International Coffee Day: do you know what’s in your favourite cup?

Thursday, 1 October is the first official International Coffee Day, as the world celebrates our favourite - filtered or instant - hot brown drink.
International Coffee Day: how do you like yours? Image: GoToVan / Flickr - flickr.com/photos/gotovanInternational Coffee Day: how do you like yours? Image: GoToVan / Flickr - flickr.com/photos/gotovan
International Coffee Day: how do you like yours? Image: GoToVan / Flickr - flickr.com/photos/gotovan

But now the International Coffee Organization has decided to make an official date, commenting, on the subject of multiple celebrations: “That’s ok - every day is a good day for coffee, after all.

“It is an opportunity for coffee lovers to share their love of the beverage and support the millions of farmers whose livelihoods depend on the aromatic crop.”

Coffee facts:

Coffee beans are actually the pit of a berry, making them a fruit.

Coffee is thought to have originated in Ethiopia, and was first cultivated by Arabs during the 14th century.

There are two types of coffee beans: Arabica and Robusta, seventy percent are Arabica, while Robusta is slightly more bitter and has twice as much caffeine.

It takes 42 coffee beans to make an espresso.

In 2011, instant coffee accounted for 72% of all UK retail coffee sales.

But do you know exactly what’s in your favourite type of coffee?:

Espresso - A small but strong shot of caffeine, usually about 30ml.

Cappuccino - A cappuccino is equal parts espresso, steamed milk and foamed milk (about 60 ml each).

Ristretto - A ristretto is a very concentrated espresso shot, only 22ml.

Americano - If you like the taste of espresso, but are left wanting more, an Americano is a 30ml shot of espresso but with twice the amount of water (60ml).

Doppio - Doppio, meaning ‘double’ in Italian, gives you a 60ml shot rather than the regular 30ml.

Latte - The latte gets its name because it’s full of milk, generally a 60ml shot of espresso with 300ml steamed milk - and only 2ml foamed milk.

Cafe Au Lait - Cafe au lait has warm, steamed milk in place of cold milk over an espresso.

Mocha - For something sweeter, a mocha is 60ml of espresso, 60ml of chocolate and 30ml of steamed milk.

Macchiato - A macchiato gives you get a shot of espresso (sometimes two) with a dash of foamed milk.

Cafe Noisette - The noisette - somewhere between a macchiato and a latte - is a big shot of espresso with half of that amount in hot milk.

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