Coffee Facts

Coffee Facts (or at least, tidbits of revisionist History):

In Saudi Arabia, a woman may divorce her husband if he does not keep her supplied with coffee. Sounds like grounds to me.
Two tablespoons of ground coffee is the typical standard measure to prepare one 8-10 ounce cup of brew.
The largest coffee-producing nation, Brazil, is responsible for 30 to 40 % of total world output.
How does caffeine work? In the human brain, there exists nucleoside called adenosine that is attracted to certain receptors. When they get
together, drowsiness sets in. When caffeine is induced, it attaches itself to these receptors, preventing the adenosine compound from doing
so. In response to this, the pituitary gland triggers the adrenal glands to excrete adrenaline. In addition, the caffeine increases the dopamine
levels in the brain.
October 1st is official “Coffee Day” in Japan.
Black coffee contains no calories.
The first reference to coffee in literature is attributed to Rhazes, an Arabian physician.
The first European coffee house opened in Italy in the year 1645.
The Dutch were the first to import coffee and coffee beans on a large scale, and they eventually smuggled coffee seedlings into Europe in 1690,
defying the Arab prohibition on the exportation of coffee plants and seeds.
When coffee reached the British Colonies it wasn't as successful as it had been on the continent. However, during the American Revolutionary War,
the demand for coffee increased so much that traders hoarded their scarce supplies and raised prices dramatically; this was partly due to the
reduced availability of tea from British merchants.
After the War of 1812, during which Britain had temporarily cut off access to tea imports, the Americans' taste for coffee grew. Subsequently, high
demand during the American Civil War, together with advances in brewing technology, secured the position of coffee as an everyday commodity in
the United States.
The Dutch certification system "Max Havelaar" was the first to employ the concept of 'fairtrade' coffee transactions in 1988.
Caffeine is on the International Olympic Committee list of prohibited substances. Athletes who test positive for more than 12 micrograms of caffeine
per milliliter of urine may be banned from the Olympic Games. This level may be reached after drinking about 5 cups of coffee.
The word "coffee" was at one time a term for wine, but was later used to describe a black drink made from berries of the coffee tree. This black
drink replaced wine in many religious ceremonies because it kept the Mohammedans awake and alert during their nightly prayers, so they honored it
with the name they had originally given to wine.
The word 'cappuccino' is the result of several derivations, the original of which began in 16th century. The Capuchin order of friars, established after
1525, played an important role in bringing Catholicism back to Reformation Europe. Its Italian name came from the long, pointed cowl, or cappuccino,
derived from cappuccio, "hood," that was worn as part of the order's habit. The French version of cappuccino was capuchin, from which came English
Capuchin. In Italian cappuccino went on to describe espresso coffee mixed or topped with steamed milk or cream, so called because the color of
the coffee resembled the color of the habit of a Capuchin friar. The first use of cappuccino in English is recorded in 1948 in a work about
San Francisco. There is also the story line that says that the term comes from the fact that the coffee is dark, like the monk's robe, and the cap is
likened to the color of the monk's head.
Both the American Revolution and the infamous French Revolution were born in coffee houses. The American Revolution grew from roots planted
by patriots in the Green Dragon (some say it was the Green Lion) Public House in the Lloyd's District of London. The infamous French Revolution
happened in 1789 when the Parisians, spurred on by Camille Desmoulins's verbal campaign, took to the streets and two days later the Bastille fell,
marking the overthrow of the French Government and changing France forever.
When the beans reach a temperature of 400F (+/-) during the roasting process, the beans begin to "crack." As the heating reaction of pyrolysis
continues, the interior of the bean develops oils. The outer part of the beans continue to darken. Generally speaking, when the beans "crack" a
second time, the hot beans are then dumped from the roaster and cooled immediately, usually with cold air. During the process of roasting coffee
beans, coffee oil gathers in pockets throughout the bean. This substance is forced out to the surface of the beans of darker roasts, as moisture is
lost. Hence the bean has this oily appearance.
Raw “green” coffee beans are graded in various ways depending on country and sometimes even within a country there are differences. Kenya
coffees are graded as A, B and C. AA is their best coffee. In Costa Rica, coffees are graded as Strictly Hard Bean, Good Hard Bean, Hard Bean,
Medium Hard Bean, High Grown Atlantic, Medium Grown Atlantic, and Low Grown Atlantic. The coffee beans from Colombia are labeled as
"Supremo" "Excelso", "Extra" and the lowest grade, "Pasilla" (these refer to size and not quality).
