- In Britain £730 million was spent on coffee in 2002
- Britain consumes 500g of coffee per person per year.
- It takes 42 coffee beans to make an espresso.
- Arabica coffee has twice as much caffeine in it than Robusta.
- Over half of the espresso consumed in the UK is drunk in the South East of the country.
- Green coffee beans nearly double in size during roasting, but shrink by 16% by weight.
- From the mid 1800s up until the 1970s, over 50% of Brazil’s foreign trade income came from growing coffee beans.
- Coffee, if it were taxed like wine, would be more expensive than it.
- On average men drink more coffee than women (1.7 cups per day vs 1.5 cups)
- On average, coffee drinkers drink 3.3 cups per day.
- 37% of coffee drinkers drink their coffee black; while 63% add a sweetener such as sugar and/or milk or cream.
- All coffee is grown within 1,000 miles of the equator, from the Tropic of Cancer in the north, to the Tropic of Capricorn in the south.
- Instant coffee accounts for 13% of all coffee drunk.
- Among all major agricultural products of the world, coffee harvesting remains virtually untouched by mechanization.
- 57% of all coffee is drunk at breakfast; 34% between meals; and 13% at other meals.
- It’s estimated more than 100 million Americans drink a total of 400 million cups of coffee a day.
- An ordinary cup of coffee contains about 150 milligrams of caffeine – roughly what most physicians call a "theraputic dose."
- According to the speciality coffee association of America, the premium bean category of the coffee industry has grown into a $1.5 billion annual industry.
- 25 million people are employed in the coffee industry!
- Coffee makes up the genus Coffea of the family Rubiaceae. Arabian coffee is classified as Coffea arabica, robusta coffee as Coffea canephora, and Liberian coffee as Coffea liberica.
- Coffee grows well on the islands of Java and Sumatra and in Arabia, India, Africa, the West Indies and South and Central America.
- The Americas produce approximately 2/3 of the world’s supply of coffee.
- Coffee comes from a small tree 15 to 20 ft high at maturity. It has shiny green elliptic leaves and white, fragrant flowers that bloom for only a few days.
- In the six or seven months after flowering the fruit develops from a light green to red and then eventually to a deep crimson color. It is only then that it is ripe and ready for picking.
- The best soil for growing coffee consists of leaf mold, other organic matter and disintegrated volcanic rock!
- About half of all American adults have a cup of coffee to start their day.
- The coffee tree produces its first full crop when it is about five years old. Thereafter it produces consistently for 15 to 20 years.
- Some coffee trees yield 2 to 3 lb of coffee annually although the average is considered to be 1 lb.
- The two main suppliers of coffee in the world are Brazil and Columbia – 30% of the global coffee total originates from Brazil.
- There are three main commercial types of coffee bean from amongst many – Arabica, Robusta & Liberia.
- The mature coffee resembles a cherry and grows in clusters attached around the limbs of the plant by short stems. It usually contains two seeds, or beans, surrounded by a sweet pulp.
- Coffee trees are cultivated in the cooler climates of the world, with temperatures ranging from 13°C to 26°C (55° to 80°F).
- Plantations range in altitude from sea level to about 1,800m (6000ft) where there are tropical forests.
- Caffeine shortens reaction time, relives tiredness, promotes speed and clarity of thought, and improves idea association
- Robusta and Liberian coffee grows best at lower altitudes, whereas Arabica is better suited to higher altitudes.
- Temperatures for roasting range from about 190°C (380°F) for a light roast, through 200°C (about 400°F) for a medium roast, to about 220°C (425°F) for a dark roast.
- ‘nonvolatile’ taste components in coffee include: caffeine, trigonelline, chlorogenic acid, phenolic acids, amino acids, carbohydrates and minerals.
- ‘volatile’ aroma components in coffee include: organic acids, aldehydes, ketones, esters, amines and mercaptans.
- The principle psychological effects of coffee are due to caffeine, an alkaloid that acts as a mild stimulant.
- Caffeine can be removed from coffee by treating the green beans with chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents. Since the 1980s, non-chemical methods of decaffeination have become more popular. Decaffeinated coffee emerged as far back as 1930.
- The most important substitute for coffee is usually chicory, although it is often used as an extender as opposed to a substitute.
- After brewing, espresso coffee contains 2.5% fat and filter coffee contains 0.6% fat.
- Coffee is second only to oil in world trade.
Note: This text was given to me by coworkers several years ago. I doubt they wrote it on their own, so it’s possible (very likely in fact) that this was copied from a book or the web. If you know who the original author is, please contact me with the information.
