Perk Me Up! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Fruit that grow on trees

Coffee grows as fruit called cherries on bushes and trees that are about 10 to 12 feet tall. The fruit grows in clusters and ranges in color from green and yellow to red and purple. Each cherry contains two coffee beans, which are not really beans, they are actually seeds.

The trees are native to Africa and Asia. They prefer higher elevations but don't withstand subfreezing temperatures. It takes from three to five years for the trees to produce cherries, but once they start growing, they may produce for 50 to 60 years.

It takes about nine months for the fruit to ripen. The trees also produce a fragrant white flower.

Answer: Caffeine is the plant's natural defense against bugs

The tree has its own defense against bugs by naturally having caffeine in the beans. There are several types of bugs that really seem to prefer coffee trees. In the past few years, researchers have found a species of coffee tree that is naturally caffeine free.

There is hope that that species can be crossed with others to produce coffee beans that don't have caffeine. Here's a little trivia about the orange color representing decaf. No one really knows for sure but some say that decaf and the color orange association goes clear back to 1920s when Sanka made decaf coffee for the first time and wanted to make it very identifiable to the public.

Another theory says that when people get out of bed and go to the kitchen to make their first cup of coffee, they see bright orange and even in their disheveled, zombie state, they recognize that bright orange color means they aren't getting real coffee.

Another famous company, Folgers, associated the color green with their decaf coffees. Now you'll find several coffee companies associate the color green with decaf but orange still prevails in the restaurants and when serving the liquid nectar of the gods.

Answer: No

If humans pick the cherries, they should only pick ripe fruit. This process is very labor intensive and therefore costly. In most cases, trees are totally stripped of fruit, either by humans or equipment and all the fruit is sent for processing. Once picked, a machine removes the outer layer leaving the seeds with a slimy film. Those seeds are washed to remove the slime and then the seeds are dried.

The most desirable method of drying is on large tables where air circulates all around the seeds and they are mixed by hand until completely dried. Again, whenever processes are performed by humans as opposed to machinery, the cost goes up. However, what about when we get animals involved.

There are civets (nocturnal cat-like creatures) that eat coffee cherries.

The seeds in the cherries pass through the civet's digestive tract and produce a coffee seed that is less bitter but much more expensive, like $160 per pound. What I want to know is - who was the first person to follow a civet around and make coffee from its droppings?

Answer: Lighter roasts have less oils and natural acids

Basically, the amount of roasting affects the coffee beans because the longer they roast, the more moisture is removed and the beans become less dense. Lighter roasts have more oils and acids that have not yet been roasted out of them. Because of those oils, the coffee seems stronger. Human eyes or meters can be used to divide roasted beans into six different categories or colors, from light to very dark.

Answer: United States Of America

The United States imports more coffee than any other country on Earth and almost twice as much as the next highest importer, Germany. The amount imported averages out to about 9 pounds person each year. The Gambia, Africa imports the least amount per year (probably for U.S. tourists visiting The Gambia).

Answer: Vietnam

Brazil exports more than twice the amount of the next exporter, which is Vietnam. Vietnam in turn again exports more than twice than the next exporter, which is Indonesia. Coffee is a huge source of revenue for a wide band of countries that encircle the world in the southern hemisphere, so drink more coffee and just think of it as helping to sustain world economy.

Answer: Soaking

With all the gadgets and containers and types of coffee, it's hard to believe that most coffee is prepared using one of only four methods. Very hot water that is poured over the grounds and allowed to sit for a few minutes while the oils and flavors are released is called steeping, not soaking. Soaking is not a method of making coffee. Using a French press would be an example of steeping. Hot water that runs over the grounds and through something is filtering. Most coffeemakers use this method.

The boiling method involves submerging grounds in boiling water and is not recommended. Boiling water is beyond optimal brewing temperature and the coffee will taste bitter. If you've ever watched a western, the cowboy poured grounds in the bottom of a pot, put water on top and set the pot in the fire. That is an example of the boiling method and what-not-to-do method.

A manual espresso maker or espresso machine would be the best example of the pressure method to brewing coffee. Hot water is pushed through grounds.

Answer: No one knows for sure

No one really knows for sure how or why coffee is called 'joe'. Some think it is because of a song 'Old Black Joe' by Stephen Foster or a mispronounced French word. Still others say it was named after the Secretary of the Navy, Josephus Daniels who banned alcohol on board ships or a Navy Admiral named Joe. I found a site that listed almost 60 names for coffee.

Not types of coffee like half-caf-low-fat-iced-mocha but nicknames that most people would have heard in a diner or someplace you go for breakfast 24 hours a day.

Answer: Flip Top Drip Drop

If you enjoy strong and sweet coffee, then you'll enjoy a Vietnamese Flat Drip (Ca Phe), not a Flip Top Drip Drop (although that sounds like a lot of fun). It sort of looks like a cup and saucer that you sit on top of your cup, you put the grounds in the top, add water and it drips into the cup, just add milk and sugar. Probably the first brewer was the Turkish Ibrik. You grind your coffee by hand, put it in a small pot with a long handle, add water and sugar. Allow it to come to a boil three times, and then serve it.

A sock is a filter that is elongated (like a sock). Put the grounds in the sock, pour boiling water over, let it steep, remove the sock, and voila. An Eva Solo looks sort of like a penguin or a carafe in a coat. A tube fits inside a carafe.

In that tube are grounds and a filter. It steeps in hot water until the coffee is ready. Oh yes, and the best part, it has a 'coat' to keep the coffee warm and makes picking up the carafe much easier on your fingers. There is a website that describes over 20 different devices that brew coffee (remember percolators and drip coffeepots?).

Answer: No

Actually, there aren't any recent studies that prove that coffee is bad. Caffeine is not good for children or adults but there are lots of drinks that are loaded with caffeine. Scientists have proved that coffee doesn't stunt growth. Coffee can be addictive, cause insomnia, anxiety and many other negative symptoms, but again, many drinks and foods can cause the same symptoms.

The truth is that coffee is such a complex mixture of elements, much more time is needed to do a thorough and complete analysis of all components.

There are studies that show that coffee can actually help kids with attention deficit problems. Current studies have found that coffee may reduce the risk of Parkinson's, colon cancer, and Alzheimer's. It may also increase the risk of heart disease.

The key is moderation, everything in moderation.