This post is also available in: German
I had no idea how little I knew about one of my favorite beverages until a recent visit to Caroma, run by Valentin Hofer, Italy’s first Coffee Sommelier. Here’s a look into the world’s favorite beverage:
- Yes that’s right, coffee is the world’s most consumed beverage – after water.
- Coffee is the world’s 2nd largest traded commodity. Oil is first.
- The longer that coffee beans have been roasted – the healthier they are.
- It was said that coffee was discovered by a goat herder in Ethiopia in the 1500s. He saw his goats eating coffee cherries and then observed a change in their behaviour. He told this to some monks, who tried to brew the coffee cherries like they were brewing tea. They drank it and couldn’t fall asleep. The rest is almost history – although we don’t know when or who started roasting coffee.
- There are 80 different kinds of coffee plants.
- Only 4 of these are used today.
- Coffee plants can grow at 2000 meters elevation and can be planted on volcanoes, but this makes it more difficult to harvest and drives up the price.
- One coffee plant can be used for 20 years for commercial purposes. Technically it can be used for longer but with a decreased quality in the coffee.
- Wild coffee plants are rare, but can be found in Ethiopia growing up to 10 meters.
- Coffee plants grown on plantations normally only reach 2 meters.
- Coffee is grown in 80 countries.
- One coffee plant has 5 kg of fruit which results in 800 grams of roasted coffee.
- Nespresso coffee capsules have ingredients added to make the foamy – this result is not possible with only coffee beans.
- Scandinavian countries and the United States drink the most coffee.
- Germans drink on average 146 liters of coffee a year.
- Decaffeinated coffee comes from a chemical process where the caffeine is taken out of the beans. The caffeine is then often sold to Coca-Cola.
- People that have a problem with coffee usually have a problem with Robusta coffee because it’s higher in caffeine. They should try Arabica coffee and may find that it doesn’t bother their stomach.
- Valentin expects that coffee prices will only continue to increase as coffee becomes more popular, especially in China, which will create a huge demand for coffee so get your fill while you can afford it!
And finally, my personal favorite, Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world. It comes from Indonesia and is made from the coffee beans digested from the Asian Palm Civet – in other words cat poop. It sells for €350 and up per kilo! Perhaps I should experiment with this at home with my two cats. What do you think?
Visit Valentin, Italy’s first Coffee Sommelier at Caroma in Fie’ Allo Sciliar Bolzano, Italy. It was the best cappuccino I’ve ever had. I was there on a rainy Friday morning and the place was packed with locals. Caroma will soon be opening a coffee display room and offering classes as well available in German or Italian.
Note: I received a free cappuccino, but determined on my own free will that it was one of the best that I’ve ever tasted.
Great facts about my favorite beverage also:) I had no idea that there was even such a thing as a coffee sommelier…
D.J. – The World of Deej recently posted..The Blogger Relay – My Top 3 Travel Memories
t was indeed an awesome experience, and I didn’t know many of the quirky facts related to coffee.
A pity Caroma is a bot too far from Milan for a daily ristretto coffee
Simon recently posted..Above the Okavango Delta
It was indeed an awesome experience, and I didn’t know many of the quirky facts related to coffee.
A pity Caroma is a bot too far from Milan for a daily ristretto coffee
Simon recently posted..Above the Okavango Delta
D.J. – I had no idea either. Valentin said that Vienna used to be the only place you could get certified, but now there are other places as well.
@Simon – Agreed, I learned so much. Visiting Caroma would make the trip from Milan worthwhile in itself.
Interesting trivia! I didn’t know half of the info here!
This one caught my eye: Decaffeinated coffee comes from a chemical process where the caffeine is taken out of the beans. The caffeine is then often sold to Coca-Cola. Makes sense actually!
I can also tell you that coffee beans drying under the sun don’t smell so good. I know, it’s a disappointment! But I noticed that in Guatemala.
Zhu recently posted..The London Underground
Surprising; I’d have thought tea was more popular than coffee in large parts of the world. Though people drink buckets of coffee up here, that’s for sure.
Sophie recently posted..Torre Argentina: Cats among Roman ruins
Ok, now that I’m reading this, it seems we were talking about the same thing on twitter! I wouldn’t call a civet a cat, but yeah, that’s the stuff I tried in Indonesia. We were at some coffee place with gorgeous views of the rice terraces, and my friend bought a cup so I tried a sip of hers. Crazy expensive to actually buy a bag of the stuff.
I laughed at the part about the caffeine being sold to Coca-Cola. Seems weird somehow!
Ali recently posted..My Top Sunset Photos
Wow, I just learned so much about coffee! I’ll never look at a coffee bean the same way again. I’m not too sure about cat poop coffee though…cleaning the kitter box is one if my least favorite chores.
Jennifer recently posted..Inside Dubrovnik’s Walls
I remember reading about the cat poop coffee on Almost Fearless’s blog. Very interesting. Yes, I definitely think you should try it at home and report back.
Christy recently posted..A Mountain Getaway with Roomorama
I have never, ever got coffee. How could people possible drink it more than wine lol. But I love coffee culture… though maybe not the cat poop….
Abby recently posted..Perfection in La Jolla
I’m not a coffee drinker (one of the few clearly) but there are some great facts here
Thank you! Some really interesting facts about my favourite drink! A quick FYI if you are ever in Vegas try the cappuccino at Bolagio’s chocolate factory! Heaven.
Imagine being the first person to discover coffee. You would have no idea why you couldn’t get to sleep. It wouldn’t take long until you couldn’t start the day without one, though. And so mankind’s addiction would begin!
Turtle recently posted..The mysterious Lycians
That is hilarious that the caffeine is taken out of the coffee beans and sold to Coke. I really like the flavor and smell of coffee, but can’t deal with the caffeine. Oddly, up until recently, Coke never used to bother me.
Andrew recently posted..Doors of Barcelona and Valencia
Great post about two of my favourite things: traveling (Italy) & coffee! Not too sure about the cat process, but I’d love to try it anyway…
@Illizna – Thank you and two of my favorite things as well. I’d like to try the cat from coffee poop, but not find out what it actually was until afterwards.