Looking for 15 interesting coffee facts that will surprise and delight you? From its discovery in Ethiopia to its worldwide dominance, coffee has a rich history! Very few things can claim the ability to bring people together, but coffee is certainly one of them. Originating in Ethiopia, exported from Brazil, and enjoyed in Finland, coffee has truly united the world. Every day, countless friendships form, and thousands of couples start dating over a hot and refreshing cup of joe. After all, this beloved beverage is known for connecting hearts and minds. Here’s some amazing coffee trivia.
1. Coffee Facts: The Surprising Origin Story
The Legendary Origins of Coffee in Ethiopia. As the lore goes, back in the 9th century, an inquisitive, young goat herder named Kaldi noticed his goats became super energetic and sleepless after eating coffee cherries. He told this to the local monks, who then used their wisdom and brewed the first cup of coffee. The rest, as they say, is history. Isn’t this coffee facts #1 a more fascinating story than Newton & the falling apple?
2. Coffee Facts: The World’s Leading Producer
Brazil is the leading producer of coffee. The country has held the title of the largest coffee exporter in the world for the past 150 years.With coffee plantations spread over 27,000 km2, about the size of Albania or Crimea, Brazil produces 40% of the world’s coffee. Back in 1932 when Brazil was going through financial hardships, 69 Brazilian athletes made their way to the Los Angeles Summer Olympics on a ship by selling 50,000 bags of coffee at various harbours along the way. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Or, going by this coffee fact, shall we say where there’s coffee, there’s always a way!
3. A Mysterious ‘Coffee Black Hole’ Exists!
The coffee black hole is Finland. Finns are the largest guzzlers of coffee, consuming 12 kg of coffee per person per year. This works out to a staggering 1,680 cups on average each year per person, or 4-5 cups every single day! Inland shows the beverage’s popularity by legally mandating two 10-minute coffee breaks for workers. On the other end of the spectrum, Nepal, Pakistan, and India are the world’s biggest coffee abstainers with per capita consumption of less than 0.1 kilo a year. Can you guess the reason for this coffee fact #3?
4. Ever Heard These Unique Coffee Nicknames?
Coffee got nicknamed as the cup of joe.There are two theories pertaining to this. The first theory suggests that it refers to Joe Martinson who founded Martinson Coffee in New York in 1898. He is believed to have had a bigger-than-life personality and coffee may have locally been called “Joe’s coffee” or a “cup of joe.” As time passed, the name caught on and became widely used in the 1930s. The second theory argues that “cup of joe” refers to Josephus “Joe” Daniels, Secretary of Navy, who banned alcohol consumption on all US navy ships in 1914. Sailors would mockingly refer to coffee as “cup of joe” to express their dissent without getting reprimanded for it. Which among these two theories explaining this coffee facts #4 sounds more convincing to you?
5. What Coffee Really Is (It’s Not What You Think!)
Coffee is actually a seed and not a bean. A bean is an edible seed or seedpod of certain leguminous plants like peanut, tamarind and chickpea of the family Fabaceae. Coffee plant belongs to the Rubiaceae family. Because of their shape and size, they’re commonly referred to as a bean. In reality, they are the pit or seed found inside the coffee cherry. After knowing this coffee facts #5, do you fancy growing a coffee plant with the so called coffee beans?
6. The Strange History of Coffee Bans Worldwide
The local governor of Mecca banned coffee in 1511, claiming that drinking it stirred radical and rebellious thinking. In the sixteenth century, the clergy in Italy banned coffee, deeming it a satanic drink. By 1674, the women’s petition against coffee called for a ban on its consumption for anyone under the age of 60, claiming the beverage was turning British men into “useless corpses.” Sweden took things to an extreme in 1746, outlawing not just coffee but also accessories like cups and saucers. Thankfully, today we can disregard these past bans and enjoy sipping a cup of coffee without fear of imprisonment. Read the king’s proclamation that banned coffee houses.
7. How Much Would You Pay for the World’s Most Expensive Coffee?
The Priciest Coffee in the World Kopi Luwak. One would imagine the most expensive coffee to be grown in some exotic coffee estate. But in reality it comes from the poop of Asian palm civet, an animal renowned for eating the best coffee cherries. Kopi Luwak is produced in Indonesia and sells for as high as USD 1300 per kilo! The beans get naturally fermented inside the civet’s gut and attain a rich and distinctive flavour. Are you adventurous enough to try Kopi Luwak?
