People have been enjoying caffeine in foods and beverages for thousands of years. Here is a quick glimpse of some of the little-known events in the history of caffeine:
The major natural sources of caffeine are coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa beans and cola nuts
Tea was accidentally discovered nearly 5,000 years ago when leaves from a nearby bush fell into Chinese Emperor Shen Nung’s pot of boiling water Coffee beans were originally consumed as food and used as money
Spanish conquistadors were the first Europeans to enjoy chocolate, given to them by Aztec Emperor Montezuma in 1519 in the form of a drink
The world’s first caffeinated soft drinks were introduced in 1880
When it was first introduced, Muslims in Arabia used coffee to help them stay awake during prolonged religious vigils
Captain John Smith of England was the first person to introduce coffee to the Americas in 1607
In America in 1683, 12 ounces of coffee cost the equivalent of a full meal
The average Cafeto tree yields about 1 pound of roasted coffee per year
Bach once composed a “coffee cantata”
The first cafe serving coffee opened in Paris 1686
Caffeine becomes soluble in water at 175 degrees Fahrenheit
Caffeine and Headache
