Coffee is a huge part of young professionals' lives. From being their morning pick-me-up staple to being their go-to drink on chill days with friends, coffee always seems to have a place at their tables. But there are some things about our everyday cup of joe that you may not know about! Read on to know more about one of the world's most popular drinks.
1. The most popular type of coffee drink is cappuccino
Cappuccino tops the list of the most popular types of coffee drinks, beating classics like espresso, Americano, and plain black coffee. But these goodies aren't too far behind, along with macchiato, iced coffee, and regular lattes. Some types of coffee drinks that have grown more famous throughout the years include Turkish coffee and Irish coffee.
2. Ideally, you should take about 2 to 4 cups of coffee daily
The recommended daily intake of coffee is around to 2 to 4 cups so as to not overwhelm your system with caffeine while still getting an adequate amount of the good stuff for your body. Some of coffee's health benefits include combatting aging and improving low mood, making you both look and feel young. So go ahead, feel free to drink away.
3. While there's nothing wrong about Instagramming your coffee, it'll taste better if you don't
Consumer psychology tells us that the more you focus on getting that perfect coffee pic, the less satisfying it'll taste – or at least if you're thinking about how the coffee would taste like more than getting the money shot. So the next time you put your coffee shop experience in your stories or reels, think more about the technical stuff than the taste of your coffee, so you enjoy it better the moment it hits your taste buds.
4. Coffee is also reported to taste better when someone else makes it for you
Your cup of joe is reportedly more delicious when it's made for you, and especially when you're not in the room where the coffee is made. The reason behind this is that your olfactory senses get acclimatized to the scent, which kills the excitement of your senses towards the smell (and eventually, taste) of your coffee. So if coffee is just handed to you, it tastes fresh and brand new, and therefore, yummier.
5. Thanks to coffee, you can have reduced body pain
Caffeine is known to help with pain management by making painkillers like paracetamol and ibuprofen become around 5% to 10% more effective than if you took either alone. Coffee also reduces how the brain detects and sees pain, as well as boosts dopamine production to help you stay functional and have a stabilized mood throughout your day.
6. A cup of black coffee contains only one calorie
If you're watching your calorie intake, then it's best to have your coffee black – no cream, milk, or sugar. While pure black coffee is an acquired taste especially if you're accustomed to the add-ons, switching isn't fully impossible. You can try if you like it better hot or iced, drink small sips at first then increase it daily, or just go at it and make a cup of black coffee everyday and get used to it eventually.
7. Some clergymen banned coffee at one point
Because of its effects on the body, coffee was actually banned at one point by some clergymen in Italy who believed the drink was evil and stimulated "radical thinking". Fortunately, this ban was lifted after Pope Clement VII baptized coffee in 1600. In conclusion, thank God that we're able to have our daily caffeine fix and not have to drink it in secret.
8. Coffee intake increases during the holidays
Whether it's for combatting that December draft or sharing a holiday sip with the ones dearest to your heart, coffee is undeniably a Christmas season staple, having more drinkers than otherwise regular times of the year. Interestingly, coffee drinkers actually prefer black coffee over seasonal coffee concoctions in the holidays. This is most likely due to just wanting to keep warm instead of trying out new flavors like they would in a finer and fairer weather.
9. You can actually eat coffee cherries
The coffee beans, typically green, are found inside the cherries, which you can nibble and munch on. To make your coffee, just roast the green beans until they turn dark brown. But if you want to take a chance on the coffee cherries, then do so by all means. Ripe coffee cherries are said to resemble the taste of watermelons mixed with apricots and raspberries – which sounds like a delicious summer fruit salad.
10. The Philippines was once a top producer of coffee in the 1800s
The Philippines proudly produces four varieties of coffee, namely Arabica, Robusta, Excelsa, and Liberica. During the time of the Spanish colonization, the Philippines was one of the world's best producers of coffee. Today, we still produce good coffee, including our very own Barako which was introduced to us by the Spaniards in the 1740s.
Know Your Coffee?
What piqued your interest? Which among these facts did you already know? Despite the diversity of coffee types and drinks, all coffee enthusiasts can agree that coffee is a big part of their day, and ultimately, their lives. How do you like your coffee? Don't forget to grab your cup of joe today!