history of coffee: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos

Close-up of shiny, dark brown roasted coffee beans scattered on a light surface.

Branches of a coffee plant with clusters of green and red coffee cherries among large, glossy leaves.

Coffeehouse, 17th-century England

A Guatemalan boy wearing a cap carries a large sack on his back while walking through rows of coffee plants with red berries on a plantation.

World map highlighting the coffee belt, a brown band between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn where coffee grows best. Major coffee-producing countries within this belt are labeled, including Mexico, Honduras, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Ethiopia, Uganda, India, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

See All Images →

Topics

coffee bean Coffea coffee roasting coffee espresso Why Is Coffee Called a Cup of Joe?How Is Coffee Decaffeinated?What’s the difference between coffee and tea?Know Your Joe: 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Coffee kopi luwak