Posted on: AUG 20, 2014
Posted by: STOKES-COFFEE
Coffee is enjoyed by the masses, it is so popular that it is drunk at work, at home, in cafe’s, it is everywhere. But did you know that there are many strange and interesting facts about coffee? At Stokes Coffee we love to fact find, which is why we have put together a list of coffee facts that we think you should all know.
Types of coffee
If you are a big coffee drinker it will come as no surprise that there are many types of coffee available. But do you know some of the most interesting facts about the types of coffee?
- Over six million tonnes of coffee are produced every year from origins all over the world
- The different species of coffee can come from small shrubs or tall trees, some more than 32 feet high
- Most species of coffee plants will die if the temperature falls below freezing
Instant coffee
Instant coffee is made of coffee crystals that only require hot water to dissolve, there is no filter or brewing required in this process - just a standard stirring spoon!
The inventor of instant coffee was a Belgian man living in Guatemala who went by the name of George Washington in 1906.
Even after all these years, instant coffee is still one of the most common methods of coffee consumption, especially if you are in a rush for your morning coffee!
Coffee berries & beans
Coffee can be made from berries or beans, it depends on the flavour you prefer or the flavour that you want for a specific occasion. Some beauty experts advise when testing lots of new fragrances to take a coffee bean with you as a way to refresh your nose in between samples. Interesting right. Also, did you know…
- To make a pound of roasted coffee it takes around 2,000 Arabica coffee cherries. There are two beans per cherry, so this means around 4,000 beans are in a single pound of coffee
- It takes 42 coffee beans to make an espresso
The americano
An americano is a very popular coffee, often presented as the way to truly appreciate the flavour of the coffee as a result of the lack of milk or syrups. The term “Americano” comes from American GIs who served in the Second World War. They would order an espresso with water to dilute the strong flavour. The term “cup of Joe” comes from the fact that GI Joes at the same time were seen as big coffee drinkers.
Random facts that you just wish you knew!
We could go on all day about facts to do with coffee, but let's round it up, here are a few more interesting facts and you never know you could win a general knowledge quiz with these.
- In the 1600s, a French doctor suggested cafe au laits for patients, this then inspired people to start adding milk to their coffee
- In the ancient Arab culture, there was only one way that a woman could divorce her husband and that was if he didn’t provide enough coffee
- Voltaire loved coffee - he used to drink 50 cups every day and lived to the age of 83