The Italians drink their espresso with sugar. The Germans and Swiss with equal parts of hot chocolate. The Mexicans with cinnamon. The Belgians
with chocolate. Moroccans drink their coffee with peppercorns. The Ethiopians with a pinch of salt. Coffee drinkers in the Middle East usually add
cardamom and spices. Whipped cream is the favorite amongst Austrians. The Egyptians are extremely fond of pure and strong coffee. They seldom
add sugar to it, nor milk nor cream. They serve unsweetened coffee to mourners and sweetened coffee at weddings. Americans put all kinds of crap
in their brew.
Studies conducted on the human body revealed it will usually absorb up to about 300 milligrams of caffeine at a given time. About 4 normal cups.
Additional amounts are just cast off, providing no further stimulation. Also, the human body dissipates 20% of the caffeine in the system each hour.
In Yugoslavia, coffee is served in a long-handled open pot pronounced "keffa." In Turkey it's called an Ibrik. The coffee is then poured into
demitasse-type cups.
A single shot of espresso has 1/3 of the caffeine of a regular cup of coffee.
During a period in Germany, the government hired a special force known as “Kaffee Schnufflers” to sniff out illicit coffee roasters and smugglers.
It was an intense campaign brought about by King Frederick who did not believe that coffee-drinking soldiers can be depended upon. His efforts
failed for the most part; he too loved coffee.
During the American Civil War the Union soldiers were issued eight pounds of ground roasted coffee as part of their personal ration of one
hundred pounds of food. Their other choice: ten pounds of unroasted coffee beans.
Café Procope was the first true Paris coffeehouse. It was opened in 1689 by a former lemonade vendor, Francois Procope. The café faces the
Theatre Francais, where it drew the artists and actors of the day.
At one time in England, certain merchants were angered when coffee was introduced. Those selling ale and wine felt threatened when coffee
became more popular. They even launched a campaign to persuade Charles II to issue an order to suppress coffeehouses. Fortunately, public
outcry forced the order to be retracted on January 8, 1675.
Kolschitzky, a Pole, opened Vienna's first coffeehouse named the Blue Bottle. He even saved the beans from the flames when the Turkish troops
who left them were fleeing from the city.
In the homes of the Bedouins, coffee is generally served with ginger or cardamom.
Ugandans mix green beans with sweet grasses and various spices, dry them, and then wrap these in grass packets, which were are hung in their
homes. It serves as a talisman and decoration.
Coffee most exacting rite of passage is known as "cupping" or cup tasting. It is the act of assessing the qualities of a particular batch of beans by
freshly roasting, brewing, and tasting.
Coffee berries start as green berries in early stage of growth, turn yellow, red, then dark crimson when it is finally ripe and yields the best coffee.
In fact, according to the rule of "FIVE": Arabica coffee plants take about five years to mature and produce its first crop. A healthy coffee tree will
produce only about five pounds of green beans per year, but only about 20% of each pound meets the rigid sorting standards to be sold as
"Specialty Coffee."
Coffee beans are actually berries.
Dorothy Jones of Boston was the first American coffee trader. It was in 1670 that she was granted a license to sell coffee.
Japan is now the third largest consumer of coffee. They practice improving their skin and reducing wrinkles by bathing in coffee grounds that
were fermented with pineapple pulp.
Crema is a golden-brownish foam that covers a freshly brewed cup of espresso. It is only made by a high-pressured method of extraction. An even
thicker layer of crema also helps keep the heat and aroma of espresso.
Espresso comes from the Latinate root for "Press", or "Under Pressure".
In Greece and Turkey, it is the custom that the eldest is served their coffee first.
Espresso macchiato is a cup of espresso "marked" with a spoonful of the foam from steamed milk, whereas latte macchiato is a cup of steamed milk
"marked" with a small dash of espresso.
During the American Civil War, when coffee was scarce, the citizens of New Orleans used chicory as substitutes. Today, chicory is still used which
is mixed with a quantity of strong black coffee and hot, rich milk.
Vacuum pot brewing was invented by a Scottish engineer, Robert Napier, in about 1840.
In Constantinople, the first coffee houses were called qahveh khaneh (schools of wisdom) because they were the meeting places of men of arts
and literature.
A kahveci is a person who is skilled in preparing Turkish coffee.
In 1690 the Dutch founded the East India Coffee trade when they introduced coffee in Java (Indonesia).
In London around 1674, there was a group of women who formed the ‘Women's Petition Against Coffee’ (WPAC). That was in London in 1674.
They complained that their men were always at the coffee houses.
Turkish coffee is traditionally brewed in a circular brass pot known as an ibrik. It is used to brew a cup that is thick and sweet.
