Lesser Known Facts about Coffee!

Coffee has been around for a very long time. The buzz of caffeine is, in most cases, necessary. Coffee is a staple drink for many people around the world. It has become so important that there is a coffee shop around every corner, and there have been modifications to coffee cups to fit every whim and fancy of man. A recent, sustainable innovation is reusable coffee cups that come in various shapes and sizes. It is both fashionable and good for the planet. Now, let’s delve into the different lesser-known facts about coffee.

1. Coffee was not always called coffee: The word ‘coffee’ was introduced into the English language in the 16th century. It has roots in the Italian word ‘caffe’, which has roots in the Dutch word ‘koffie’, which came from Ottoman Turkish’ kahve’, taken from the Arabic word ‘qahwah’.
2. Coffee drinkers are less likely to contract serious illnesses: Research studies showed that coffee drinkers had lesser chances of contracting Alzheimer’s disease. It also showed that coffee had a positive effect on Type II diabetes patients and showed slight results in women with skin cancer.
3. Brewed coffee has more caffeine in it than espresso: While espresso has 64 milligrams of caffeine in one serving, one serving of brewed coffee has 95 milligrams of caffeine.
4. Coffee actually comes from a fruit: Coffee beans are not really beans. Coffee grows on a flowering plant that grows cherries. The bean is the seed or the ‘pit’, found at the centre of the fruit. It can be roasted to make the coffee. Each cherry contains two or three seeds.
5. Coffee helps reduce muscle pain: Although it is recommended to have a high protein breakfast after a morning cardio workout, research has shown that adding coffee to the post-workout routine helps decrease muscle pain by 48%.
6. Decaf is not caffeine-free: As mentioned earlier, one serving of brewed coffee contains 95 milligrams of caffeine, while an 8-ounce cup of decaf still has 2-12 milligrams of caffeine in it. However, it is a significantly lesser amount of caffeine than regular coffee.
7. Goats helped discover coffee: There’s an interesting coffee origin story. In Ethiopia, circa 800 AD, a shepherd named Kaldi accidentally discovered the coffee plant after realising that his goats became very energetic when they nibbled on the plant. After trying out the fruit for himself and realising it made him energetic, he went and told some monks who lived nearby. They got angry and threw the seeds into the fire, thereby spreading the smell of coffee everywhere. They eventually mixed the berries with animal fat and made power bites out of them.
8. Coffee reduces the risk of suicide and depression. Although there is a need for more research studies in this area, research has shown that those who consistently drank coffee showed fewer signs of depression and lesser tendencies towards suicide. One study showed that women who drank 4 cups of coffee daily were 20% less likely to suffer from depression. The results of these studies were found to be more prominent in women than in men.
9. Adding cream to coffee will prevent it from cooling faster: Since cream cools down about 20% slower than black coffee, by adding it, you can keep the coffee warm for much longer than by simply drinking it black.
10. Caffeine overdoses can happen: Caffeine overdose is seldom life-threatening, but it can happen. Drinking more than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day could lead to migraines, increased heart rate, dysphoria, etc. Serious side effects like seizures and hallucinations can happen with the consumption of about 1200 milligrams of caffeine or more.