Three fun facts about coffee: it’s a fruit, it is not native to South America, and it’s been brewed in space. While over a billion people across the world consume coffee each day, few stop their sip and think about why, how, and when this brewed beverage became so popular. Even fewer know that some coffee beans have drastically different DNA profiles, that a single coffee plant rarely produces enough for the average drinker’s consumption, or that a famous composer had a specific number of beans that he believed brewed the perfect cup of coffee.
Whether you’re one to slurp down an espresso on the go or if your coffee drinking ritual involves an at-home percolator, there’s much more to the history, flavor profile, and culture of coffee than you know. So, in addition to the 3 we’ve already given you – here are 18 more fun facts about coffee to read as you sip your morning mug of joe (plus more on “Joe” below…).
But first…
How did coffee get its name?
The word ‘coffee’ in English sounds quite similar in international translations. The Japanese word Kōhī is pronounced “co-he”, in Latin-rooted languages it’s café or caffé, and the Hindi word for coffee is pronounced “kophee”. But where exactly did the term coffee originate from? The earliest purported use of the word is from the Arabic “qahwah”, later followed by the Turkish “kahve” and the Dutch “koffie’. The nickname java was born from an obvious source: the island of Java in Indonesia was cultivated by the Dutch who exported both the beans and the new nickname.
It’s thought one of the earliest sources of coffee came from the volcanic island of Java, Indonesia
The term cup of joe, however, has a more uncertain origin. Some claim the phrase came about when a U.S. naval secretary named Joe Daniels banned alcohol aboard vessels, leaving coffee as the strongest drink available. Other sources suggest that it was called such in honor of Joe Martinson who owned a New York coffee company; some simply believe a cup of joe is tied to coffee’s popularity as the drink of the common man or “average joe”. Get to know your brew on a deeper level with these 18 interesting coffee facts.
1. Coffee consumption may date back to 575 CE.
The history of coffee dates back to at least 850 CE, though some historians believe that it dates back to 575 CE in Ethiopia. The most widely accepted story tells of goat herders noticing strange behavior in the animals after they eat the berries growing on a plant. One herder, Kaldi, chewed on this fruit and experienced an exhilarating feeling. By the 15th century, coffee plants were taken from Africa to present-day Yemen; in the 16th century, coffee made its way from the Middle East to Europe, eventually landing in South America in the 18th century.
2. Africa has the most coffee growing countries on the planet
Coffee is grown in more than 50 countries around the world with Africa housing the highest number of coffee-growing countries. Although Europe and Asia nearly rival Africa in sovereign nations, Africa’s geographical position ultimately lends it the advantage. Coffee is grown in what’s known as Earth’s “Bean Belt”: the equatorial region between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn or approximately 23.5° north and 23.5° south of the Equator. So while South America may have the most coffee-growing countries per continent, Africa has a greater number of countries within this zone.
3. Many studies suggest coffee benefits the body, especially when sipped before noon
Drinking coffee does have a health benefit for nearly every system of your body. While some studies do acknowledge that too much caffeine consumption can harm the body, others highlight the potential benefits of drinking multiple cups per day. Lower risks of cancers, diseases, metabolic syndromes, and even kidney stones are linked to coffee consumption.
Research suggests that the body may process glucose better, strengthen DNA, and decrease the chances of developing Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and coronary heart diseases. One study also notes that drinking coffee prior to noon has the highest positive impact on reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those who did not drink coffee.
4. The average person drinks six plants worth of coffee per year
With the belief that every cup of coffee can positively impact health, it’s no surprise that coffee consumption is constantly increasing — so much so that the average person is sipping substantially more coffee than a single plant produces each year. Most coffee plants can produce around 1-2 pounds of green, unprocessed beans per year. At best, a single pound may yield 45 cups of coffee per year, depending on the water to grinds ratio. The average coffee drinker consumes two-to-three cups per day, though some have a single cup while others have three-to-five. Even if you drank one cup per work day in a standard week, you’d need around six coffee plants dedicated to your personal annual consumption.
