Happy International Coffee Day! (ICD)
On this day we raise our cups to celebrate all things coffee… and at Coffex we also think it’s the perfect opportunity to Thank You, our loyal coffee loving customers, for all your ongoing support.
In honour of our beloved beverage, we today look at 10 fun and interesting facts about coffee. Let’s get into it!
(Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, Ethiopia)
Legend has it that in the 9th century, a goat herder named Kaldi from the Kaffa region of Ethiopia discovered coffee when his goats became very energetic after eating coffee berries.
The 2 main species of coffee beans are Arabica & Robusta. Robusta is more bitter in taste than Arabica and contains more caffeine, while Arabica is usually considered to be superior in taste. Most of the world's Arabica is grown in Brazil, while Vietnam leads the world in the growing of Robusta.
What we call coffee “beans” are technically seeds! They’re the seeds of the coffee cherry, the fruit that grows on coffee trees.
The outer layer or husk of the coffee cherry is called Cascara. While it's a byproduct of coffee farming, it can also be made in an antioxidant rich tea/tisane.
Known also for their love of saunas, the Finnish consume more coffee than any other country, with the average person drinking approximately 12 kgs of coffee per year. In comparison, Australians consumed around 2 kgs of coffee per person in 2021.
Links have been identified between regular coffee consumption and a lower risk of several diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinsons, and Type 2 diabetes.
The Aussies sure love their coffee... that much you probably already knew! But did you know that:
- More than 1 in 4 Australians indicated they cannot survive a day without coffee (27%)
- More than 4 in 5 Australians (84%) spend money on coffee in an average week.
- Australian coffee drinkers are evenly divided between those who prefer instant coffee (39%) and espresso coffee (39%).
Older generations are likely to prefer instant coffee, whilst a preference for espresso coffee is higher among Australia’s younger generations. The Builders generation are the exception, with two in five (42%) preferring espresso coffee.
The world’s first webcam was invented in 1991 by researchers in the computer science department at Cambridge University, who wanted to monitor a coffee pot located in their break room. After previously walking all the way to the break room to sometimes find the pot empty, the scientists set up a camera to stream an image of the coffee pot to their computers, so they would know whether to bother going to the break room for coffee or not. Now that’s working smart!
Over 70 countries in the world grow coffee, with Brazil being the world’s largest producer. Most of these are located in the “coffee belt”, which spans the equator between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. As can be seen in the above image, certain parts of Australia fall within the 'belt'. Australia does grow coffee domestically, albeit in small volumes, no where near enough to satisfy total demand.
If you’re Australian you’ll no doubt be familiar with a ‘Flat White’. Similar to a latte but with a higher coffee to milk ratio and a velvety, glossy microfoam on top. It has gained global popularity, especially in markets such as the UK and the US. Australia is also known for its coffee culture in general, with the city of Melbourne in particular considered one of the coffee capitals of the world. Also the home of Coffex!
To celebrate International Coffee Day in 2024, we’re running a limited time special offer: spend $79 online before the 13th of October and receive 20% off*
Use code ICD24 at checkout.
SHOP the range today.
Happy Sipping!
*T&C’s apply.
