Coffee is without question the most commonly consumed beverage across the world, preceded only by water. Statistics agree that coffee is one of the most popular hot beverages all over the world.
But there’s so much more we don’t yet know about coffee. In this article, we brought together some of the most surprising, enlightening, and plain bizarre facts about coffee. Let’s get started!
64% of American adults currently drink coffee every day. According to a study conducted by the NCA, this is the highest number of coffee drinkers since 2012.
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In 2020, people aged 70 and over drank about 2.18 cups of coffee per capita in the United States, making it the age group that drank the most coffee on average that year. U.S. coffee consumption for respondents between the ages of 25 and 29 stood at roughly 2.15 cups a day.
More than half of all coffee consumers would rather skip a shower in the morning than skip their coffee (HuffPost). Also, about 49% of them would rather do without their mobile phone for a whole month than give up coffee.
The percentage of people who drink coffee is greater among workers with a higher income (CreditDonkey). For example, 66% of people with an income greater than $30,000 consume coffee, compared to 58% of workers who earn less than that amount.
66% of women drink coffee every day, compared to 62% of men. At least there’s no division between sexes here.
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65% of US adults drink coffee with their breakfast (E-Imports). 30% of them drink coffee between meals, and 5% drink it with meals other than breakfast. Some studies point out that the best times for this energy-boosting drink are between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., and then 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Let’s take a refreshing sip of coffee and continue, shall we?
In 2020, the drip coffee maker was the most popular method for brewing coffee in the United States. Some 41 percent of Americans used a drip coffee maker for their past-day consumption. 45% of US coffee consumers brew their coffee by a drip coffee maker. Other common preparation methods included single-cup brewing, using an espresso machine, and cold brewing.
48% of millennials consume gourmet coffee (Reuters). Data collected by the NCA shows that younger coffee drinkers consume more gourmet coffee than other age groups.According to the US coffee consumption statistics, 36% of people from this generation drink cappuccinos, lattes, and the like, and 22% of them like espresso.
About 13% of coffee drinkers in the US use espresso machines (Statista). In the survey conducted by the NCA about coffee consumption in the US in 2019, about 12% of respondents said they’d used an espresso machine at home.
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Ground coffee and single-serve coffee pods are becoming increasingly popular, particularly amongst millennials (aged 16 – 34) who account for 16% of all buyers.
Many of us drink coffee for its irresistible flavor: Roughly 69% drink it for its taste. Live with this coffee fact.
Cold-brew and nitro coffees were virtually unknown in 2015, but now one in five Americans under age 40 consumes at least one every single week. Yet, the consumption of traditional coffee has declined by 10%.
Espresso-based beverages are most popular with Hispanic-American coffee drinkers, and lattes are most popular with Asian-Americans. British Flat whites are still only a distant 9th place for Americans across the board but they are most popular with Hispanic-Americans and millennial coffee drinkers.
Almost half (48%) of daily coffee drinkers who buy their coffee at a quick-service restaurant, cafe, donut shop or convenience store do so through a drive-through. And one-quarter of people who have ordered a coffee outside the home in the past week have used an app to do so, NCA says.
85% of Americans have at least one cup of coffee at home (PR Newswire), and it’s probably because of the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdowns.
Only 5% of people consumed instant coffee last year. (Statista)Statista’s coffee stats reveal that people drank instant coffee the least, along with decaffeinated coffee (9%). On the other hand, traditional coffee was consumed the most (43%).
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There are about 24,000 coffee shops in the US (E-Imports). Interestingly, Seattle has the largest number of coffee shops per 100,000 residents in the US. In Europe, Monaco has about 52 Starbucks branches per one million inhabitants (Telegraph). According to statistics, Monaco is the leading country when it comes to the number of Starbucks branches per capita. The USA comes second on this list.
The age of Central Perk is over. Almost 70% of surveyed coffee drinkers in the US claim they won’t go to the coffee shops anymore. (NY Post) As a result of pandemic lockdowns, many Americans won’t be coming back to coffee shops, even when the pandemic ends. Habits change.
Colombia was the biggest coffee trading partner of the United States in 2020, with the U.S. importing 1.21 billion dollars’ worth in that year. Brazil, another South American country known for its rich coffee tradition, was second in the list, exporting over 1.16 billion dollars of coffee to the U.S. in 2020. About 110–120 million bags of coffee are produced in the world every year.
Brazil, the top coffee-producing country, accounted for 40 percent of the global coffee supply. Vietnam, was the second-largest coffee producer, accounting for roughly 20 percent of the world’s coffee production.
