9 Fascinating Facts About Coffee

In this article, we are going to take a look at some fascinating facts about coffee, our best friend.

Facts about coffee that will amaze you

There are people who can not live without a steaming cup of coffee. It’s the best alarm clock that exists, and it wakes us up after lunch when we really should have taken a nap instead of working.

If you are a fan of this drink, we recommend that you take a look at these interesting points:

1. It originates from Ethiopia

The coffee plant is the plant that produces coffee beans, and it originates from the province of Kaffa in Abyssinia in Ethiopia. In these plains it grows wild.

The qualities of this drink spread all over the world became known in the 1000s of the Galla tribe. To ingest it, they mixed it with animal fat. Later it was introduced to Arabia, and from there to the rest of the planet.

2. It is produced in tropical countries

One third of the world’s coffee production is concentrated in Brazil. Other countries that are responsible for the tasty coffee cup you drink in the morning are Colombia, Vietnam and Indonesia (as well as more).

There are two main types of coffee

Although “Arabic” coffee ( coffea arabica ) is more common, there is also another type called “robust coffee” (coffea canephora) that is stronger and more acidic.

The first variety represents about 75% of the world’s coffee production and cultivation is more delicate. The other is used to produce instant coffee and blends, so it is more resistant than the Arab.

4. Facts about coffee: It was known as “Arabic wine”

When Europeans made contact with Arab culture, the dark drink they drank daily was one of the things that caught their attention.

At that time they called it “Qahwat-al-bun” in the east, which can be roughly translated as “the wine of prayer”. What was formerly “Qahwat” (cajua), became known as “Kahveh” (kajve) in Turkish, and from there to other languages ​​in a similar way: coffee in Norwegian, coffee in English, caffe in Italian and café in Spanish, Portuguese and French.

In Japanese, “koji” and “kafei guan” are pronounced in Chinese.

5. The first cafes were English

As soon as coffee crossed the European continent, it was adopted by the British, who were already drinking tea from Asia. The first café opened in London in 1652. These places arose not only for drinking coffee, but also for holding meetings between politicians, artists, philosophers, thinkers and lawyers. For this reason, the prosecutor of King Charles II wanted to close them in 1676, but without success.

By the year 1700, the British capital had no less than 2,000 cafes in operation. In Berlin, the first café opened in 1670, and in Paris in 1686. During this establishment, they also invented a new technique for preparing the drink: Passing the beans and hot water through a filter.

A really interesting fact about coffee in Russia ( where it was banned under punishment for torture and mutilation ): If the tsarist police found someone with a nervous crisis, it was said that he had drunk this drink.

6. “Pass it on”

Another fascinating fact about coffee is a little more relevant and is an act of solidarity between neighbors. The tradition took place in the Italian city of Naples for decades, but it has recently been observed in several places.

The idea is that you pay for the coffee cup to the next customer. Those who can not afford a cup of coffee can go to places that allow this and enjoy a cup of coffee paid for by an anonymous person.

7. Fascinating facts about coffee: The demon drink

We do not know if this legend is true or not, but it is worth the story. Catholics asked Pope Clement VII to ban the consumption of coffee as a drink made by the devil. This is because it was produced by the Arabs. The believers in the church considered it a “heretical drink”.

However, the Holy Father could not resist the temptation (could not have said it better) as soon as he tasted a sip of coffee. It is believed that the words spoken by the pope were: “It is such a delicious drink that it would be a shame if only heretics were allowed to enjoy it. We will fight Satan by blessing it. It contains nothing that can be criticized for a good Christian ” .

8. The fake smell of coffee shops

What would the owners of the first cafes in England say if they saw a local Starbucks? They had certainly been outraged by many things, but most of a specific thing: It is said that they use artificial air fresheners in their cafes and coffee shops.

In this way , the scent can lure us in from the street, and we enter the cafe without hesitation to buy their products. If you think about it, this may have happened to you when you just walked past a “modern” coffee shop. You suddenly got really hungry for coffee.

Why can this be? Because they know how to take advantage of our instincts!

9. Facts about coffee: It acts as a fertilizer

The remnants of coffee can be used to fertilize gardens and orchards due to the high nitrogen content. Ground coffee also gives the soil trace elements, such as phosphorus and potassium.

We recommend that you do not throw away the leftovers after adding a cup of coffee… It is better to give it to the plants!