Once upon a time, somewhere in the 19th century, an Ethiopian goat herder found his goats getting more energized after having a brown colored liquid – legend says.
Ever since that the browny liquid became one of the worlds most popular beverages with over 500 billion cups of coffee being consumed every year.
Science in the Cup:
Most of our day probably won’t start without brewing that tasty cup or grabbing one on the way. The flavors of each such cup vary with the type of coffee beans being used and its varying chemical compounds. Coffee contains a large number of chemicals including over 1000 aroma compounds and abundant anti-oxidants.
But what makes us stick to this browny liquid as a routine?!
The answer lies in caffeine.
Thanks to Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge, who spent months of 1819 in analyzing coffee beans to identify caffeine as its active ingredient.
Let’s get caffeinated and celebrate his 225th birthday today.
Article by Moumita and Raghul
