In an effort to share as much as possible about the history of coffee, unique brewing techniques, cowboy coffee culture, and coffee's place in the Old West, we've tried our best to assemble a list of interesting - and sometimes unusual - coffee facts. If there are any coffee facts you'd like to see added to this list, message us below.

• Not only is coffee one of the oldest commodities in the world, it’s also the second-most traded commodity in the world (second to crude oil).

• The only states and territories in which coffee is commercially grown in the U.S. are Hawaii, California, and Puerto Rico.

• There are over 120 different varieties of coffee, but the two most popular types are Arabica and Robusta.

• The secret ingredient in making a great cup of cowboy coffee is a pinch of salt.

• On a per person basis, Finland is the world’s largest consumer of coffee - 26lbs per person each year.

• The caffeine in coffee beans is naturally bitter, however, coffee can become even more bitter due to issues with roast time, roast temperature, grind size, and brew time.

• Coffee beans are not actually beans, they’re the seed of the cherry-like fruit from a coffee plant.

• Cowboys often referred to weak, tasteless coffee as “belly wash” or “brown gargle” - a common issue that still exists to this day.

• Since coffee was an expensive and regionally scarce resource in the Old West, some cowboys had to extend (or completely substitute) their coffee with corn, rye, or other substitutes.

• Decaffeinated coffee contains about 2 mg of caffeine (while a cup of regular has roughly 95 mg) and generally has a milder flavor.

• In the early days, the taste of cowboy coffee varied greatly since coffee was commonly sold as unroasted, green coffee beans and then often over-roasted and/or over-brewed by cooks.

• While its origins remain a topic of debate, the creation of the first coffee percolator is often attributed to the American-British physicist, Sir Benjamin Thompson, around 1810.

• Unsurprisingly, Brazil is the top exporter of coffee in the world. In 2021, nearly 3 million tons were exported, with ~90% being high-quality Arabica.

• Pre-ground, packaged coffee has been offered in the U.S. since about the 1860s, however, vacuum sealed packaging (to preserve freshness) wasn’t invented until the early 1900s.

• While coffee can be shelf-stable for at least a year, its optimal flavor and freshness window is within 4 weeks of roasting - which is why we roast to order.

• Coffee quality grading is largely based off of three aspects - defect count, screen size of the beans, and cupping protocol (i.e. a taste assessment).

• While there are a variety of ways to decaffeinate coffee beans, we use the Swiss Water Process which preserves flavor while gently removing caffeine using only water, heat, and time.

• There are two main types of coffee roasting: air roasting (using convection, where heat is applied indirectly via hot air) and drum roasting (using conduction, where heat is applied directly via a heated metal drum).

• After roasting, coffee beans need time to degas which allows for some carbon dioxide and other gases to be released. However, too much degassing can lead to a flat and stale tasting brew since the beans will oxidize faster.

• Specialty Grade Coffee is coffee that scores above 80 points on a 100 point scale, but what makes it special is that it has been grown at the right altitude, at the right time of year, in the right soil, and harvested at the right time.

• Soil quality can greatly influence the taste and quality of your coffee; if the soil is nutrient deficient, the coffee plant may produce smaller, lower-quality beans with a less desirable taste.

• The best way to store your coffee is in an airtight container (ideally one that can be vacuum sealed) that is kept in a cool, dry place and out of direct bright light. Do not store in the fridge or freezer (condensation can form).

• Coffee grown at higher altitudes tends to boast more intricate flavors and a pronounced acidity since the slower development of beans in the cooler climate helps them absorb more characteristics from their surroundings.

• The quality of your water can greatly influence the taste of your coffee. Water that is too hard or alkaline may increase bitterness while water that is too soft or acidic may increase sourness and dull-down characteristics.

• Contrary to popular belief, brewing your coffee for longer does not make it stronger. It makes it over-extracted, meaning it will be very bitter, have dull flavor profiles, and an astringent/dry mouthfeel.

• Upon harvesting, coffee beans have a moisture content of about 50%. After processing, it drops to about 10%. Then, once roasted, the moisture content is reduced to about 2%.

