With about 1/3rd of the entire population of the world becoming coffee drinkers, it comes as no surprise that the drink has gained the position of second largest consumed drink in the world right after water. With the increase in the number of regular coffee drinkers, there is an obvious growth in the market of coffee as well.
The rapidly growing coffee culture, with big multinational coffee shop chains at its backbone, owes a lot to the accessibility of the drink as well. Lavazza coffee machines in every office with compatible capsules and coffee pods have made the drink a staple energy booster and artistic and gourmet coffee in instagramable ambiance have swayed the younger generation. The British Coffee Association data says that about 80% of coffee shop visitors visit a coffee shop at least once a week. With that said, let us gather some factual knowledge about our favourite beverage:
Origin
Coffee was discovered in the 11th century and to our surprise, by a goat herder. Legends name the herder as Kaldi. He discovered what is now the 21st-century elixir when he saw his goas dancing about with energy and saw that it was caused by the red fruits on the coffee plant.
And while it was a long journey of coffee from there to becoming our mandatory drink, we would still like to thank Kaldi and his herd.
Health Benefits
The UK alone consumes about 95 million cups of coffee per day which in itself is proof that coffee lovers have more than just one cup per day. Accordingly, scientists have been taking up the health effects of coffee as a subject of various studies most of which are coming up with positive results in favour of the drink. Scientists have claimed in their studies that regular consumption of coffee can help prevent serious diseases like Parkinson’s, Type 2 diabetes, and Gout among others. Regular consumption of coffee has also been seen to prevent depression.
A Brutal History
While today coffee is what most social interactions is surrounded around, it wasn’t always such an accepted drink. Rulers and governments have tried to ban coffee from an entire nation with execution by drowning in the sea as the punishment for drinking the beverage. In its entire history, coffee has been, in major aspect, banned about 5 times : Mecca(16th century), Italy (16th Century), Ottoman Empire(17th Century), Sweden(18th Century) and Prussia(18th Century).
Producers and exporters
British Coffee Association states that coffee is the second largest export good after oil. 2/3rd of this export is taken care of by Central and South America. Individually, Brazil makes for the world’s biggest coffee contributing about 30% of the total export. Vietnam, Columbia and other tropir countries make for the other major suppliers. UK itself does not produce any significant amount of coffee. In around 2008, under Eden project, arabica coffee beans were grown indigenously and used to brew the drink at Fifteen, Cornwall.
Covering a difficult path of the journey to every household’s kitchen cabinet and every restaurant’s menu, coffee has shown itself to be worthy of all the love it is currently getting. The strong aroma and rich taste have been experimented with in various ways in the form of various coffee based drinks like cold brew coffee, iced latte and what not. Fests like the New York Coffee Festival showcase the celebration that that coffee has become.