13 Fascinating Coffee Facts

Coffee is the world's most popular beverage. It is the preferred drink of Americans as well as people all over the world and especially Europeans. The history of coffee is an interesting one as well, as coffee is believed to have been first discovered back in c850 by the legendary goat herder Kaldi in Ethiopia whose goats become hyper after eating red berries from a local shrub. He in turn tried the berries himself and noticed that they altered his mood for the better.

The first coffee was roasted and boiled by Arabs in c1100 who made qahwa, a beverage made from coffee plants. Throughout civilization coffee gained popularity and spread throughout the Americas, Europe and across the world.

The fact that coffee hit the world by storm is certainly an understatement as illustrated by the long lines at Starbucks, with people willing to spend an average of $5 a day on a cup of fresh brew. It is definitely here to stay.

Aside from the cup, coffee flavor is popular in candy, ice cream, cakes and baked goods, as well as savory dish recipes. It is a standard in the morning, during work and as an after dinner drink. It is impossible to find an office building without a coffee machine, or a corner without a Starbucks or some other chick coffee house. Coffee has many variations from the plain old brew, to fancy cups of espresso with steamed milk to the very thick and strong Turkish coffee. There is no doubt humans love it!

Interesting Coffee Facts

1. Caffeine acts as a natural pesticide in many beans, leaves and fruits of some plant life and it paralyzes and kills some insects that feed on them.

2. Caffeine is a central nervous stimulant that causes alertness and often anxiety and sleeplessness.

3. Caffeine is a psychoactive substance, which means it alters mood, like marijuana and cocaine, but on a smaller scale of course, and it is the only legal and unregulated psychoactive substance.

4. 90% of North Americans consume caffeine daily.

5. The Brazilian coffee empire began when Brazilians smuggled coffee tree seeds out of Paris.

6. Coffee and tea plants are the most commonly used sources of caffeine.

7. Coffee is the worlds most popular beverage. More than 450 billion cups are consumed each year.

8. Probably the most interesting of the coffee facts is that it is the second biggest world commodity second only to oil.

9. The world's primary source of caffeine is the coffee bean. There are hundreds of different beans, grown all over the world.

10. Chocolate made from cocoa contains a small amount of caffeine.

11. The Nestle company fist invented Nescafe instant coffee in 1938.

12. Many studies have researched the correlation between coffee and certain medical conditions. The overall positive and/or negative effects of coffee are still disputed.

13. Over one hundred million people in developing countries have become dependent on coffee as their primary source of income.