5. Coffee brewing is highly competitive worldwide
On the line separating the science and art of coffee making sits a competitive group of coffee lovers who are determined to brew the best cup of joe the world has ever seen. The World Coffee Championships, for instance, hosts seven annual skills-based competitions across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas showcasing barista skills, the inclusion of spirits into coffee, latte art, bean roasting, manual coffee brewing, flavor profile identification, and Cezve or Ibrik coffee preparation.
6. Beethoven believed 60 beans brewed the perfect cup of coffee
When it comes to drinking coffee, some aficionados have a specific preference for grind size, flavor profile, and method of brewing. Ludwig van Beethoven, however, measured his daily cup down to the exact bean. It’s said that the famous composer believed that 60 beans — no more, no less — produced the perfect cup of coffee. He counted his beans, sometimes twice, before making his morning cup.
Visit a traditional coffeehouse in Vienna on our Easy Pace Budapest, Vienna & Prague tour.
7. Coffee is consumed on all seven continents
Even when traveling to the most remote places on the planet, you’ll still be able to find a hot cup of coffee. Coffeehouse is a small coffee shop in Antarctica’s McMurdo Station, bringing a cozy atmosphere to this isolated area. It’s a space where, although only accessible by those working at the station, embodies the social, communal coffee shop culture found around the world.
8. A special espresso machine was designed for the International Space Station
One of the most interesting facts about coffee is out of this world — literally. Like so many other employees on the job, astronauts also desire a fresh cup of coffee. Not only was it critical that only essential materials were taken into space — meaning coffee rations would be as thin as possible — the logistical process of brewing coffee in microgravity conditions was also a challenge. That’s why the Apollo 11 mission was the first to feature hot coffee via instant coffee pouches injected with hot water.
In 2013, engineers figured out a way to inject freeze dried cream and sugar into hot water bags, which were then added to freeze-dried coffee bags. By 2008, a zero-gravity coffee cup was invented, but it wasn’t until 2015 that the ISSpresso machine was launched into space. This unique machine was brought to the International Space Station and used pre-grounded coffee pods with scalding hot water.
9. Hawaiian coffee beans were not native to the islands
Coffee was brought to South America, North America, and the Caribbean by Europeans. Although the territory known as the U.S. state of Hawaii is part of the Oceania geographic region, it still sits within the Bean Belt and eventually found itself welcoming attempts to grow coffee thanks to European influence. It first arrived in the archipelago in 1817 but failed to grow until new plants were introduced in 1825. Most attempts were futile, however, the Big Island was able to sustain coffee plant growth and now produces the popular Kona coffee beans.
Tour the Kona Joe Coffee Plantation during our Hawaii with Oahu, Maui & the Big Island tour.
10. Arabica coffee beans are extremely unique down to the chromosomes in their DNA
Even the most casual of coffee drinkers are aware that there are two primary types of coffee beans: Arabica and Robusta. Technically, there are four general types of coffee beans — which include Liberica and Excelsa — and countless varietals. However, the quality and complex flavor profiles found within Arabica beans are so distinctive thanks to exceptionally unique DNA structures.
Robusta coffee beans have two sets of chromosomes for a total of 22; Arabica beans have twice that amount. The 44 chromosomes spread across four sets of the genome may impact everything from the flavor profile of the brewed coffee to the ability of the coffee plant itself to withstand or resist disease.
11. If you like Sweden’s fika, you’ll love Ethopia’s bunna
Sweden’s fika tradition has gained mainstream popularity over the years, especially with foreign visitors eager to engage in this social ritual centered around coffee. This Scandinavian country, however, is far from the first to formally gather around coffee. Ethiopia has its own coffee ceremony known as bunna. Similar to British tea times, this ritual occurs three times a day: once at morning, noon, and evening. Coffee with a heaping helping of sugar or salt is enjoyed over conversation and traditional snacks.
12. You’ll find the world’s oldest coffee house in Italy
New York Café in Budapest. The Elephant House in Edinburgh. Café de Flore in Paris. Coffee shops were always popular meeting places for writers, scholars, and socialites, including as far back as 1475 when the world’s first coffee shop opened. Kiva Han in Constantinople, now known as Istanbul, and started brewing our modern day coffee culture. Although coffee shops like France’s Café Le Procope (1686) were among the earliest to open, Italy can claim to have the oldest continuously operating coffee shop at Florence’s Caffè Florian which opened in 1720.
