10 Things You Never Knew About Coffee

Coffee is one of those things that people either love or hate. Those who love it will swear by it -- its flavor, its value as a morning ritual, even its health benefits.

But for all that we know about it, coffee is still a mystery to many people. For instance, do you know how coffee is grown? Where it is grown? What the difference is between coffee and espresso? Here are 10 fun facts about your favorite drink. Pour yourself a cup and sit down to enjoy it while you learn a little something!

• Oil is the only thing that we trade for more often than this caffeinated beverage. We all know what a big deal oil is, right? It is the single most traded-for thing in the world. Well, coffee is the second thing on that list! That means we like coffee almost as much as we like our cars!

• Hawaii is the only state in the United States where coffee is grown. That's right, it is usually an import! This is because there is a so-called "bean belt" around the equator where coffee, which thrives in warm conditions, is grown. Hawaii just happens to be the only states that falls within that bean belt.

• A coffee bean is actually a seed. The bean is found in the middle of a bright red berry, much like the pit in the middle of a cherry. These little red fruits grow on trees, so I guess you could say that although money doesn't grow on trees, coffee sure does!

• Coffee may grow on trees... but very slowly! Like many trees, coffee trees are pretty slow growing. It takes five years before a tree will bear fruit, and even then, they only yield a couple of pounds of beans every year. Next time you buy a cup, you will understand why it's so expensive!

• Coffee beans start out green. When the fruit is removed from around a coffee bean, it is actually green. It is the roasting process that makes coffee beans brown -- they are not like that naturally!

• Instant coffee was invented more than a hundred years ago. Did you have any idea that instant coffee had been around for so long? It seems like such a modern invention to us! But it was actually invented in 1906 by a Belgian man named George Washington.

• Caffeine is America's most popular drug. A drug is something that affects the brain's chemistry, which coffee does. Between coffee, soda, and tea, Americans consume more coffee than any other drug, including nicotine and alcohol. That explains why I've gone through five coffee machines!

• Espresso is simply a different way of preparing the beverage. Although many people think that espresso requires a different kind of bean, in truth, espresso machines simply make the beverage a little differently. Rather than the drip method of most common home coffee makers, espresso machines force high-pressure water through the coffee grounds.

• Coffee is so important that it has its own holiday in some countries. Ireland celebrates coffee on September 19, for example, while Japan celebrates it on October 1.

• Plants like coffee, too! We aren't the only ones who get more energy from coffee. You can water your house plants with cold coffee occasionally to give them a pick-me-up, or mix used coffee grounds in the soil as a fertilizer when you plant your garden or transfer a plant into a pot.

Coffee is one of the most sought after substances known to man, but that doesn't mean we have learned everything there is to know about it. These are just a few of the interesting facts about this beloved bean. What trivia do you know about coffee that you would like to share?

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