- Coffee is the second largest commodity in the World
Coffee is the world’s 2nd largest traded commodity after crude oil. Coffee is the most beloved beverage just after water. The world coffee market is worth over $100 billion.
- Coffee was discovered by a goat herder
A goat herder in Ethiopia was said to discover coffee in the 16th century. He noticed that after eating coffee cherries his goats gained a high amount of energy and they did not sleep at night. The herder shared his findings with the locals who spread the word to the Ethiopian monks and it reached across the civilized world.
- Mecca banned coffee
Coffee was banned in Mecca in 1511. It was believed to stimulate radical thinking and idleness.
- The Boston Tea Party popularized coffee
Coffee was brought to New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) in the mid-1600s. However, it didn’t become very popular until after the Boston Tea Party in 1773. The Civil War helped boost the popularity of coffee.
- Coffee helped Brazilian athletes
Brazil couldn’t afford to send 69 athletes to Los Angeles for the 1932 Olympics. The Brazilian government loaded them in a ship along with 50,000 bags of coffee that were sold on the way to finance the trip.
- Beethoven loved coffee
Beethoven was such an ardent coffee lover that he counted 60 beans per cup before making his brew.
- Hawaii is the only state in America that grows commercial coffee
Coffee trees grow in tropical climates and high altitudes. Hawaii is the only state in the US is able to grow coffee. Yet, Hawaii has been producing coffee even before it was a US state. Recently, some farmers in California started growing coffee in small quantities mainly for testing.
- There are 2 types of coffee
Arabica coffee was originally cultivated on the Arabian Peninsula. It was how the name was created. Robusta (from the word “robust” which means strong) coffee is a more hardy plant but contains double the amount of caffeine.
- Calories contain in coffee
One cup of black coffee only has one calorie.
- What is the meaning of the Italian word “espresso”?
It means “forced out”. A shot of espresso is made by forcing hot water with high pressure through finely-ground coffee.
- Decaf is not caffeine-free.
An eight-ounce cup of decaf coffee actually contains 2 to 12 milligrams of caffeine according to the Mayo Clinic. A regular cup of coffee has between 100 to 200 milligrams of caffeine. A cup of highly caffeinated coffee can supply from 400 to 800 milligrams of caffeine. For comparison, one can of cola has about 23 to 35 milligrams of caffeine.
- Coffee is a fruit
Coffee is actually the pit of a berry, which makes them a fruit.
- A year drinking coffee is equal to an iPhone
An American spends on average $1,092 a year on coffee. That’s around $20 a week. That is also close to the price of the newest iPhone. Young people generally spend more on coffee than older people.
- New York City has the most coffee shops in the U.S. per capita
According to a 2018 study, New York City has the most coffee shops, coffee houses and cafés per capita. Runners up include San Francisco, California; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; and Las Vegas, Nevada.
- Coffee is precious and rare!
A 2-cup-a-day coffee drinker will consume the annual harvest of 18 coffee trees in a year. So that means coffee beans are precious and should be praised! Americans consume 400 million cups of coffee per day. That is the equivalent to 146 billion cups each year, making the U.S. the leading consumer of coffee.