8. Could Coffee Be the Secret to Health & Longevity?
A daily cup of coffee holds the key to health and longevity. A cat is believed to have nine lives. Crème Puff, the oldest kitty as per the Guinness World Records, drank coffee every morning for 38 years of her life. That’s 3 lives in one birth! Coffee is full of antioxidants that scavenge free radicals in your body and keeps you youthful. Coffee can protect you against cardiovascular diseases, liver disease, type 2 diabetes and even cancer. Hopefully this coffee facts #8 will help you to drink your morning cup of coffee without any guilt or worry.
9. Decaf Isn’t Really Decaf—Here’s Why!
Decaf coffee still contains some caffeine. Yes, you read it correctly. There doesn’t exist coffee that’s 100% free of caffeine. To be categorized as decaf coffee, it must contain 97% less caffeine content as compared to the original coffee beans. Many coffee manufacturers sell the caffeine extracted from coffee beans to the soda and pharmaceutical companies. Now don’t get scared by this coffee facts #9. Try cutting down on soda instead of coffee to control your caffeine intake.
10. The Deadly Coffee Dose: How Much is Too Much?
Serving someone 40 cups of coffee can be fatal. Anything in excess is harmful, and coffee is no exception to this rule. A lethal amount of caffeine is about 180 mg/L. Consumption of around 100 mg of caffeine raises blood caffeine level by 5mg/L. Caffeine takes as little as 15 minutes to take effect. Please do not reveal this coffee facts #10 to a serial killer.
11. Surprising Sources That Contain More Caffeine Than Coffee
Light roast beans contain more caffeine. Light roast beans are roasted for a shorter time and at a lower temperature. So they retain more of their natural caffeine content. Dark roast coffee beans are roasted longer and at a higher temperature. So they have less acidic taste, lower caffeine content and a bolder flavor and aroma. Which one do you prefer?
12. The First Coffee House Opened in This Country
The world’s first coffee house was established in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1475. Named “Kiva Han,” it served a wide variety of coffee drinks and had become a hub for intellectuals, poets, writers and philosophers. Today Starbucks alone has over 38,000 stores worldwide. Have you ever counted how many cafes there are in your neighborhood? That’s one of the coffee facts that only you can find out.
13. Who Invented Instant Coffee? The Shocking Answer!
The United Kingdom introduced instant coffee in 1771. However, it didn’t immediately become popular. A New Zealander named David Stang developed soluble instant coffee in 1890. In 1901, Satori Kato, a Japanese-American chemist patented the first successful method for producing soluble coffee. In 1909 Constant Louis Washington developed a version of instant coffee that found mass appeal. In world war one, instant coffee cakes were rationed to soldiers to keep them battle ready. Can you even imagine starting your day without a cup of instant coffee?
14. The Coffee Vending Machine Wasn't Invented Where You Think!
The coffee vending machine was invented by Rudd-Melikian a company in Philadelphia, USA in 1947. Named “Kwik Kafe”, it prepared coffee in just 5 seconds by mixing instant coffee and hot water. The global coffee machines market is estimated to generate a revenue of USD 12.63 billion in 2024. It is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.59% from 2024 to 2028. After knowing this coffee facts #14 are you tempted to start your own coffee vending kiosk business? Then you must definitely check out CafeXbot – the only multiproduct robotic cafe that helps you to earn 80% – 100% ROI in the very first year!
15. Coffee Facts That Inspired This Revolutionary Invention
Coffee led to the invention of the webcam in 1991. It was developed by the scientists at Cambridge University’s Trojan Room computer lab to monitor a coffee pot. Their time was too precious to waste on going all the way over to the one shared coffee pot in the building, only to return empty handed. The camera transmitted images of the coffee pot and its coffee levels on an internal system. On November 22, 1993, that same coffee pot stream went live online and the coffee pot was captured by history’s first-ever streaming webcam. Later, that famous coffee pot was auctioned on eBay for a little under USD 5000.
Bonus Coffee Fact: The future of Coffee is…
CafeXbot – The multi-product robotic cafe. CafeXbot is the latest model of robotic vending kiosks from VLT Robotics, Dubai. It is a full-fledged robotic café that serves a variety of coffee, tea, dry snacks and ice-cream. It’s a highly customizable multi-product automated retail machine. It has a sophisticated talking robotic arm that catches the attention of passers-by and entertains them while serving premium quality food and beverages. It requires small space, minimum maintenance and can be monitored and controlled via an app. Find out about 12 Robotic Cafe Unique Characteristics here.
