Do You Know Coffee? 50 Facts for Every Coffee Enthusiast

Did you know that the average coffee cup size is nine ounces?

Before you buy ground coffee online, read on to learn 15 random facts that every coffee addict should know!

1. Coffee beans are actually seeds

What we affectionately call “coffee beans” are really the pits from cherry-like fruits. They are similar in appearance to legumes, however, so they earned their long-standing title as coffee beans.

2. Brazil grows more coffee than any other country in the world

As of right now, Brazil produces roughly a third of the entire world’s coffee supply. It produces around twice as much as the second-place holder, Vietnam.

3. Coffee drinkers tend to enjoy longer lifespans

Research has connected moderate coffee consumption with a lower risk of heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, and type 2 diabetes, as well as longer lifespan. You can feel good about drinking and buying ground coffee online!

4. Coffee grounds are said to beautify your skin

Used coffee grounds are used by some as physical exfoliators. They effectively lift dead skin cells, making skin smoother and brighter. Additionally, caffeine is considered to improve blood circulation in the skin, although this is still unproven.

5. Coffee was not originally a drink

Coffee may be brewed and sipped today, but it wasn’t always like that. According to several historians, the African tribes that first consumed coffee prepared it by grinding together the whole berries, adding animal fat, and rolling the mixture into edible balls.

6. Instant coffee has existed for almost 250 years

Instant coffee was first patented in the U.S. in 1910, but it’s been around for much longer than that. It actually made its first appearance in 1771 in England. And yes, instant coffee is "real" coffee. Instant coffee is made from real whole coffee beans that were roasted, ground, and brewed.

7. The most expensive coffee in the world comes from animal poop

Kopi Luwak coffee goes for $600 per pound, and it’s harvested in perhaps the strangest way imaginable. Coffee berries in Indonesia are eaten by a weasel-like creature called the Asian palm civet, but the little animals can’t digest the coffee beans, which are passed through in their feces. A farmer then collects the beans from this animal’s droppings and washes them before selling them.

8. Coffee might fuel cars someday

Used coffee grounds have been successfully converted to biodesiel, which may be used to fuel cars someday. Just one more reason to feel great about buying ground coffee online to support the coffee industry!

9. Drinking coffee may have contributed to the longest-living cat’s incredible lifespan

The oldest cat who ever lived -- a 38-year-old feline named Creme Puff -- drank coffee every day of her long life. She also enjoyed a steady diet of bacon, eggs, and broccoli.

10. The world’s first webcam watched a coffeemaker

A Cambridge experiment that featured the first webcam ever to go online involved a live video feed of a Krups ProAroma coffeemaker. After the experiment was pulled, the coffeemaker sold on eBay for almost $5,000.

11. A single cup of black coffee only contains one calorie

While adding sweeteners, cream, and other fillers quickly escalate a cup of coffee’s calorie count, a cup of plain black coffee only contains one single calorie.

12. Decaf coffee is not caffeine-free

While decaf coffee contains considerably less caffeine than non-decaffeinated coffee -- only between two and 12 milligrams, compared to 95 to 200 milligrams -- it is not technically “caffeine free.” For comparison, a can of soda typically has between 23 and 35 milligrams of caffeine.

13. The famous Boston Tea Party helped to popularize coffee in America

As history lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became a patriotic gesture to drink coffee instead of tea. The Civil War only made the drink more popular, as it was used to help energize tired soldiers.

14. It’s possible to overdose on coffee

Don’t get too worried, though -- an AsapSCIENCE video on YouTube pointed out that it would take 70 cups of coffee to kill a 150-pound person, so overdosing is technically no easy feat.

15. Coffee bans did exist

Until as recently as the 1700s, certain governments would try to ban coffee, as it tended to stimulate “radical thinking” according to some. Sweden actually went all the way in 1746, when coffee and coffee-related utensils were banned.

The next time you visit coffee shops Knoxville TN, or buy ground coffee online, think about this humble drink’s long history and remarkable reputation.