge University installed its first webcam in order to keep an eye on the coffee pot. This was done in 1991 so that the coffee supply could be monitored from the desks of two doctors.
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Pixabay
50. The average barista.
We all know that experience comes hand-in-hand with age. The average age of a barista in Italy is 45, and th they e train for 2 to 3 years.
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Pixabay
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