Coffee is the delicacy that gives us energy every morning. But do we know everything about this tasty liqueur that delights our senses? Here are some interesting facts about coffee. If you want, we would be happy if you could complete our list.
Coffee is the most popular drink in the world, with over 400 billion cups consumed every year. It was discovered in East Africa, today’s Ethiopia. The legend says that a shepherd named Kaldi, after noticing the strange behavior of his goats that had eaten berries from a bush, tried it too and the re-energizing effect was immediate.
Coffee is the second most sought-after product after oil. Thus, coffee has surpassed goods such as natural gas, gold, sugar or corn. The world coffee market exceeded the value of 100 billion dollars.
Did you know that…
* The full chemical name of caffeine is 1,3,7 trimethylxanthine, and its formula is C 8 H 10 N 4 O 2.
* In the ancient Arab world, coffee was a main product of family life, and thus one of the legislated reasons for divorce was the situation in which a man refused to produce coffee for his wife.
* Caffeine was first isolated from coffee in 1820.
* In Europe, coffee began to be marketed in 1615, being initially sold in pharmacies as a medical remedy.
* The first espresso machine was introduced in 1822 by the French, but the Italians were the ones who perfected it and made it widely known.
* Instant coffee was invented in 1906 by G. Washington, an Englishman living in Guatemala
* In its pure form, caffeine is a white, crystalline powder.
* Caffeine is found in over 63 plants.
* 10 g of caffeine is enough to kill a man.
* A coffee tree can reach a height of 15 feet (4.5 meters), but usually stays at 8 feet (2.4 meters) and takes four years to reach maturity.
* Plain black coffee, without a bit of sugar, and other sweeteners contains 0 calories.
* Americans are the biggest drinkers, followed by Brazilians and Japanese.
* If you were wondering which is the most expensive coffee in the world, find out that Kopi Luwak costs 82 euros/100 grams. Coffee is produced after the beans pass through the intestines of a rare species of… cats. Would you drink something like that?!
