Ah, coffee! Or what I like to call it, the Elixir of Life! The magical, wonderous drink that we all love so much is one of the most consumed beverages around the world!
A Good Time To Have A Cup Of Coffee Is All The Time
Surprised? There is no reason to be! Simply close your eyes for a minute and think of all the times in the day when coffee is the perfect companion. What is it that saves you from succumbing to sweet sleep when you need to stay up late and study for a test?
Where do you reach out when looking for inspiration to try and create something? What is it that your body craves early on in the morning before you face anything else? What do you suggest that a prospective love interest and you do on your first date? To go for a coffee, of course!
There is hardly a time or an occasion when ordering a coffee or making a cup of coffee yourself is not appropriate. This warm, lovely drink is the perfect fit for almost every affair. And when brewed the right way, it can make anybody’s day better. After all, who wouldn’t like a warm, big hug in a mug?!
Coffee Is The Drink That Binds Us All Together
From the sweet, creamy moccachino to the sophisticated and strong long black, there are more than over forty different ways coffee is prepared today. Even more than that, new, original recipes to brew coffee are being invented in local cafes every day!
Whether you like it creamy and buttery, or you would instead go for a straight, powerful shot of caffeine, there is something out there for everybody. And if you have not yet found the recipe for that ideal cup of joe that suits your palate, you could just go ahead, experiment, and come up with a whole new type yourself!
There Is More To Coffee Than What You See (and Taste!)
You may be a big fan of Java, and maybe you never even start a day without a glorious cup of coffee, but did you know that this rich beverage carries with it a pretty rich history as well? That’s right; coffee is not something that came about just when the cafes started springing up in every street corner. This is a class of food that is being consumed for centuries and has some quite interesting facts about its existence. Let us celebrate this magnificent elixir today by learning more about its past.
10 Interesting Facts About Coffee:
Fact #1 – The First Creature To Consume Coffee Was Probably A Goat
Would you believe it if I told you that goats discovered the magical properties of the coffee plant long before any human? Well, you should.
According to many ancient accounts, coffee was first discovered by a goat herder in Ethiopia in the 1500s. The stories say that this young man saw his animals eating the berries of a particular plant, and then noticed that his goats were behaving strangely.
The animals seemed to have become more active and energetic, and would not sleep through the entire night. When the goat herder talked of his discovery to the wise old monks in his region, they decided to test out the plant for themselves.
Together, the monks made a drink that would let them stay up the entire night and pray to God. Soon after, the discovery was shared with monks across all of Ethiopia and, finally, with people all over the world.
Fact #2 – The Ancient Way Of Serving Coffee Was In An Energy Ball
There are lots of ways today that people like to have coffee. Brewed in hot water, with a splash of milk, with both milk and sugar, or even topped off with some foamy, delicious whipped cream. However, despite what you may have been thinking, coffee was not always served in a Starbucks cup that has your name on it.
The first coffee consumers did not enjoy their morning coffee as an espresso, a cafe latte, or even a flat white. These OG coffee lovers preferred to chew the treat.
Ancient coffee consumers would grind the berries to a fine mixture, add in a little bit of animal fat for taste and the right consistency, and construct tiny, edible balls from this paste. These miniature coffee balls would pack a punch and could wake up anyone in the morning.
Fact #3 – Even 250 Years Ago, People Had Been Wanted To Make Their Own Coffee At Home Without Any Trouble
The tiny energy balls were the way to consume coffee for coffee lovers for a long time. However, a lot of effort would go into preparing these caffeinated treats. Hence, people soon began to experiment with the many different ways that they could prepare coffee and discovered that it made a fantastic drink when brewed.
Hence, brewing coffee grounds to make drinkable coffee went on for quite a while. However, this process too was complicated and time taking. And finally, in 1771, the instant coffee we have all got in our kitchen today made its appearance in England.
Even after this, the easy to prepare instant coffee was not being used in every home. While some did not have access to it, others felt that grinding up the coffee beans and roasting it before you actually planned to make the drink resulted in a loss of flavor.
But when, in 1910, instant coffee was the first mass-produced and patented in the United States, everybody knew that there was no going back. And soon enough, everybody was using instant coffee to brew their morning pick me ups only a short while later.
Fact #4 – The Average American Citizen Spends A Surprising $1092 On Coffee Every Year
You probably already suspected that coffee is a massive industry in the United States today. After all, look at the amount of coffee we all drink every day! But did you imagine that an average American is spending more than $1000 on this cuppa joe each year?
Yes, you read that right. With all the Starbucks lining our way to work, the average amount that an American citizen spends on coffee comes to $1092!
However, surprisingly, this is still not enough to get the United States the first position when it comes to consuming the most amount of coffee. Finland proudly holds that rank.
Fact #5 – Animal Feces Is Used To Manufacture The World’s Most Expensive And Most Coveted Coffee
Craving for the richest, most flavorful coffee in all the world? You might change your mind when you learn that it comes from the poop of the Asian palm civet!
This wild animal is found in Indonesia and is very picky in the type of coffee berries that it eats. However, since it can not fully digest the coffee beans, the beans pass out in the fecal matter as is. The beans then go into harvesting and processing to produce Kopi Luwak, the world’s most expensive coffee at $600 per pound.
Fact #6 – One Could Indeed Die From Drinking Too Much Coffee
Are you a little worried that you might be drinking too much coffee? Then you might want to cut down. Especially, if you do not wish to get into a severe health problem, or worse, die!
According to ASAPScience, having 70 cups of coffee has the potential to kill a 150-pound human!
Fact #7 – But Drinking Coffee In Moderate Amounts Could Actually Help You Live Longer
Coffee is not all that bad for your health. In fact, it could benefit you in the long run – given that you enjoy it in a healthy amount. According to research, drinking coffee every day can protect one from heart disease, diabetes, and even Parkinson’s.
Fact #8 – You Might Be Pouring Your Coffee Into Your Car Engine To Make It Run Someday
Coffee wakes you up and makes you run every day, but what about your car? According to research and some experiments, coffee grounds are used to manufacture some environment-friendly diesel.
Fact #9 – Beethoven Could Give Any Barista A Run For His Money
You might have met some people who are ridiculously particular about the type of coffee they want. But I bet that none of them could ever match Beethoven.
Beethoven was an ardent lover of coffee. He was so particular about the way his cuppa was prepared that he would insist that exactly 60 beans go into the brew.
Fact #10 – Many Have Wanted And Tried To Eradicate The Drink From Our Homes Altogether
Could you ever imagine having to give up coffee? Well, we are fortunate that we do not have to do that, despite the efforts of many of our ancestors!
There have been multiple instances in history when governments and influential people have tried to ban coffee. In 1674, women in England claimed that coffee was turning their husbands and other male relatives into “useless corpses.” These ladies were so against the innocent drink that they signed an official petition that proposed a ban on it on everybody under the age of 60.
