Some little known facts about coffee:

• From Ethiopia to Seattle, five billion people around the world drink coffee daily. And half of them have the beverage during breakfast.

• Coffee bean is the second largest commodity to be traded after oil.

• Coffee is considered a legal drug. Ask me for starters and you'll know why 'legal drug'.

• For every $2 of coffee, 1 cent goes to the coffee bean farmer.

• A certain Pope was asked to condemn coffee, reason being it was thought to be associated with the devil and hence its evilness. Instead, the Pope fell in love with coffee and had it baptised.

• Espresso has less caffeine than other brews of coffee

• The introduction of coffee indirectly brought about the French Revolution. The French suddenly find themselves less dependent on alcohol and were able to think with clear minds. Coffeehouses became the meeting point for the flowing of ideas, visions and all that jazz. Fast forward, French Revolution started.

• Coffee beans were exported to Brazil due to an illicit affair between a Brazilian envoy and the wife of a French diplomat. The lady tucked coffee beans into a bouquet of roses and gave the Brazilian as a parting gift.

• During a certain revolution, the British showed their patriotism by ditching tea for coffee.

• Slavery fuelled the coffee production in Brazil

• A certain Brazilian dictator shot himself in the heart after failing to prevent prices of Brazil coffee beans from falling – due to an oversupply.

Cool yeah? This is only the tip of the ice berg. Coffee never seems the same anymore. So much behind one puny little bean; the pleasure and pain it caused. Shan't write a thesis paper on it (am not well-versed in that either).

Meanwhile, everyone raise your cups and cans, cheers to coffee and drink up! *SLURP*

More interesting stuff on Black Coffee, Discovery Travel & Living, every Tuesday 10pm.