Coffee. Their robust beans have invigorated our mornings and saved our afternoons, firmly situating themselves as being integral to our daily routines.
This article is dedicated to uncover the lesser-known facts about the world's favorite brew - the secrets that reside within those simple, potent coffee beans.
Eskimos find them useful for barter. Sure, coffee beans are known for their energizing properties, but did you know that these magical beans were once used as a currency among Eskimos? According to records, a healthy amount of good quality coffee beans were considered extremely valuable among Eskimos and were traded for goods and services.
How about some post-apocalyptic security? It seems that the world might not be a fan of zombie apocalypses, but fans of the post-apocalyptic series 'The Walking Dead' might already know one significant fact - coffee beans are great for survival scenarios. In a desperate circumstance, coffee beans can be used to make a basic survival fire, providing heat and light.
They're not always brown. Coffee beans as we know them are brown, dark, and glossy. However, did you know they originally start out as bright red or green berries? It's only after being harvested, dried, and roasted, they turn into the brown beans we're well familiar with.
Coffee beans aren't beans. Shockingly, despite being known worldwide as 'coffee beans', they aren't beans at all. The term 'bean' is misleading as it's actually the pit inside the coffee fruit, often referred to as a cherry. In other words, you're drinking fruit pit brew every morning!
The world's most expensive coffee comes from civet poop. Yes, you read that right. Kopi Luwak, often referred to as civet coffee, is made from coffee cherries that have been eaten and then excreted by a civet, a small mammal found in Asia and Africa. Could you gulp down your morning coffee knowing this fact?
Close to two billion cups of coffee are consumed globally every day. This statistic not only demonstrates the magnitude of coffee culture but also the significant impact of coffee on our global economy.
To wrap things up, coffee is a multi-dimensional entity. It's a currency, a means of survival, a delightful trickster, and a testament to our palate's oddities. The more we understand this little brown bean or should we say pit – the more we come to appreciate the complexity and joy it brings to our lives.
Never underestimate the power of a humble cup of coffee. Its influence stretches much further than just our morning caffeine fix - it's steeped in more history, functionality, and peculiarity than you may have ever imagined.