Coffee Facts That Will Fascinate You

Coffee Facts That Will Fascinate You

Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

You know it’s hard to start your day without a cup of coffee, but how much do you truly know about your beloved beverage? Continue reading to find out.

1. COFFEE WAS DISCOVERED BY A GOAT HERDER

It was believed that in the 1500s, a goat herder in Ethiopia found coffee after noticing odd behavior in his goats. He noted that after they consumed certain cherries, they gained a burst of energy and were unable to sleep.

He discussed his observations with local monasteries, who concocted their own brews from the coffee beans, and the rest, as they say, is history.

2. COFFEE BEANS AREN’T BEANS

Contrary to widespread popular belief, a coffee bean is not a bean. Rather, it is the seed within the coffee cherry. As part of the harvesting procedure, the bean is extracted from the fruit. They’re now often referred to as a bean because of their form and size.

3. THE ORIGINS OF THE WORD "COFFEE"

The Arabic word “qahwah,” which really refers to a type of wine, was the first term used for coffee.

The Ottoman Turks then used the term “kahve,” which was adopted by the Dutch word “koffie,” which gave rise to the English name in 1582.

4. ORIGINALLY, COFFEE WAS CHEWED

Although drinking is your favorite way of coffee intake, coffee was not always a liquid delicacy.

According to historians, the first African tribes to consume coffee ground the berries together, mixed in some animal fat, and rolled these caffeinated delicacies into little edible energy balls.

5. FOR NEARLY 250 YEARS, INSTANT COFFEE HAS BEEN AVAILABLE.

Instant coffee has been there since 1771, when it first appeared in England. However, it was another 139 years before the first mass-produced instant coffee was developed (and patented) in the United States in 1910.

6. THERE IS A COFFEE MADE FROM POO

We understand how that sounded, but please bear with us!

Kopi Luwak, which originated in Indonesia, is among the world’s most demanded coffees. It’s made with the help of the cute palm civet, which eats the coffee cherries and then… passes the beans.

The peculiar production process that occurs when the beans pass through the civet’s digestive tract is supposed to provide the finished beverage a silky finish and highly distinct flavor.

Not only is it one of the most unusual techniques of brewing coffee, but Kopi Luwak is also one of the costliest coffees available across the globe today, costing up to US $1,300 per kilogram.

7. WOMEN IN THE 17TH CENTURY BELIEVED THAT COFFEE WAS TURNING THEIR MEN INTO "USELESS CORPSES."

The Women’s Petition Against Coffee stated in 1674 that coffee was turning British men into “useless corpses,” and urged a ban on the beverage for anybody under the age of 60.

8. BEETHOVEN WAS A BARISTA'S WORST NIGHTMARE

Beethoven adored a cup of coffee and was very particular about how it was prepared; he insisted on each cup he drank being brewed with exactly 60 beans.

9. THE WORLD'S LARGEST CUP OF COFFEE MEASURED OVER 20,000 LITRES

The largest cup of coffee ever prepared was a staggering 22,739.14 liters and was recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records on June 15th, 2019.

The cup was made over a month by Alcalda Municipal de Chinchiná (Colombia) at Parque de Bolivar, Chinchiná, Caldas, Colombia, with fifty people working on the project.

10. FINLAND IS THE WORLD’S COFFEE CAPITAL

Every coffee roaster is unique, so answering this question relies on how you have already established your brand. If you have a fun, trendy roastery, you’ll feel right at home at merch, but if you have a classic brand that’s untouched by corporate culture, you may have trouble connecting with customers.

11. COFFEE IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST POPULAR BEVERAGES

Isn’t it obvious that this isn’t surprising?

Coffee, together with water and tea, is among the most popular beverages, with over 400 billion cups drank each year.

In the United States, each person eats roughly 4.4 kilos of coffee per year with an average coffee consumption of 3.1 cups per day and over £1 billion was invested on coffee last year.

12. EACH YEAR, THE AVERAGE AMERICAN SPENDS ABOUT $1100 ON COFFEE

According to a National Coffee Association survey, 64% of Americans consume coffee every day. Millennials are spending an average of $2,000 per year on drinking coffee. The next category of large spenders is between the ages of 35 and 44. Every year, they spent $1,410 on coffee.

You’d think that spending $1100 on coffee per year is enough to make America the world’s most caffeinated country. That is incorrect.

13. THE FIRST WEBCAM IN THE WORLD OBSERVED A COFFEE POT

Researchers at Cambridge used the world’s first webcam to keep an eye on the coffee without leaving their desks. After the webcam portion of the coffee pot experiment was removed, the pot itself—a non-working Krups ProAroma pot which would usually retail for around $50—was put up for auction on eBay and sold for just under $5000.

14. THERE IS A STARBUCKS AT THE CIA HEADQUARTERS

Some CIA officers refer to it as “Stealthy Starbucks,” but staff members at the Langley, Virginia location aren’t your traditional Starbucks employees.

For starters, they must go through stringent background checks and cannot abandon their post without the presence of a CIA escort. On the plus side, they don’t have to jot down or yell out the names of their customers!

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