About 16 percent of the coffee imported by the United States from Colombia was Fair Trade certified in 2016. Fair trade is a movement that aims to improve conditions for workers in agriculture and the environmental sustainability of the crops harvested. In the same year, 22 million dollars of the imported coffee from Colombia was organic.
Brazil is the biggest coffee consumer in the South American continent in 2020. At the same time, the Netherlands topped the list of global coffee-consuming countries followed by Finland, Canada, and Sweden. In Finland, an average of 12 kg of coffee is enjoyed per person every year.
Americans drink about 400 million cups of coffee every day or about 146 billion cups of coffee per year. That’s a rich coffee facts.
The FDA recommends that we keep our caffeine intake at 400 mg a day or less, which is equivalent to about 4 cups of coffee. Therefore, it looks like Americans stick to this recommendation, on average.
Most women like drinking coffee because this ritual helps them relax (E-Imports). About 29% of US coffee consumers drink coffee to relax (Statista). According to the NCA’s survey results, almost a third of Americans who drink coffee enjoy this beverage because it helps them unwind.
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On the other hand, men say that coffee improves their efficiency. Apparently, there’s a big difference between genders when it comes to their reasons for drinking coffee.
Besides coffee, other common sources of caffeine are tea, energy drinks, soda, and chocolate. For example, a milk chocolate bar can contain up to 50 mg of caffeine. Interestingly enough, several health benefits of coffee aren’t related to its caffeine content, but to the coffee facts that coffee is also a great source of antioxidants.
Robusta beans have a higher caffeine content than Arabica beans (Gourmet Coffee Zone). Since Robusta varieties are normally used for making coffee blends for standard brewing, this type of coffee is stronger than espresso, which is typically made of Arabica beans.Usually, coffee facts say that espresso coffee contains only a third of the caffeine content you’ll find in a brewed cup of joe.
A coffee plant can live up to 100 years (Gourmet Coffee Zone). However, coffee plants live 40–50 years on average when they are properly cared for.
The average coffee cup in the USA measures 9 ounces (HuffPost). However, a typical cup of coffee in Japan is 200 milliliters (6.7 ounces), and in Canada, it’s 227 milliliters (7.6 ounces).
About a quarter of survey respondents (24%) say it disrupts their sleep. Young adults (18-29 years old) are particularly affected, with 36% saying it prevents them from getting a good night’s rest.
Approximately 16% of people surveyed claim it raises their anxiety. Like before, young adults are the most vulnerable, with 26% saying so. Approximately 15% of respondents find that it elevates their heart rate and young adults are more likely to say they experience this (24%).
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One cup of decaffeinated, brewed coffee has 2.40mg caffeine. Coffee facts won’t lie.
Cold brewed coffee has 67% less caffeine than traditional coffee (Visual).If we take a look at such brewed coffee facts, we can conclude that brewed coffee is healthier. Also, cold-brewed coffee is 67% less acidic than when it’s brewed hot. Consequently, it has a much sweeter taste and can have many flavors.
An average cup of espresso (30g) contains 69mg of potassium (Nutrition Value).
One of the well-known coffee facts is that espresso is very low in calories (5.4 kcal per cup), meaning that it’s completely safe to drink it if you want to lose weight. Apart from that, it has 127.20mg of caffeine, 8.4mg sodium, 1.20mg calcium, and 0.08mg iron.
Cold coffee facts: 248 g of flavored, iced latte contains 89.28mg caffeine (Nutrition Value).Lattes and similar beverages have more fats and calories but aren’t as caffeinated as brewed coffee. One of the interesting but not surprising iced coffee nutrition facts is that it can easily make you overweight if you drink too much flavored and sugary coffee.
Coffee facts point out that breastfeeding or pregnant women must limit caffeine up to 200mg a day. Other adults can consume up to 400mg of caffeine per day.
Scientists think that the risk of Alzheimer’s disease is 16% lower for coffee drinkers (Web MD). Alzheimer’s disease affects one in eight people who are aged 65 and older. However, some scientists believe that coffee can reduce that risk. Coffee facts maintain that there aren’t enough studies to completely confirm this theory.
One of the coffee facts is that are good to know is that regular coffee intake reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Kopi Luwak coffee is the most expensive coffee variety in the world. Kopi Luwak coffee can cost up to $320 per pound (Coffee Bean Corral). This coffee is made up of partially digested coffee cherries. The coffee cherries are eaten by a civet cat, fermented in its intestines, and then excreted. This coffee variety is mainly sourced from Indonesia and is widely appreciated for its unique taste.