International Coffee Day

(Margaret Atwood cappuchino)

I had no idea there was an international day of celebration for my all time favourite drink - how exciting! Apparently Coffee Day has been celebrated since 2005. I decided that I needed to do a little bit of research on this and see what coffee facts I can share. There's no doubt to me that coffee is by far the most consumed beverage along with water in the world. It's also the vehicle of choice for caffeine consumption besides cola.

Coffee is the second most traded product in the world after petroleum. World wide coffee production tips the scales at about 6 million metric tonnes.

It takes five years for a coffee tree to reach maturity. The average yield from one tree is the equivalent of one roasted pound of coffee.

Of the various botanical species of coffee trees in the world, only two are extensively cultivated commercially; Arabica and Robusta. (Arabica is the better one!) 

The expression “a cup of Joe” to denote coffee, was first coined during WWII, when American servicemen (G.I. Joe) were identified as big coffee drinkers.

The largest coffee-producing nation, Brazil, is responsible for 30 to 40% of total world output.

The cafe mocha takes it's name from the Mocha coffee bean - Mocha, Yeman is famous for being the major marketplace for coffee from the 15th century until the 17th century. Even after other sources of coffee were found, Mocha beans (also called Sanani or Mocha Sanani beans) continued to be prized for their distinctive flavor—and remain so even today.

In the 19th and early 20th century, Javanese coffee gained global popularity. Thus, the name "Java" today has become a synonym for coffee. Java, Indonesia is still a major coffee producer.

Enjoy your cup today and everyday!