A Third of the World Drinks Coffee

"Without my morning coffee, I'm no good."

"I need my two cups of coffee to get me going in the morning."

"The first thing we do in the morning is make a pot of fresh coffee."

So go the sentiments of nearly a third of the world's population according to researchers. Starting your day with a cup or two of freshly brewed coffee can improve your disposition while the fragrant aroma calms you and its caffeine stimulates you. Its flavor and aroma can vary depending on the country or region of origin. Coffee is one of the world's five most popular drinks along with water, tea, chocolate and milk.

Why is Coffee So Popular Worldwide?

There are a number of scientifically proven reasons to explain its effects. The drink has little direct nutritional value. One cup of coffee without cream or sugar contains about 75 milligrams of caffeine but only has two calories. Like both chocolate and tea, coffee is an anti-oxidant but adding milk does not diminish coffee's properties in any way. Its main ingredient is caffeine, a nervous system stimulant which aids in concentration, permits clearer and faster thinking and even relieves headaches since it is also a vaso-constrictor. In some regions of Brazil, a ration of coffee is included in school children breakfasts to improve concentration, memory and learning. Studies have indicated that drinking three to four cups of coffee per day for periods of ten years or more can reduce risk of chronic degenerative diseases including Diabetes by forty to fifty percent. So what else does coffee contain which gives it such distinctive properties?

What Does Coffee Contain?

Coffee contains the minerals Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, Chromium and vitamins like Niacin. Organic acids, such as Clorogenic acid, in coffee enhance flavor and give it its pleasant aroma and taste but also cause its acidity. Caffeine, Cafestol and Kahweol among other polyphenols combine to give coffee its unique and anti-oxidant properties. organic cold brew coffee

How Much Coffee is Okay to Drink Daily?

According to reports issued by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), drinking up to four or five cups of coffee daily (350 ml) is safe. Daily recommended dosages of caffeine, reported by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) include the following for children; less than 200 mg, for pregnant women, 200 mg (two cups) and for adults, up to 300 mg (three cups). Due to the possibility of over-stimulation and causing of sleeplessness, coffee is not recommended for children under three years of age.

Types of Coffee

No matter how you might refer to coffee; java, joe, latte, cappuchino, mocha, espresso, tinto, pintada, perico, or dozens of other names in use worldwide referring to coffee, there are many different types. Different regions of the world produce different varieties, strains and flavors of coffee. At the International Coffee Park in Armenia, Colombia, many of these global strains are on display and available for tasting. Coffee tree seedlings are likewise offered to visitors for purchase. Here are a few of the top coffee (coffea canephora or coffea arabica) producing countries worldwide.

- Brazil

- Vietnam

- Indonesia (including the island of Java, giving coffee its nickname java)

- Colombia

- Ethiopia

- Peru

- India

Whether you like your coffee hot or cold, with or without cream and sugar, there are even more ways to enjoy this world-renown beverage.

Products Made With Coffee

Coffee, it seems, is not only to drink. There are numerous other products made from the caffeine rich beans the world knows so well. Hot, cold, in smoothies and shakes, even frozen, coffee can be enjoyed and savored in a multitude of other forms.

- chocolate covered roast coffee beans

- coffee candy

- coffee ice cream (covered with chocolate - out of this world!) or frozen coffee desserts

- coffee flavored liquors and aperitifs

- coffee milkshakes and smoothies