Coffee facts that make you curious
Americans drink about 400 million cups of coffee every day. The luxury food is clearly one of the most popular drinks and even beats beer! We have compiled the exciting facts about coffee for all coffee lovers here.
Table of Contents
Coffee consumption in numbers
First of all, an overview of the most important figures relating to coffee consumption and its cultivation:
On average, every German drinks 150 liters of coffee per year.
According to the German Coffee Association, in 2014 they bought 261,650 tons of ground filter coffee , 63,450 tons of whole coffee beans , 48,650 tons of coffee pods and 19,980 tons of instant coffee.
Brazil and Indonesia have the largest growing areas for coffee and the Brazilians are also at the top when it comes to fair trade coffee .
From here they mostly reach Europe via Hamburg , because this is where the largest European import port for coffee is located. A particularly large number of large roasting plants can therefore be found in the Hamburg area.
Today, however, coffee lovers will find more than 200 coffee roasting shops where they can buy particularly freshly roasted coffee.
Where the coffee got its name from
The figures show that coffee is clearly one of the most popular drinks among Germans. But where does his name come from? There is no clear answer to this, as there are two conjectures. Some cite “Kaffa” – its Ethiopian region of origin – as the source for the name, while others are convinced that the Arabic word “qahwa” is its origin. The word used to mean “wine”, but today it stands for “stimulating drink” – a good description for coffee and therefore a plausible choice of words.
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From the Arab monopoly to Holland
Originally from Africa, coffee was a monopoly of the Arabs for a long time. Only they were able to sell the expensive luxury good because they did not let germinable beans fall into the hands of their trading partners. By brewing them with hot water, they made the raw beans incapable of germination and thus prevented the trading partners from growing their own coffee.
In 1616, however, the Dutch succeeded in uncovering this “state secret” and stole some plants. They then bred them in their colonies of Java and Sri Lanka. Later, other countries such as France and Great Britain also succeeded in growing coffee , and coffee growing expanded suddenly.
Coffee – the engine of industrialization
Coffee, which was now becoming cheaper, was no longer only available to the nobles and the well-heeled, but also to the general public. With the beginning of industrialization, coffee finally became a popular drink. While it was a luxury item for the affluent class, the poorer classes mainly drank coffee as a kind of food substitute. Coffee soup simmered on the stove all day long. Chunks of bread were soaked here to keep warm and to make hunger go away. Many researchers therefore regard coffee as a kind of “engine of industrialization”, because without it, many workers would probably not have been able to achieve so much.
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The coffee culture in the USA – a little journey across the pond!
The “day of coffee”
There are enough reasons to properly celebrate the cult drink !
However, coffee only got its own day in Germany in 2006. Since 2016, the Germans have been celebrating “Coffee Day” parallel to International Coffee Day on October 1st. Exciting events organized by the German Coffee Association await you across Germany.
The most expensive coffee in the world – Kopi Luwak
For many people, enjoying coffee is indispensable and fans pay high prices for good types of coffee . However, the most expensive coffee in the world is not for everyone and is very special in its production:
In the Kopi Luwak, before the coffee bean is used to make coffee, it first has to pass through the digestive tract of the civet. The bean excretes this undigested and gives it a very special aroma. Since the Indonesians can only produce around 230 kg of this somewhat special type of coffee, this also explains the price of around 600 euros per kilo or five euros per cup.
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Conclusion
The world of coffee offers many exciting facts and a long tradition. You can regularly find more interesting information on the origin, variety and preparation options of the black drink in our magazine.
