Coffee is part of our daily lives and we definitely love it, but were things always like that? How popular was coffee during its first days in the Western world? Among the first coffee facts that have been preserved over the centuries it is impressive to know how it was banned from the Christian world as the devil's drink.
Coffee actually reached Europe as a result of the flourishing commerce the Venetians had with the Eastern countries, and they brought it from Constantinople where it was kept very high in esteem as being an incredibly tasty drink. Christian priests at the time argued against any positive coffee facts that it was a drink given to the infidels by Satan as a substitute for wine which had been forbidden to them.
Historic coffee facts indicate that it wasn't until the 16th century that this now so popular drink was blessed by the pope and commerce started to develop. At the end of the 1500s, Europe actually saw the creation of the first coffee houses, and the former banishing of this drink remained in the past and the subject of popular anecdotes.
Coffee facts show that presently this drink has gained such a great prominence that people are actually celebrating a special coffee day; moreover in terms of commercial importance we need to say that coffee is the second most traded product after oil. Among the many curious coffee facts we need to mention that there are hundreds of coffee varieties growing all over the world, nevertheless, only two are largely cultivated for economic purposes: Arabica and Robusta.
A fully-grown coffee tree will remain in production for up to forty years once it starts to produce coffee beans, not to mention that it only takes five years to become fertile. Though, Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world, there are plenty other geographical areas suitable for the cultivation of this very important tree: Java, Mexico, some Caribbean islands, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Tanzania, Kenya or Cameroon.
Among the most surprising coffee facts we should mention here, one is related to the increased flavor of the coffee beans that results from the roasting process. The secret behind the exquisite taste lies in the presence of sugar within the internal structure of coffee beans; during the roasting process, this sugar gets caramelized which intensifies the overall flavor and delights every coffee lover.
Muna wa Wanjiru
Original source: http://www.articlesbase.com/coffee-articles/curious-coffee-facts-coffee-is-the-second-most-traded-product-after-oil-310023.html