13. Brazil produces more coffee than most of the other top ten producers combined
It’s no secret that South American coffee is among the most popular in the world, but the sheer volume of coffee produced by one country on this continent is staggering. Brazil produced 37 percent of the world’s coffee from 2024 through 2025. That adds up to 64.7 million 60kg bags. Vietnam is the country with the second highest rate of coffee production at 17 percent or 29 million 60kg bags.
Here’s where the scope of Brazil’s coffee empire is truly astounding: excluding Vietnam, Brazil produces more coffee than the other countries in the top ten. Colombia ranks third with 8 percent while Peru and Mexico occupy the bottom of the list at 2 percent each. Add in total production from Honduras, Indonesia, Ethiopia, India, and Uganda and the total is only 35 percent of the global production.
Sip coffee from the top of Sugarloaf Mountain on our Contrasts of Brazil & Argentina tour.
14. Smaller producing nations create sought-after coffee, too
Colombia, Ethiopia, and Indonesia are popular epicenters of coffee for good reason, but they’re far from the only countries brewing coffee with exceptional flavors. Timor-Leste’s neighbors are Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, which tend to outshine the small Asian country in the mainstream coffee world. However, those in the know are aware that Timor-Leste’s hybrid Arabica and Robusta coffee plants produce high-altitude specialty coffee mainly exported to the United States and Europe. São Tomé and Príncipe, as well as Rwanda, Angola, Cameroon, and Jamaica also produce coffee worthy of your daily cup.
15. Animals can play a unique role in coffee harvesting
Humans aren’t the only species that enjoys the fruit of the coffee plant, though you won’t find other animals warming up a fresh pot for the caffeine content. In the Monteverde region of Costa Rica, the coffee grown on the small Santuario Ecologico farm is enhanced by bats. The flying mammals eat the coffee cherry’s pulp then spit out the seeds. These seeds are the coffee beans that are collected, roasted, and brewed at this family-run farm.
Elephants also enhance the flavor of certain coffees, but in a literal full-bodied way. The Golden Elephant Triangle Foundation allows its elephants to consume as many coffee cherries as they desire. Any beans that make it through the digestive process uncracked are collected from the elephant feces and used for Black Ivory’s elephant poop coffee — one of the most expensive coffee varieties in the world.
16. Kopi luwak coffee processing comes at an even steeper price
Elephants and bats may drive up the value, but no animal increases the cost of coffee like the Asian palm civet. This cat-like rodent is more akin to a mongoose or weasle. The process used for Kopi luwak coffee in similar to that of the elephants’: the cherries excreted from the civet are collected and roasted. Some coffee companies collect these digested coffee cherries from wild civet; others, unfortunately, use captive civets to increase their rate of production. Wild and captive civet Kopi luwak coffee is often the most expensive coffee in the world with rates averaging between USD $20 to $150 between 100-250g.
17. Coffee grounds may tell your fortune or future
You may be familiar with the form of divination that uses tea leaves to predict the future, but did you know that tasseography can also be applied to coffee grounds? This centuries-old practice dates back to the Ottoman Empire and is still used in Türkiye today.
Turkish coffee fortune telling begins where the beverage itself ends. A saucer is placed over the empty cup while the user concentrates on a question or desire they want fulfilled. The cup is turned upside down, allowing the Turkish coffee grounds to slide onto the saucer without disruption. The patterns or images formed from the grounds are then interpreted and can mean anything from new ventures on the horizon to ominous omens.
18. Colombia loves coffee so much, they have a theme park dedicated to it
Colombian coffee is renowned throughout the world and produces just under 10 percent of global coffee production. The country’s Coffee Axis or Coffee Triangle is a region between Bogota, Cali, and Medellin where you’ll find the heart of the country’s coffee production. Small villages like Salento offer easy access to coffee farms but one huge local draw that international visitors often miss out on is Parque del Cafe: an entire theme park devoted to coffee.
Located in the Quindío department, Parque del Cafe deserves a full-day. This complete amusement park has roller coasters, water rides, and a dedicated children’s area. It also features horseback riding, an interactive coffee museum with fun facts about coffee, and, of course, plenty of freshly brewed local coffee.
