20 Coffee Facts – One of North America’s Favorite Beverages
One of the most popular beverages in North America is a cup of hot coffee. Many North Americans consume these beverages every day, and so few know anything about the history of coffee or even how it is produced. The following 20 facts, from the very well known to the obscure, will give you a little bit of insight into that morning beverage we all love to consume – coffee:
- Coffee is a hot beverage brewed from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant.
- The seeds are harvested from the fruit of coffee plants, which are called coffee cherries.
- These seeds are harvested twice a year; Once from the south of the equator between April and May and the second time from the North of the equator between September and March.
- Once ripe, the coffee cherries are picked and the seeds are extracted. The seeds, referred to as green coffee, are then roasted where they double in size and turn into the dark chocolate brown colour to form the familiar coffee bean.
- Roasting only begins when the temperature inside the seed reaches 200°C.
- Once roasted the coffee beans are sorted into categories and labeled as light, medium light, medium, medium dark, dark, or very dark.
- Darker roasts are smoother in flavor because they have less fiber content and more sugar. Lighter roasts have more caffeine and may taste bitterer.
- Decaffeinated coffee is produced when the coffee seeds are still green by soaking the seeds in hot water or steaming them, then using a solvent to dissolve the caffeine containing oils.
- The majority of decaf coffee is only 97 to 99% decaffeinated.
- Coffee drinking is reported to have originated in Ethiopia in the 9th century, although the earliest credible evidence of beverages made with coffee appears in Yemen in the middle of the 15th century.
- Coffee was used in Muslim states as an alternative to wine in religious ceremonies. As a result many Christian nations originally banned the ‘Muslim’ beverages.
- Coffee became more widely accepted after Pope Clement VIII deemed it a Christian beverage in 1600.
- Even though it is now considered the national drink, coffee was originally banned in Ethiopia by the Orthodox Christian Church until 1889.
- Coffee is now grown in over 50 countries worldwide.
- Brazil is the top exporter of coffee, followed by Vietnam.
- As of 2006, green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world, just behind crude oil.
- On average, total coffee intake is about a third of that of water in North America.
- It takes approximately 140 litres of water to grow the coffee beans required for one cup of coffee.
- The concept of fair trade coffee was developed in the Netherlands by the Max Havelaar Foundation.
- According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, coffee contains more antioxidants than typical servings of grape juice, blueberries, raspberries and oranges.
5 Ways to Save Money on Beverages
I drink. I drink a lot and spend money drinking, as do my kids. I’m not specifically talking about alcoholic beverages, but all beverages. It’s amazing how much you can spend on random cups of coffee and sodas, and yes, the odd beer or martini. Here are 5 simple ways I save money on drinks, and it does add up!
- I make coffee in the office. I am a coffee drinker, and I can make better and cheaper coffee than if I buy it. I’ll still go out for an occasional cup of joe, especially if I’m going to read or work in a coffee shop for a change of pace and location.
- keep bottled water in my office. It’s better for me than soda, and I buy it super cheaply by the case.
- Whenever I travel anywhere with my kids, I bring drinks along. They seem to get thirsty at the most inopportune times, and the most expensive times too! Just bringing drinks when skiing last Saturday saved me $20 – seriously!
- Buy soda and any other drinks when they are on sale. Sometimes the prices are really low, and I buy cases and cases.
- Is your tap water good or can you maybe filter it? Mine tap water is actually pretty awesome, so I fill water bottles for lunches and more. It’s economically friendly, inexpensive, and it just makes sense!
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Advantages to Computers in the Food & Beverage Industry
Computers have revolutionized the food and beverage industry as they have nearly every other industry. Computers have had positive, measurable effects on the front end and back end of hospitality operations. Computers systems have improved employee performance, and food and beverage quality and consistency. Within the food and beverage industry there is no longer a question of should technology be used, but rather a question of which technology to use? In the food and beverage business, computers are here to stay.
In the hospitality industry, customer service is an absolute critical factor for success. Computers are helping in this area in several ways. In many restaurants, the wait staff can process various forms of payment at guest tables, which allows guest to leave directly from their table without the need to stop at a centralized checkout station. This has removed long unsightly lines, which annoy customers, and disrupt the flow of traffic in food and beverage businesses. This service is made possible by either small hand held computers which handle credit card transactions using wireless technology, or via remote point of sale systems that interact with a central computer system. This improves the customers dining experience, which should be the goal of any food service business.
