Every single day, billions of people around the world enjoy a delightful cup of coffee, seeking the perfect caffeine kick.
Whether it’s the first thing in the morning or a pick-me-up during working hours, there seems to always be time for a fresh pot of coffee.
We hope you’ve brewed yourself a fresh cup, as we’ve got a whole bunch of tasty coffee facts for you to dive into!
Legend has it that coffee was discovered in the 9th century when a goatherder noticed his goats become hyperactive after eating some strange red berries.
At first, coffee beans weren’t brewed into a drink. Instead, the ripe red berries were chewed, with Ethiopia’s Oromo people being some of the first to do so.
The first coffee houses in the world were established in the Middle East as early as the 12th century. Meanwhile, the first to open in Europe was in Venice, Italy, in 1647.
The word “coffee” was first established in the English language in 1582. It originally came from the Arabic word qahwah.
Incredibly, whether it’s in the office or at home, over 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide every day!
Coffee comes from the Coffea species, which produces reddish-purple fruit called coffee cherries. These have a pit, much like cherries; coffee beans are the pit!
Coffee plants are cultivated in over 70 countries. Notably, Brazil accounts for around 40% of global production, with Vietnam, Colombia, Ethiopia, and Indonesia following behind.
Per capita, the people of Finland drink more coffee than any other country in the world. It’s not unusual for Finns to drink eight cups of coffee daily!
The four main coffee types are Arabica, Robusta, Excelsa, and Liberica. Of these, Arabica coffee accounts for over 60% of the world’s coffee beans.
Black Ivory Coffee is one of the world’s most expensive coffees, selling at $2,000 per kilogram! It is made using Arabica coffee beans that are collected from elephant poop.
An average cup of coffee contains 95 milligrams (around 0.003 ounces) of caffeine. Caffeine stimulates the brain and nervous system but can cause problems if consumed in high doses.
A new Guinness World Record for the largest cup of coffee ever made was set on December 10, 2022, in Guanajuato, Mexico. The cup held a whopping 7,116.59 gallons (26,939.22 liters)!
Breaks in the morning and afternoon for coffee were enshrined in US culture in the 1950s, with some unions demanding set times every day for coffee breaks.
Famed German composer Beethoven was a huge coffee lover. However, he used to be extremely picky about how it was made and believed that precisely 60 coffee beans were required for the perfect cup.
Coffee is certainly not just a pick-me-up drink; it’s got some goodness, too! It contains antioxidants and other healthy compounds to fight internal inflammation and protect against diseases.
Coffee is the second most traded product in the world by volume after crude oil. Its popularity is also increasing yearly, with intake in China, for example, shooting up and increasing over twofold between 2014 and 2024.
Coffee plants are long-lasting and can live up to 100 years! Despite their longevity, the plants are at their coffee-making best between five and 20 years old.
While caffeine stimulates us, coffee plants use it as an insecticide. When attacked by insects, coffee plants release extra caffeine to shoo them away.
When comparing light roast and dark roast coffee beans, studies have shown that the latter loses about 0.0003 ounces of caffeine (around nine milligrams) during the roasting process.
Surprisingly, coffee has been banned in some places before. For instance, the 1700s monarch of Prussia, King Fredrick the Great (Frederick II), banned coffee because of fears about the cost of importing it.
International Coffee Day is celebrated every year on October 1. The tradition began in 2015 to promote and celebrate coffee worldwide.
There are over 800 compounds in coffee that affect its flavor. That’s four times more than what’s found in a glass of wine!
Coffee plants are a great food source for animals. Interestingly, bees get an extra buzz from coffee plants, as even the flower’s nectar contains caffeine.
The oldest cat ever, Creme Puff, lived to the unbelievable age of 38 years and drank coffee every morning! Alongside her coffee, she ate eggs, bacon, and broccoli for breakfast.
Following the historical Boston Tea Party held on December 16, 1773, Americans turned to coffee as a political statement against the tea-drinking British.
In the United States, the National Coffee Association reported in 2023 that 63% of the country drinks coffee! Coffee ranks first among beverages, with water being the exception.
In 2016, Albania overtook Spain as the nation with the most coffee shops per capita worldwide. At the time, there were 654 coffee shops per 100,000 inhabitants in the Balkan nation.
In 2023, global coffee production hit a new record, with approximately 10.1 million tons produced worldwide, slightly up 0.1 percent from the previous year.
Drinking two or three cups of coffee a day is connected to living longer and having a lower risk of heart disease compared to not drinking coffee at all.
Coffee’s significance goes beyond its role as a well-loved hot beverage. It has a rich history and is an integral part of many cultures worldwide.
There are also some surprising details, from its incredible health benefits to how Black Ivory Coffee is made.
We certainly hope these facts caffeinated your interest and increased your enjoyment of coffee even more.
