20 little facts about coffee, you'd be surprised if you didn't know them

Where does coffee come from? How long can a coffee tree live? Can coffee be resurrected from a dying potted plant? What is the most expensive coffee in the world?

Coffee lovers, let’s take a look at the following 20 facts about coffee that you may not know.

1. The origin of coffee

The most accepted theory is that long ago, an Ethiopian shepherd named Kaldi noticed that his sheep became restless after eating ripe coffee beans, thus giving rise to coffee.

2. Mocha was originally the name of a Yemeni port

Mocha is the first port city in the world to spread coffee beans to all parts of the world. It is said that coffee beans produced in Yemen have the texture of chocolate, which is why chocolate-flavored coffee is labeled as Mocha.

3. How coffee was introduced to Europe

The Arabian region, where coffee was cultivated and consumed on a large scale, had the most prosperous port in the world at that time, Mocha. The scale of maritime trade here was astonishing, and the business opportunities were unlimited. Coffee, which had already become popular in the Arabian region, naturally became the favorite of merchants from all over the world, especially those who had tasted coffee, whose mellow and rich taste made them obsessed and nostalgic. Europeans at that time called coffee "Arabic wine", so the coffee trade came into being. Merchants from the Republic of Venice brought coffee to Europe for the first time in 1615 from Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire (today's Turkey), which bordered Arabia.

4. Convincing the Pope with a cup of coffee

The authenticity of this legend remains to be verified, because it is still uncertain whether the pope in this legend is Clement VII or Clement VIII. The only written record of this legend is the record of travel writer and university professor Frances Hayes in her best-selling book "The World in a Year". There were some religious fanatics who believed that coffee was the drink of the devil and asked the pope to ban it. As a result, after tasting coffee, the pope was amazed at its deliciousness and declared that coffee was a drink blessed by God, making coffee more popular in the world.

5. Coffee beans come in different colors

It is green when it first grows, and begins to turn yellow or even red as it matures. Different varieties will produce different colors.

6. The King of England once banned coffee houses

According to him, too many people waste their entire day in coffee shops, doing nothing but gossiping and spreading rumors about the government.

The law was passed on December 29, 1675, and was originally scheduled to be officially implemented on January 10, 1676, but surprisingly, it was repealed on January 8. The reason for the cancellation of this ban was the strong opposition of several coffee-loving ministers of King Charles II.

7. A coffee tree can live for 200 years.

A coffee tree can live for more than 200 years. When it starts to sprout, the tender buds at the top are very cute, but they can eventually grow into a bushy plant and live for two centuries.

8. Coffee can revive dying potted plants

Coffee can be used to save dying plants. Mix coffee with sugar residue and water it on potted plants regularly. It will bring back life to plants that have turned yellow in winter. If you don’t believe it, you can try it.

9. The world's second most traded commodity

Coffee is the world's second most traded commodity, oil being the first, and humans seem to like the black, sticky liquid the most.

10. Americans consume the most coffee in the world

Americans consume an average of 400 million cups of coffee every day, which sounds scary considering that the U.S. population is only 318 million.

11. About the inventor of instant coffee

Instant coffee was invented and patented by New Zealander David Strang in 1890, but the technology for mass production of instant coffee was not invented until 1901 in Chicago by a Belgian chemist named George Washington. His first brand was called "Red E Coffee", and in 1909 he built the first machine for mass production of instant coffee powder and obtained a patent. Although this product doesn't seem very good today, it was the most praised product by soldiers in World War I.

12. The most expensive coffee in the world

It's not all elephant coffee... No, not all elephant shit can be made into coffee, it has to contain coffee beans. The most expensive coffee in the world is made from elephant dung, it's called black ivory coffee. It's about $50 a cup. You ask me how it tastes? Go drink it yourself.

13. Caffeine is actually crystals

Caffeine is a xanthine alkaloid compound and a central nervous system stimulant that can temporarily drive away sleepiness and restore energy. Coffee, tea, soft drinks and energy drinks with caffeine are very popular. Therefore, caffeine is also the most commonly used psychotropic drug in the world. Caffeine loses its crystal water at 100℃ and begins to sublimate. The sublimation at 120℃ is quite significant.

14. The world's first camera was created to make it easier to drink coffee

In 1991, a group of scientists at Cambridge University set up cameras on the coffee pots in their work building. They could view the footage on the Internet, so they knew when to go for coffee, and if the coffee pot was empty, they could wait. (Sure enough, lazy people change the world...)

15. Coffee can help you live longer and healthier.

Coffee contains a lot of antioxidants (it is the largest source of antioxidants in the Western diet!) which help the body fight chemicals called "free radicals." As a result, coffee drinkers have a lower incidence of Parkinson's disease, diabetes and heart disease.

16. Coffee helps you think

The top students all love to drink coffee, not because they are showing off or because they are tired, but because coffee can stimulate the brain and make your brain not like a pile of shit. I won’t say anything to the poor students.

17. Drink brewed coffee while it is hot.

Coffee loses 70% of its flavor within two minutes, and according to official coffee experts, it starts to taste bad after 15 minutes.

18. Starbucks’ original name

The founders of Starbucks were avid fans of the writer Herman Melville. They were actually more interested in sailing than running a coffee shop. This behavior, which was considered a complete lack of professionalism by shareholders, was quickly stopped, so they could only extend this dream into their logo, the mermaid, to express their passion for sailing and the ocean.

19. The effects of caffeine are released very quickly.

It only takes 10 minutes from the time you take a sip of coffee for the caffeine to start taking effect.

20. Coffee is good for your liver.

In addition to containing a large amount of caffeine, coffee also contains a very high level of a bioactive chemical called the antioxidant chlorogenic acid. This substance works together with the proteins, amino acids, triglycerides, free fatty acids, potassium, iron, zinc, etc. that are rich in coffee itself to act on the human body, which can reduce the level of alanine aminotransferase in the human body, thereby reducing the incidence of some liver diseases.

For more coffee tips, please see "16 Benefits of Drinking Coffee for Office Workers"

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