• Depending on the roasting method used, the desired roast level, and the size of the batch, coffee roasting can roughly take anywhere between 5 to 15 minutes.

• Coffee beans produce a distinctive cracking sound during roasting. Light and medium roasts are cooled sometime between the first crack and second crack, while darker roasts are usually cooled after the second crack.

• While coffee roasts are generally categorized into four color groups (light, medium, medium-dark, and dark), there is no specific industry standard for each category and roasts can vary from one roaster to another.

• Espresso beans are just coffee beans that have been roasted longer/darker. In other words, the espresso part has less to do with the type of bean and more with how it’s roasted and brewed.

• As the heavily indebted British Empire imposed heftier taxes on colonial Americans (via the Stamp Act, Townshend Acts, and Tea Act) and as discontent over the lack of equitable representation in parliament grew, tea became a symbol of British oppression and resulted in coffee becoming the preferred drink among colonists.

• Generally speaking, coffee does not dehydrate you. While the caffeine in coffee can have mild diuretic effects, you are not losing more fluids than you are consuming - your body absorbs the fluids it needs and removes the rest.

• During roasting, coffee beans initially release a hay-like aroma, which gradually transitions to the smell of homemade popcorn after the first crack.

• In the old days, some cowboys would add eggshells to their coffee as it brewed. Doing so would help reduce the acidity of the coffee and also help the coffee grounds settle.

• When coffee is described as being strong, that generally means it’s more concentrated (has a higher ratio of coffee grounds to water). Boldness describes the intensity of the flavor. Richness describes the complexity of flavors, the fullness of the body/texture, and the crispness of the acidity.

• Since the 1500s, there have been nearly two dozen recorded instances in which coffee was restricted, banned, or illegal. Most of the time, such instances were for economic reasons or to stifle political dissent.

• Letting your coffee “bloom” refers to
  pouring a small amount of hot water over your coffee grounds and letting it soak for about 30 seconds before adding the rest of the water to brew. This process helps the CO2 to escape from the grounds and the water to better absorb the coffee’s flavors.

• Although instant coffee (a dried coffee concentrate that disintegrates when mixed with water/milk) was invented in 1771, it didn’t gain mass appeal until the early 1900s when Belgian inventor George C.L. Washington scaled production and supplied the U.S. military throughout World War I.

• If you’re looking to maximize caffeine content for your coffee, then a shot of espresso using dark roasted robusta coffee beans is your best bet. Espresso offers the highest concentration per ounce, darker roasts have slightly more caffeine by weight, and robusta beans can have nearly twice as much caffeine vs arabica.

• If you’re looking to minimize caffeine content for your coffee, then using a French Press to brew either light roasted arabica beans or beans that have been decaffeinated via the Swiss Water® Process is your best bet. The coarse coffee grounds used for a French Press provide less surface area from which caffeine can be extracted, lighter roasts have slightly less caffeine by weight (decaf has even less), and arabica beans can have roughly half as much caffeine vs robusta.

• Describing caffeine content between light roasts and dark roasts can be misleading, and measuring comes down to weight vs volume. Light roasts have more by volume, while dark roasts have more by weight.

• Theodore Roosevelt is said to have been America’s most caffeinated president, allegedly drinking a gallon or more of coffee per day.

• For the most effective caffeine boost, the best time to consume coffee is roughly between 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM (after cortisol levels have peaked and are declining).

• If your coffee tastes sour, it’s likely an under-extraction issue. To fix this, try a finer grind size, longer brewing time, and hotter water.

• If your coffee tastes bitter, it’s likely an over-extraction issue. To fix this, try a coarser grind size, shorter brewing time, water that’s not hotter than 205°F, and softer water.

• Coffee plants can live for over 100 years - they’re hardy and can survive for a long time, but they usually produce the most fruit during their first 20-30 years. Some coffee farms have trees that are well over a century old.

• Coffee can be used as a natural insect repellent while gardening - the grounds contain compounds like caffeine and diterpenes, which are toxic to insects.

