More interesting coffee facts...

Did you know...

Coffee consumption
Coffee is the most popular drink worldwide with around two billion cups consumed every day

• In 2005, consumers spent £680 million on coffee

• In the UK, we drink approximately 70 million cups of coffee per day

• 85% of coffee drinkers in the UK take milk in their coffee and 57% add sugar


Coffee growing
• Generally, coffee is grown within 1,000 miles of the equator, from the Tropic of Cancer in the north, to the Tropic of Capricorn in the south

• Coffee grows in more than 50 countries and is the second largest export in the world after oil (in dollar value)

• Central and South America produce approximately two thirds of the world's coffee supply

• The main suppliers of coffee in the world are Brazil, Colombia and Vietnam, with Brazil contributing around 30% of the total

• Hawaii is the only US state in which coffee is grown commercially

• The best soil for growing coffee consists of leaf mould, other organic matter and disintegrated volcanic rock!

• The coffee tree produces its first full crop when it is about five years old. Thereafter it produces consistently for 15 to 20 years

• There are two main commercial types of coffee bean - these are Robusta and Arabica. Robusta coffee grows best at lower altitudes whereas Arabica is better suited to higher altitudes

• Coffee berries do not ripen uniformly. The same branch may display ripe red berries, unripe green berries and overripe black berries. Conscientious pickers select only the ripe berries

• To make a roasted pound of coffee it takes around 2,000 Arabica coffee cherries. With two beans per cherry - this means around 4,000 beans are in a single pound of coffee

• It takes 42 coffee beans to make an espresso

• A mature coffee tree will produce one to two pounds of coffee per growing season

• When it is in bloom, the coffee tree is covered with 30,000 white flowers which begin to develop into fruit after 24 - 36 hours

Source: British Coffee Association