Coffee is an essential part of most everyone's day. You wake up and put on a pot of coffee before going to work or school. Coffee is a part of our society's daily routine, but do you know where and how much coffee the United States consumes?
The United States Department of Agriculture shows that the United States was the second largest importer of coffee beans at a total of 26 million bags of coffee. Talk about a lot of caffeine! The world coffee production rate remains relatively unchanged from the previous year. It is forecast that the world production will reach 159 million bags for the 2017/2018 year.
So where does all this coffee come from?
Coffee production is predominantly located in Brazil, Vietnam, Central America, Mexico, Colombia, Indonesia, and India. In Brazil, the production decreased due to the water deficit and tight restrictions on irrigation. However, production increased in all the other countries previously mentioned. The increased production rates were largely due to better resources and equipment, along with favorable weather conditions. According to Climate.gov, the climate affects the productivity as well. Coffee thrives in "cool to warm tropical climates." Therefore, most coffee production occurs along the equator. The warming climate poses a potential problem for the production of coffee beans because the average temperatures coffee can grow in range from 64 degrees to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. As the climate warms, the growth rate of the coffee is accelerated. However, the increased acceleration rate degrades the quality of the coffee. Therefore, climate plays a significant part in the production of coffee for it determines the quality of the bean. As you drink your coffee, take a moment and think about where it could have come from.
What are the benefits and risks associated with coffee?
MedlinePlus is a database from the U.S. National Library of Medicine with journal articles and news articles on topics that include the health benefits of coffee along with the risks. MedlinePlus is related to MedLine, which is linked in the Library's Database A-Z list and is useful for health related research. Search "coffee benefits" to find related articles.
Celebrate National Coffee Day by picking up a cup of joe at Cafe Libro on the first floor of the Library. Tell us what your favorite coffee is and how much you drink in a day!
- by Emily Hancz
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