Some Surprising Coffee Facts for International Coffee Day

Posted on 30 Sep 2016 by Anna Scott
We drink quite a lot of it and some of us claim not be able to get through the day without it, but how much do we really know about coffee? October 1st is International Coffee Day, and in celebration of this most international of drinks, we take a look at some surprising facts about that cup java which we find ourselves instinctively reaching for in the morning…

 

Coffee Might Not Actually Wake Us Up


Coffee beansThis can’t be right, surely. Most of us can’t even function before we’ve finished that morning cuppa. Well, there’s actually a bit of a dispute over the effect caffeine consumption can have on our body. Although there is plenty of evidence to suggest that caffeine increases our alertness levels by acting as a stimulus on the nervous system and releasing adrenalin, more recent research indicates something else might be going on.

Scientists at Bristol University say that this stimulation might be just an illusion and drinking coffee is only reducing the fatigue associated with overnight caffeine withdrawal. So in other words, coffee drinkers are stuck in a vicious cycle. This might not make any difference to your coffee consumption – it still helps to wake you up, after all, but still worth bearing in mind if you want to experiment with cutting down or cutting it out altogether.

 

Hidden Health Benefits


We’re often bombarded with information about how bad coffee is for us, but we think it’s various health benefits deserve a bit of attention on International Coffee Day. Yes, that’s right – coffee can actually be good for you! Did you know that drinking coffee can help your liver? This is because people who drink 4 cups of the stuff a day are less likely to develop cirrhosis, a condition that can be a result of a number of a number of liver diseases. It’s also packed full of some very useful nutrients including 11% of the recommended daily amount of Vitamin B2. And it can also increase your metabolism and help you burn fat. Hurrah!

Another important health benefit worth noting is that a number of studies have indicated that coffee drinkers are actually 65% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s Disease.

 

But on the Flip Side…


Yes, there’s always a ‘but’ when it comes to coffee we’re afraid. Statistically, coffee drinkers are more likely to have habits associated with unhealthy lifestyles such as smoking and heavy alcohol consumption. So there’s that.

 

Your Iced Coffee Might Have a Greater Carbon Footprint


Iced coffeeOk, so it’s not possible to accurately determine the carbon footprint of every single cup of coffee or make any general assumptions because coffee comes from many different places. But making that cup of iced coffee DOES use up more resources than a standard because of the need to double brew it. This also makes it more expensive. Something to think about if you’re an environmentally aware person on a tight budget.

 

The World’s Most Expensive Coffee Comes from a Very Surprising Source


In short, it comes from cat poo. Yes, you read that correctly, cat poo. This isn’t quite as disgusting as it first sounds. A Sumatran wild cat called the Luwak likes to eat coffee beans but is unable to digest them, so consequently they come out the other end whole after fermenting in their stomachs. Apparently this produces a smoother, richer, more chocolate-like coffee. Not that we’ll ever get to try a cup because it costs $600 a pound. And it comes from cat poo.

 

Coffee is the World’s Second Most Traded Commodity


Cup of coffeeIt’s not just you who loves coffee – most of the world does too, especially those who grow and sell the stuff. There are 25 million farmers and coffee workers in 50 countries producing coffee so we can enjoy it every morning, and that makes it the world’s second most traded commodity, only beaten by oil.

 

 

 

We take coffee for granted most of the year-round, but on International Coffee Day, let’s spare a though for the folks who make our morning caffeine fix possible as well as the many benefits and side effects of drinking the stuff. And if you want to improve the quality of the coffee you’re consuming, Coffee-Direct promo codes and Whittard of Chelsea discount codes can save you money when you place an online order for your fine beans and ground coffee, and Tassimo discount vouchers can save you money on a whole new way of enjoying that java.

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