Little Known Facts about Coffee

Coffee has its own history and culture by now, and today, That Coffee Roasters explores this with some of the most amazing and unexpected facts about coffee!

Some Little-Known Stories about Coffee

According to an African legend, a 9th-century Ethiopian shepherd came upon coffee’s “magical” powers when he observed his goats dancing around on a sort of hype, this right after they’d eaten berries from a coffee plant. The rest is history, this is when it began humanity’s long history of sipping and savoring one of nature’s gifts.

The origin of the word “coffee” is also enveloped in history. According to some, the Arabic word “qahwah” translates to “wine,” but others insist that it means “the wine of Islam.” For centuries, coffee was referred to as “Muslim wine” in the West. Eventually, “qahwah” became “kahve” in Turkish, which in turn became “koffie” in Dutch, and, after centuries, it resulted in “coffee” in English.

That Coffee Roasters presents: 35 Coffee-Related Facts!

Here are some unusual and fun facts that you may not (or maybe you do!) know about coffee.

1. Four out of five Americans start their day with a cup of coffee
2. Coffee is actually a fruit
3. A cup of coffee contains more antioxidants than a cup of grape juice
4. The inventor of instant coffee was named George Washington (no relation)
5. The word “cappuccino” refers to the robes of a sect of Christian monks
6. Other than crude oil, coffee is the world's most widely traded global commodity
7. A third of all the tap water Americans drink is first brewed into coffee
8. There are over four billion coffee trees only in Brazil
9. The word “espresso” refers to forcing hot water through the coffee grounds
10. Coffee and Homo sapiens evolved within 250 miles of each other
11. The coffee industry employs approximately 25 million people, mostly farmers
12. Approximately 500 billion cups of coffee are brewed and consumed each year
13. One of earliest uses of coffee was to produce ecstatic religious visions
14. Men who drink six or more cups of coffee a day have 20% less chance of having prostate cancer
15. Robusta beans have twice as much caffeine as the more common Arabica beans
16. Coffee reduces type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease
17. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote a cantata inspired by coffee addiction
18. The Oromo tribe in Africa, plant coffee trees on the graves of sorcerers
19. All the Earth’s coffee is grown within 1,000 miles of the Equator along the so-called “Coffee Belt”
20. To fatally overdose on coffee you’d need to drink 100 cups in one sitting
21. The average American worker spends nearly $1,100 yearly on coffee
22. Coffee stays warm longer when you add cream
23. The phrase for “coffee house” in Turkish means “school for the wise”
24. The largest “cup” brewed was 3,700 gallons or roughly 60,000 regular cups
25. In the 16th century, many Muslim rulers banned coffee because they were suspicious of its stimulating effects on the human brain
26. A study found that women who drank two or three cups daily over ten years were 15% less likely to develop depression
27. Japan has a spa where you can swim in a giant vat of coffee
28. Famous authors Voltaire and Honoré de Balzac allegedly drank up to fifty cups of coffee daily
29. Paper filters (unlike other methods) remove toxins connected to heart disease
30. The “Americano” came about because American soldiers in WWII found espresso too strong
31. Not providing your wife with enough coffee used to be “grounds” for divorce in Turkey — pun intended
32. In 2010, British scientists devised a car that ran entirely on used coffee grounds. It was known as the “car-puccino”
33. Merely smelling coffee can help to wake you up
34. Espresso is weaker than regular coffee
35. Dark roast is weaker than light roast

Were you familiar with all these amazing facts? As you see, the world of coffee is vast and deep, if you know some more facts we might have left out, please let us know in the comment section below, and don’t forget to follow us on our That Coffee Roasters social networks!

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That Coffee Roasters

Phone Number: (305) 821-8811

2697 W. 76 Street, Hialeah, Florida 33016

Facebook: That Coffee Roasters

Knowing The World Largest Coffee Producers

This country is in second place in the ranking.

If you’re a coffee lover, you’ll probably want to know where do your favorite beans come from. Every year, the International Coffee Organization shows the world largest coffee producers based on their annual coffee production. In the list, there are well-known names; however, there are other countries that will undoubtedly surprise you with their production of this important product. Want to know more about your coffee producers? Keep reading That Coffee Roasters.

World largest coffee producers

With the amount of coffee business that exists today and the rise in its consumption, it’s not surprising that coffee beans are one of the most traded commodities in the world. With large consumer countries such as the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Canada, Russia and the United States, the competition to win the title of largest producer is close, although for a hundred years a country has always been at the top of the list for its large territory and production. Surely, as the great enthusiast you are, you’ve figured out who it is.

However, the fact that a country is the largest exporter does not mean that the quality of other coffees is inferior. Each product will have a particular quality given by the environmental and production conditions of each country. Although there is one characteristic that the world largest coffee producers share and that is the fact that they are located in the tropics. Which countries are these? Get to know them below.

#1 Brazil

That’s right, as you might have imagined, this exotic country is at the top of the list of coffee producers with over a 2,500,000 metric ton of beans production. Thanks to its long extension, this country has managed to locate 3 specific regions with an ideal climate for growing good coffee: Minas Gerais, Paraná, and São Paulo. A particular feature of this country is its drying method which consists of letting the berries dry under the sun.

#2 Vietnam

Despite the extension of the country's territory, its production is currently among the largest in the world, surpassing other countries with a long coffee tradition. At present, Vietnam produces about 1,650,000 metric tons of coffee beans per year. You probably thought their economy was only based on rice exports, didn’t you?

#3 Colombia

Of course, Colombia, as one of the largest producers, couldn’t be absent from the list. Its product is one of the best known worldwide and, thanks to roasters such as That Coffee Roasters, its variety of coffee has reached the entire world. In general, the second place on the list is disputed with Vietnam, although this time its production reached over 800,000 metric tons of coffee beans. Despite this fact, its great production of green Arabica is one of the favorites of coffee lovers all over the world.

#4 Indonesia

It was mentioned earlier that this list was full of surprises, and among them is Indonesia. In general, its product is not very well known, but the truth is that it produces about 660,000 metric tons of coffee beans. Its specialty is green Robusta coffee, although its quality is no better than that of Arabica coffee from Brazil and Colombia.  

#5 India

Yes, although the majority of its population prefers tea, this country is one of the largest coffee producers. It stands out for exporting almost 80% of its production since consumption in the country is very low. The area for growing coffee is not very large, so this product is cultivated with spices such as cardamom and cinnamon, which give a different aromatic touch to the bean.

Due to climatic changes in the different regions, some countries may decrease their annual production on some occasions. However, they remain at the top of the world largest coffee producers’ rankings alongside their high-quality products. This is the case of Colombian coffee, whose fame precedes it and whose flavor makes it the favorite of That Coffee Roasters.

Quality and flavor in one place, that’s what we offer at That Coffee Roasters. Learn more about our varied Colombian coffees and beans through our social networks, and don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have about the type of coffee of your preference.

Sources:

WorldAtlas - Top Coffee Producing Countries

International Coffee Organization - Trade Statistics Tables

Meet the world's largest coffee producers at That Coffee Roasters. 

That Coffee Roasters

Phone Number: (305) 821-8811

2697 W. 76 Street, Hialeah, Florida 33016

Facebook: That Coffee Roasters

Instagram: thatcoffeeroasters