What Are The Health Benefits Of Coffee?

The world's most popular drink must to be a cup of coffee. Most of us can't wake up without having that cup in the morning.

Although there are new additions and varieties, nothing can stop this trend. That how it has been since the day of its discovery.

Coffee was first consumed in Africa. Supposedly a goatherd saw his goats eating some berries and then starting to act quite strangely. He tried these berries himself and found them quite refreshing.

The word got around quickly and quite soon this berry was being cultivated in the Arabian Peninsula.

Today's largest producer of coffee is Brazil where growing coffee started in the 1700's. in Europe it was introduced in the 1600's. In 1901 instant coffee was invented, decaffeinated in 1903 and freeze dried in 1938.

Today coffee is the largest commodity second only to petroleum.

It may come as a surprise but statistics say an average person consumes over 10 pounds of coffee per year and about half of the US population partakes the beverage - worldwide yearly consumption adds up to over 400 billion cups!

Most of the consumption is during breakfast and 35% of the consumers prefer their coffee black. Tea used to the favourite drink but coffee seems to have displaced it - especially after the Boston Tea Party it is considered very patriotic to drink coffee instead of tea!

Columbia and Brazil produce 75 percent of the world's coffee and it is mostly hand picked. It is a seed of the berry and the unroasted coffee can be kept for up to 2 years.

Coffee tastes best when it is consumed straight after roasting as the flavour fades once you roast it. Refrigeration does not help in keeping them fresh as most people believe and it might even start to taste strange because the roasted coffee will readily absorb the flavours from other foods.

There are different varieties and flavours of coffee beans and the growing conditions affect the flavour of the coffee.

To yield about 130 pounds of green coffee beans you need to grow 100 Arabica bushes. Coffee is of great use for us in more than one way - For example it contains anti oxidants as well as minerals that all help in the prevention of one disease or the other.

The risk of diabetes and Parkinson's disease is thought to have decreased by drinking coffee.

It contains bacteria fighting elements that can help fighting tooth decay. Some of its anti oxidants stimulate enzymes that may protect against colon cancer.

All of us know that caffeine in coffee help us to keep alert and help in concentrating better. It also relieves symptoms of asthma by dilating bronchial tubes and gets rid of tension headaches.