Coffee was brought into Costa Rica from Cuba by a Spanish traveler named Navarro in 1779.
Will's in Covent Garden became a favorite meeting place for writers and poets. Many famous people, including Dr. Johnson, who compiled the
first English Dictionary, visited the Turk's Head Coffee House.
The requirements for making of good espresso is summarized by the 4 "M"s: Macinazione (correct grind), Miscela (coffee blend),
Macchina (the espresso machine) and of course, Mano (barista).
Beethoven, who was a coffee lover, was so particular about his coffee that he would count 60 beans for each cup that he prepared.
Luigi Goglio invented a one-way valve that could be laminated onto layered, oxygen-permeable packaging material. This is the valve gizmo seen on
many bags of coffee at the grocery store.
Louis XV was rumored to have spent $15,000.00 per year on coffee for his daughters. And Voltaire supposedly drank 50 cups a day.
The French were the first to innovate a crude espresso machine. The Italians then perfected this machine and became the first to manufacture it.
The first coffee advertisement was a handbill distributed in 1651. It read: "The Virtue of the coffee drink first publicly made and sold in England, by
Pasqua Rosee...in St. Michael's Alley Cornhill...at the Signe of his own head." It is now housed in the British Museum.
In 1511, Khair Beg, Mecca's corrupt governor, attempted to ban the coffee drink fearing that it might foster public opposition to his rule. He
summoned many “experts” from every walk of life to testify against coffee.
It was a locksmith who, in 1665, first invented a coffee mill in London.
It was in 1530 that the first coffeehouse was opened in Damascus, Syria. Istanbul, Turkey opened its first coffeehouse in 1554.
Mr. Jacobs opened England's first coffee house in Oxford in 1650. It was two years later that another coffee house was opened in London by a
Greek, Pasqua Rosee, in partnership with Daniel Edwards, an Englishman. By 1700 some two thousand such coffee shops were established.
The Turks brought coffee to Austria when their army surrounded Vienna in 1683, laying siege to the city.
In 1785, the coffee revolt broke out in Prussia because coffee consumption was restricted to the nobility, clergy and high officials.
Before coffee was introduced as a stimulant, it had been a social custom in Aden to chew the fresh leaves of "qat", as it had a mild narcotic effect.
The three biggest coffee drinkers in the world are the Americans, the French and the Germans. They consume some 65% of the total world's
consumption of coffee.
The coffee bean is called "bunnu" in Arabic.
It was the Dutch who literally brought the coffee plant to the rest of the world. They brought the first coffee plant from Mocha in Yemen to
Holland in 1616. Their first cultivation was in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1658.
Nicaraguan Maragogipe is a very large sized variety of coffee bean.
Geo. Washington, an Englishman who lived in Guatemala, invented instant soluble coffee in 1906 and three years later put his products on the market.
Dr. Satori Kato, a Japanese chemist, was among the first to develop an instant coffee powder.
Coffee in Kenya came from the Isle of Bourbon (Reunion) with the Roman Catholic missionaries as late as 1893.
1 kilogram (2.2 lbs) of roasted coffee requires 4,000 - 5,000 coffee beans.
The original Cappuccino machines were true works of art in the inimitable Italian style. Massive, ornate, and impressive steam machines designed
to brew coffee and foam milk in a stimulating and entertaining ritual. Much of the enjoyment of this exotic Italian classic was watching the
server make it in the elegant Cappuccino machine, with skill and showmanship.
The inventors of Cappuccino decided that its preparation should be as dramatic as its distinguished taste and appearance. So they designed an
appropriately impressive Cappuccino machine.
When Pope Clement VIII found coffee to his tastes he lifted the ban which had long denied Christians the enjoyment of this pleasurable and
stimulating beverage.
Frederick the Great formed his own Gestapo-like organization to ferret out and punish anyone in his army who used coffee.
Coffee has been around for over 11 centuries and is currently the most widely consumed beverage in the world.
When coffee supplies became scarce during the American Civil War, soldiers desperate for a cup of coffee used roasted sweet potato and
Indian corn as a substitute.
Dark roasted coffees actually have LESS caffeine than lighter roasts. The longer a coffee is roasted, the more caffeine burns off during the process.
The word "tip" dates back to the old London coffeehouses. Conspicuously placed brass boxes etched with the inscription, "To Insure Promptness,"
encouraged customers to pay for efficient service. The resulting acronym, TIP, has become a byword.
Until the tenth century, coffee was considered a food. Ethiopian tribesmen would mix the coffee berries with animal fat, roll them into balls, and
eat them on their nomadic journeys.