9 Facts About Coffee

We drink coffee daily, it comforts us, it’s the perfect excuse to get together with friends or family, and its aroma makes us feel good on cold nights.

There are people who cannot live without a steaming cup of coffee. It’s the best alarm clock there is, and it refreshes us when, after lunch, we’d like to nap instead of work. If you are a fan of this drink, know some facts about coffee below.

Curiosities about coffee

1. It appeared in Ethiopia

Coffee is the plant that gives coffee beans and originates from the province of Kaffa, Abyssinia, Ethiopia. In these highlands, it grows wild. The qualities of this drink spread throughout the world were known in the 11th century by the Galla tribe. To consume it, they mixed it with animal fat. Then it would be introduced into Arabia and from there to the rest of the planet.

2. It is produced in tropical countries

One third of world production is concentrated in Brazil. Other countries responsible for each day you have a delicious breakfast are: Colombia, Vietnam and Indonesia (among others).

3. There are two main types of coffee

Although “Arabica” coffee ( arabica coffea c offawn canephora which is stronger and more acidic. The former represents 75% of world production and its cultivation is more delicate. The latter is used to make instant coffee and blends and is more resistant than the Arabic.

4. It was known as “Arabic wine”

When Europeans came into contact with Arab culture, one of the things that caught their attention was the dark drink they consumed daily. At that time, in the East, they called it “ Qahwat-al-bun ”, which in the Portuguese translation would be something like “grain wine”. Later, “ Qahwat ” ( cajua ) became “ kahveh ” ( kajve in Turkish and from there into other similar languages: coffee in English, coffee in Portuguese. In Japanese its name is “ Koji ” and in Chinese “ kafei guan ”.

5. The first coffees were English

Another interesting fact about coffee. After it crossed the entire European continent, it was adopted by the British, who already consumed tea from Asia. The first cafe opened in 1652 in London. These places were not only for drinking the infusion, but also for meeting politicians, artists, thinkers, philosophers and lawyers. For this reason, the procurator of King Charles II wanted to close them in 1676, but without success.

Until the year 1700 in the British capital, there were 2000 coffee shops in operation. In Berlin, the first was founded in 1670, and in Paris in 1686. In this establishment, a new technique was also invented for preparing the drink: passing the beans through hot water and through a filter.

A curiosity about coffee in Russia (where it was banned under pain of torture and mutilation): if the tsarist police found someone with a nervous breakdown, it was said that they were consuming this drink.

6. The joint “pending coffee”

Another of the curiosities about coffee is more current and has to do with an act of solidarity with others. The tradition began in the Italian city of Naples several decades ago, but has recently been implemented elsewhere. It’s about buying a coffee for a future customer. Those who cannot afford a cup of drink can go to establishments that allow the practice and enjoy coffee paid for by an anonymous person.

7. The devil’s drink

Being produced by the Arabs, the faithful of the Catholic Church considered it “a thing of heretics”.

However, the church could not resist the temptation when it took a sip of coffee. It is believed that the words spoken by the Pontiff were: “It is such a delicious drink that it would be a sin to allow it to be enjoyed only by heretics. I defeat Satan by blessing her. It contains no objections for a good Christian”.

8. The fake aroma of coffee shops

What would the owners of the first English coffee shops say if they saw a Starbucks store ? Of course they would be scandalized by many things, but for one in particular: they use artificial scents in their cafes and establishments. In this way, when we walk down the street, we enter without hesitation and buy their products. They know how to harness our instincts!

9. Coffee serves as fertilizer

Coffee residues can be used to fertilize gardens and orchards due to the high nitrogen content. Ground coffee also provides soil microminerals such as phosphorus and potassium. We recommend that you don’t throw away what’s left after making an infusion… better throw it on the plants!