• In 2015, astronauts aboard the International Space Station brewed the first cup of coffee in space using an "ISSpresso" machine designed to work in zero gravity.

• During WWII, American soldiers in Italy would dilute espresso with hot water to make it taste more like the coffee they drank at home, giving rise to the drink known as an Americano.

• It takes about 3-4 years for a coffee plant to start producing cherries. A single mature tree can yield around 4,000 beans annually, enough for about one pound of coffee.

• In the old days, Cowboys would adda splash of cold water to the pot after brewing to help the coffee grounds settle - making it easier to pour without transferring too much grit to the cup.

• Used coffee grounds can be dried, combined with some candle wax, and repurposed as kindling to help start a fire.

• Similar to a sommelier for wine, certified Q graders are expert coffee tasters who rate coffee beans based on qualities like flavor, acidity, and aroma. Only a few thousand people worldwide have this certification.

• The state with the highest coffee consumption is Michigan (with an average coffee consumption of 2.5 cups/day), followed by Delaware and West Virginia.

• Cowboys typically added a generous amount of coffee grounds for a strong, concentrated brew - often about a tablespoon per cup of water. This created a bold flavor with plenty of caffeine to help them watch over their herd.

• In what can largely be attributed to the placebo effect, the mere aroma of coffee can help stimulate alertness and cognitive performance.

• There’s a hot spring and spa in Japan where you can bathe in brewed coffee. Interesting idea, but we’ll probably stick to drinking it instead.

• During roasting, several chemical reactions occur that impact a coffee’s final flavors and aromas. One of the most significant is the Maillard reaction which occurs as sugars and proteins are heated and gives the roasted bean its characteristic brownish color.

• You taste more of the bean with lighter roasts and more of the roast with darker roasts. In other words, lighter roasts will have diverse natural and unique flavors while darker roasts will have less pronounced toasted and smokier flavors.

• Specialty-grade coffee is the highest quality coffee available. They have to meet a specific screen size, and generally have specific aromas and tasting profiles. While there shouldn't be any defects within a batch of specialty coffee, these can have only up to 3 full defects per 300 grams.

• Coffee beans can expand in size by about 50% to 100% during the roasting process since the moisture inside turns to steam, causing them to swell and become more porous and lighter in weight as the moisture escapes.

• Oils on coffee beans only appear after roasting. Darker roasted beans tend to have oilier surfaces than lighter roasts since the longer exposure to heat and air helps draw the oils out and to the surface of the bean.

• Green coffee beans (unroasted coffee beans) can be stored for a year or more without much quality loss, but roasted beans begin to lose freshness within 3-4 weeks (which is why we roast to order).

• Both coffee and chocolate contain mood boosting compounds - including caffeine, theobromine, and phenylethylamine - making them the perfect pair for Valentine’s Day.

• While slightly lower in caffeine content, a ristretto has a stronger and sometimes sweeter taste than a standard espresso since a ristretto uses about half as much water (making it more concentrated).

• Before coffee became the popular beverage it is today, coffee cherries used to be ground together, mixed with animal fat, and eaten as an early version of a caffeinated snack/energy bar.

• While cowboys back in the day were often limited to drinking their coffee black while on the trail or working cattle, the more creative ones would add a splash of whiskey or even bacon grease for extra flavor and calories.

• Scientists at the University of Cambridge set up the world's first webcam in 1991 to monitor their coffee pot, so they wouldn’t waste trips for an empty pot.

• Irish Coffee - consisting of hot coffee, Irish whiskey, brown sugar, and whipped cream - was created by chef Joe Sheridan in the early 1940s at an airport restaurant in Foynes, Ireland. Shláinte'

• On the trail and don’t have a coffee filter? No problem. Some cowboys back in the day would use a clean sock as a filter to separate the grounds after brewing.

• Cowboys often used whatever water was available - usually from creeks, rivers, or lakes - to make their coffee. Boiling the water was not only essential for brewing, but also served as the primary method to kill off bacteria and parasites, long before modern filtration or purification methods were available.