12 Fascinating Facts About Coffee

Coffee: You know it would be impossible to start your day without a cup of it, but how much do you really know about your favorite caffeinated beverage(напиток)? Read on and find out.

1. Coffee was originally chewed(жевать).

Sipping(потягивание - питье маленькими глотками) may be your preferred method of java(Ява - сорт кофе) consumption, but coffee has not always been a liquid(жидкий) treat(лакомство).

2. Drinking decaf(без кофеина) coffee fuels the soda industry.

After coffee beans(зерна) are decaffeinated, several coffee manufacturers sell the caffeine to soda and pharmaceutical companies.

3. Instant(растворимый) coffee has been around for nearly 250 years.

Instant coffee has been around for a while, making its first appearance in England in 1771. But it would take another 139 years for the first mass-produced instant coffee to be introduced (and patented) in the U.S. in 1910.

4. The average American spends about $1100 on coffee each year.

You’d think that spending an average of $1100 on coffee each year would be enough to make America the world’s most caffeinated nation. You would be wrong.

5. Finland is the world’s coffee capital.

Though Finland does not produce any beans of its own, its citizens drink a lot of the brown stuff—the most of any country in the world.

6. Beethoven was a barista’s worst nightmare(ночной кошмар).

Beethoven enjoyed a cup of coffee, and was extremely particular about its preparation; he insisted(настаивал, утверждал) that each cup he consumed be made with exactly 60 beans(60 зёрен).

7. Coffee beans sent Brazilian athletes to the Olympics in 1932.

In 1932, Brazil couldn't afford(позволить) to send its athletes to the Olympics in Los Angeles. So they loaded their ship with coffee and sold it along the way.

8. There have been several attempts(попытка) to ban coffee entirely(полность).

As recently as the 18th century, governments were trying to eradicate(искоренить) coffee. Among the many reasons for outlawing the beverage were its tendency to stimulate “radical thinking.” In 1746 Sweden took things to an extreme when it banned both coffee and coffee paraphernalia(принадлежности) (i.e. cups and saucers).

9. Coffee could extend(продлить) your cat’s life.

Maybe it’s a coincidence, but the Guinness World Record holder for “Oldest Cat Ever”—a 38-year-old kitty named Creme Puff—drank coffee every morning of her furry little life (plus enjoying bacon, eggs, and broccoli). Before you dismiss that outright, consider this: The cat that Creme Puff beat out for the record(кот, чей рекорд побила Creme Puff) (a 34-year-old cat, appropriately named Grandpa Rex Allen) had the same owner, and was fed the exact same diet.

10. 17th-century women thought coffee was turning their men into “useless corpses.”

“useless corpses.” - бесполезные трупы (в постели)

In 1674, the Women's Petition Against Coffee claimed the beverage was turning British men into "useless corpses" and proposed a ban on it for anyone under the age of 60.

11. The world’s most expensive coffee comes from animal poop(какашки).

Kopi Luwak, the world’s most expensive coffee, earns its pricey distinction thanks to a surprising step in its production: digestion(пищеварение). In Indonesia, a wild animal known as the Asian palm civet(пальмовая куница) cannot resist the bright red coffee cherries that abound, even though they can’t digest the actual coffee beans. The beans pass through the civets' systems without being fully digested. At which point, some brave coffee farmer collects the beans from the civets’ droppings, (hopefully) thoroughly washes them, and sells them for up to $600 per pound.

12. It would take 70 cups of coffee to kill a 150-pound person.

Too much of anything can be a bad thing—yes, even your favorite customized coffee beverage. A video from AsapSCIENCE determined that it would take 70 cups of coffee to kill a roughly 150-pound person.