Today is International Coffee Day.
World over coffee is one of the most popular beverages. According to the latest coffee statistics from the International Coffee Organization (ICO), about 1.4 billion cups of coffee are poured out each day worldwide.
So, how did coffee become so popular? What is the history behind it?
Let’s understand through these interesting facts about coffee –
Discovered in Ethiopia circa 800 A.D.
Legend has it that coffee was noticed by 9th century goat herders. They noticed their goats behaving weirdly after they consumed a particular type of ‘berry’. A local monk then made a drink with coffee berries and found that it kept him awake at night. Thus, was discovered the phenomenon called ‘coffee’.
Second most traded commodity on earth
There are approximately 25 million farmers in over 50 countries involved in producing coffee. After oil, it is the second most traded commodity in the world. This is an astonishing fact, considering there are many other vital products that are crucial to our existence.
Different types of coffee beans
Seventy percent of coffee beans used in the world are Arabica. The less popular variant is Robusta, which is slightly more bitter and has twice as much caffeine.
Majority of coffee is produced in Brazil
Brazil produces 40% of the world’s coffee, which is twice as much as the 2nd and 3rd place holders, Colombia and Vietnam.
Coffee was originally a food
In the olden times, coffee berries were mixed with fat to create an energy-rich snack ball. It was also consumed as wine when made from the pulp of coffee berries. However, as time progressed and experimentation’s were carried out, the liquid form of coffee became popular.
Coffee is a fruit
Coffee beans are actually the pits of a cherry-like berry that are grown on bushes. Even though coffee is actually a seed, it’s called a bean because of its resemblance to actual beans.
The world’s most expensive coffee
Recently, headlines were made when the world’s most expensive coffee was made from the faeces of a Sumatran wild cat. It costs $600 a pound. The animal, called Luwak, is unable to digest coffee beans and in the process, they are fermented in the stomach. When the beans are excreted, they produce a smooth, chocolaty coffee.
Coffee drinkers have a lower risk of Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease is likely to be less in patients with high levels of caffeine in their blood. Studies have also shown that caffeine has positive effect on type 2 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. It has also been shown to protect against skin cancer in women.
The largest cup of coffee ever to be brewed was in South Korea
In July 2014, over 3,700 gallons of coffee was brewed. The largest iced coffee was brewed in Las Vegas in 2010, and was 1,500 gallons, without ice.
Just smelling coffee can wake you up.
A group of scientists reported that simply inhaling the aroma of coffee can alter the activity of some genes in the brain, reducing the effects of sleep deprivation. And when you drink that cup of coffee, caffeine reaches the blood 10 minutes faster.