Are you a coffee lover? If so – read on!

Most coffee lovers don’t need an excuse to have a good cup of coffee. Whether it’s a quick Espresso first thing to kick start the day, a Cappuccino in the morning grabbed at the train station, to make the commute go quicker, or a Latte and a catch up with old friends – drinking coffee morning, day and night with friends, business associates and families is part of many people’s daily routine. You have only to walk down the nearest high street and note the number of coffee chains to realise the extent of our love affair with our favourite caffeinated beverage.

Coffee even has its own dedicated day, celebrated today worldwide. International Coffee Day (also known as Coffee Day or National Coffee Day) was first celebrated in 1983 in Japan, and now is observed annually for the celebration and enjoyment of the popular beverage. This day is also used to promote fair trade coffee and to raise awareness for the plight of the coffee growers.

Whether you favour Espressos, Americanos, Lattes, Cappuccinos, iced, decaf, instant or filter – International Coffee Day is the day to savour and appreciate your beverage, and mark the long history of the drink.

The properties of coffee beans are thought to have first been discovered in Ethiopia. The beans are actually the pits found in the coffee berry or cherry. The story goes that a 9^th century goat herder noticed their stimulating effects on his goats and began experimenting. Coffee drinking was originally popularised in the Arab world from around the 15^th century spreading across Asia then to Italy and across Europe and to the Americas – and finally to your coffee cup.

Coffee Facts

• Coffee is one of the world’s biggest crops, and established markets in US, Europe and Japan account for over 50% of world coffee consumption.
• Coffee is the most popular drink worldwide with over 400 billion cups consumed each year.
• The UK coffee-shop market was estimated to have turned over £6.2 billion in 2013.
• Britain consumes 500g of coffee per person, per year.
• It takes 42 coffee beans to make an Espresso.
• Over half of the Espresso consumed in the UK is drunk in the South East of England.

So, when you drink your cup of coffee today, inhale its aroma, taste its dark and full-bodied flavour, think about its story and its impact on the world – but most of all enjoy it!