Energize Your Day With These 10 Fun Coffee Facts.
Coffee is a beloved drink with a rich history. Originating from Ethiopia, it is now appreciated as a treat worldwide. Throughout history, some have tried banning it, others have used it as a cause for divorce—coffee has even inspired one of the most used modern inventions of our time.
Keep reading to discover some fun facts about coffee that will rouse your curiosity and help you savour your daily cup even more.
Goats Helped Discover Coffee
Did you know that we actually have goats to thank for discovering our favorite morning drink?
The exact date of coffee’s discovery is unclear, but according to legend, Ethiopian goat herders noticed how their goats became curiously energized after nibbling on the seeds of the Coffea plant. One such goat herder delivered the seeds to a local monk, who then turned it into the coffee cup we know today.
Coffee Is Actually Made From a Fruit
They’re called coffee beans due to their resemblance to legumes, but the “beans” we roast for coffee are actually the pits of the Coffea plant’s berries. So technically, if you’re an avid coffee drinker, you are consuming fruit every day!
Coffee Inspired the Invention of the Webcam
One of the most surprising facts about coffee is that it inspired the invention of the webcam… yes, the webcam we now know as an indispensable aspect of our modern lives.
According to BBC, researchers at the University of Cambridge felt inspired one afternoon to monitor their coffee pot, to maximize efficiency and avoid the emotional turmoil of trekking all the way to the main computer lab, the Trojan Room, only to find the pot empty. And so, the first webcam was born in 1991.
Brazil Produces the Most Coffee
According to the International Coffee Organization, Brazil is actually the biggest coffee producer in the world. Specifically, it produces about a third of the entire world’s supply. Impressive, right?
Coffee Drinkers Live Longer
In a study performed by the University of Southern California involving more than 180,000 participants, researchers discovered that people who drank regular or decaf coffee enjoyed health benefits such as increased longevity and decreased instances of cancers or chronic diseases.
There Are Two Types of Beans
The most common coffee bean cultivated is Arabica, which is also called the shade coffee.
The second one is called Robusta, which sports a more bitter taste and is considered sun-grown coffee.
Coffeehouses Were Called “Schools of the Wise”
By the 15th century, coffee was cultivated in the Yemeni district of Arabia and later in Persia, Turkey, Syria and Egypt. This led to the popularization of public coffee houses, called qahveh khaneh, which became spaces for intellectuals to gather, converse, listen to music, and play chess, inspiring the name “schools of the wise.”
Decaf Actually Contains Caffeine
Decaf isn’t actually free of caffeine. According to the Mayo Clinic, 237 ml of brewed decaf coffee can contain 2 mg of caffeine. On the other hand, a regular cup of coffee has 95 to 200 mg, while a cola can have up to 35 mg of caffeine.
The Most Expensive Coffee Is $600 per Pound
Did you know the most expensive coffee in the world costs more than $600 per pound, or $50 a cup? This expensive coffee is found in Indonesia, called the civet coffee or Kopi Luwak, and is made from coffee beans that are eaten and partially digested, then excreted by an animal called the Asian palm civet.
Coffee Was Once Cause for Divorce
Apparently, coffee could be used to justify a divorce in the 15th century in Turkey. Namely, if a husband refused to give coffee to his wife, or neglected to offer her an adequate amount of coffee, the wife could use this as a legitimate cause for divorce. As such, men often made promises when getting married, to never leave their wives without coffee. Sounds fair.
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