Coffee is the world's most popular stimulant. It can be a blessing as a boost in the morning, see you through the day at a job that you hate, improve your memory whilst studying for an exam, and even help you get through your Navy SEAL training. An artificial buzz can be welcome in a huge range of situations and we all love a good cup of coffee. Here are some cool facts about coffee that you might not know.



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1) The world's most expensive coffee is made from poo

"ハクビシン 白鼻芯 Masked Pal" (CC BY-SA 2.0) by wetwing2005

That's right. If you're an absolute coffee nut then you would already know about the famous Kopi Luwak. This South-East Asian connoisseur blend is made from beans which are specially fermented in the gut of the Asian palm civet, which defecates the partially digested beans that are then collected by farmers and made into coffee. This seemingly off-putting production process supposedly makes the coffee much less bitter tasting, but you'll have to be brave enough to try it yourself if you want to confirm this. A cup of Kopi Luwak can range from $35 to $100.

2) The price of a Starbucks coffee can vary wildly depending on which country you're in

Starbucks is known for its consistently high-quality coffee. However, a recent study conducted by Couponbox showed that the price of a Starbucks coffee can vary massively depending on which country you're in. In Warsaw for example, a cappuccino will go for as little as $2.85 whereas in Bern, Switzerland you can pay as much as $6.06 for the same drink. You would hope that this is in line with how much the average salary is in each country, but tourists travelling to Switzerland in search of a familiar coffee chain might be in for a bit of a shock.

3) Coffee was apparently discovered when a farmer noticed that his goat was acting strangely

 
"ET Goat" (CC BY 2.0) by Spider.Dog

According to the legend, an Ethiopian goat herder stumbled upon this magnificent plant when he noticed that his goats were dancing around and moving between coffee shrubs grazing on the beans. The farmer tried the beans himself and discovered the wonders of the first ever caffeine buzz. We can't very if this story is 100% true, but it's entertaining nonetheless.

4) Coffee is good for your liver

Scientists have shown that coffee, and not other sources of caffeine, has health benefits including lowering the risk of cirrhosis of the liver. Other studies have shown that coffee not only gives you a short term cognitive boost, but that drinking coffee over the course of your life reduces the risk of cognitive decline including conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's later in life. So much for the myth that drinking coffee is bad for you.

Not only is coffee an essential part of many people's lives and a vital energy boost, it has also been shown to have a range of health benefits. Hopefully, from now on you can enjoy your coffee without having to worry too much about how it is affecting your body.