Many things are special about coffee, ranging from its legendary origin story to the plethora of ways you can drink it.
Are you a coffee aficionado who wants to know more about your favorite drink? Or maybe you’re someone who just doesn’t understand the hype. This extensive guide of all-things-coffee will help you understand why one of the world’s favorite drinks is so special.
Coffee was supposedly discovered by a goat herder in Ethiopia
Kaldi is a legendary goat herder from Ethiopia. He discovered coffee around 850 AD.
Legend has it that he noticed that his goats were eating bright red cherries and then started jumping around afterwards.
After chewing on the fruit himself, he brought the berries to an Islamic monk in a close-by Sufi monastery.
The monk disapproved of the use of the beans and threw them into a fire. But a strong, enticing smell started to emerge.
The roasted beans were taken out of the embers, ground, and steeped in hot water, which became the first ever cup of coffee in the world.
There are three different waves of coffee
According to Essense, a “wave of coffee” is a distinct time period in the coffee industry. So far, there have been three waves.
The first wave of coffee started in the 1800s when the popularity of coffee started to rise. The main point of this wave was that coffee became a basic item found in every household.
The second wave of coffee started to develop in the 1970s, around when Starbucks began to have a large say in the industry of coffee. Coffee shops started to become places of social gatherings rather than somewhere to just grab a cup and go.
The third wave, that we’re currently in, focuses on specialty coffee. It also cares about the sustainability of the coffee produced and having fair wages for everyone involved in the coffee making process.
Finland consumes more coffee per person than any other country
Finnish coffee is typically prepared with a bit of milk and no sugar. It is frequently made from lightly roasted beans and tastes slightly acidic.
However, taste buds are expanding and cafes are starting to offer a spectrum of coffee flavors.
According to the International Coffee Association, each person in Finland drinks 12 kilograms of coffee per year.
Coffee farms reduce world poverty
Small farmers produce roughly 80% of coffee. These farmers are referred to as smallholders.
There are many initiatives to create better working conditions and wages for these farmers, largely thanks to the third wave of coffee.
Fair-trade coffee is a step in the right direction but isn’t a perfect system.
The more transparency there is in the coffee-producing process, the more these smallholders can escape poverty.
The most expensive coffee in the world is digested by the Asian palm civet
Kopi luwak is a kind of coffee that is made when an Asian palm civet eats, digests, and defecates the coffee cherries. Then the beans are cleaned and processed.
Prices range from $100 to $600 a pound and it is widely claimed to be the best tasting coffee in the world.
Coffee has many health benefits
Some research points to coffee protecting against neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
One review of studies found that people who regularly drank coffee had a much lower risk of developing Parksinson’s disease, while the consumption of caffeine also slowed the progression of the disease.
Another study discovered that drinking at least four cups of coffee per day, as opposed to just one, significantly lowers your risk of depression.
Coffee is also the leading source of antioxidants consumed in the United States.
Coffee can help your skin
Coffee is quickly gaining popularity as a skincare remedy.
It has many antioxidants, including phenols, which fight free radicals that damage the skin. The skin is able to absorb the antioxidants topically.
It can also be used as acne treatment because the CGAs found in coffee have anti-inflammatory as well as antibacterial properties.
Coffee has the ability to treat dark circles under the eyes because the caffeine helps dilate the blood vessels that cause the dark circles.
You can compost your used coffee grounds
Composting your coffee grounds keeps them out of the landfill while also adding nitrogen and organic matter to your compost.
Starbucks offers free bags of used coffee grounds for you to collect, and you can also talk to your local coffee shops or take grounds from the office coffee machine.
Coffee grounds can be composted on any scale, so you don’t need a commercial operation or even a fully developed compost pile to compost your used coffee grounds.
The kind of mug you use affects how you interpret the taste of your coffee
The coffee mug you choose to use adds to your sensory experience and can make your coffee taste better (or worse!)
One example of this is that using a white mug can make your coffee taste darker and stronger by contrast.
There is a lot of research about what material, size, and shape makes your coffee taste the best.
A 2017 study found that people associated:
- Wide mugs with sweet flavors
- Short mugs with intense coffee
- Narrow mugs with more aromatics
Some researchers are developing vessels specifically designed to bring out the desired tastes of the coffee you’re drinking.
There are various ways of drinking it
Black coffee is steeped coffee with nothing in it. Since there aren’t any other flavors and no milk or sugar added, the quality of your coffee will be very obvious when you drink it black.
Lattes are a shot of espresso, steamed milk, and a touch of foam. They come in many flavors, ranging from plain to vanilla to pumpkin spice.
Cappuccinos are lattes that have more foam than steamed milk.
Americanos are a shot of espresso diluted in hot water. Americanos taste similar to black coffee but are smoother.
Espresso is when the water that steeps the coffee is pressurized, extracting strong and unique flavors from the beans.
Hi, I’m Jen Williams, chief editor and writer for ThirstPerk.com.
I’ve been drinking coffee and tea for most of my life, but it wasn’t until I started working at Thirstperk.com that I became an expert on the subject. I’m a total caffeine addict who has spent hours upon hours reading about and experimenting with the different types of coffees out there in my search to find the perfect cup of joe.
I’ve been a tea lover for as long as I can remember as well. I grew up in a house with a mom who loved to drink herbal tea, and I think that’s where my love for tea first began. These days, I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting teas to try, and I love experimenting with different brewing methods and flavoring combinations.
