Sit back, relax, and pour yourself a cup of your favorite Joe – it’s time to test your knowledge with our epic coffee trivia questions!
Ah, coffee! It’s hard to imagine a world without this magic bean. For coffee drinkers, it’s an unmissable part of the morning ritual – the key to shaking off sleep and starting the day with a spring in your step.
The American love affair with coffee runs deep, and today you can choose from a mind-boggling variety of coffee drinks, from cold brews and soya lattes, to foamy flat whites.
You may enjoy a cup of java every day, but how much do you really know about coffee? Test your know-how with our awesome list of questions about coffee! We’ve gathered together some fantastic coffee trivia to separate the amateurs from the coffee pros.
Be warned, you’ll need to be on top of your game to find the answers to all these coffee trivia questions! Whether you’re happiest with a steaming cup of instant coffee, or addicted to your espresso machine, our questions about coffee will certainly keep you on your toes.
What are you waiting for? Get your caffeine fix and indulge in our fabulous coffee quiz!
Coffee Trivia Questions
1. According to legend, where in the world did people begin to consume coffee?
2. What makes kopi luwak coffee famous?
3. When did coffee become a popular beverage in the United States?
4. When coffee arrived in Europe in the 16th century, the church called for it to be banned, labeling the drink ‘satanic’. True or false?
5. What is an ‘affogato’?
6. Which US city consumes the most coffee per capita?
7. Where is Kona coffee grown?
8. Which pope baptized coffee?
9. What does ‘espresso’ mean?
10. Which country produces the most coffee?
11. Coffee can also be used to make wine. True or false?
12. How many liters of water do you need to grow enough beans to produce one cup of coffee?
13. Where was the first coffeehouse located?
14. Which famous 18th-century German composer wrote a comic opera about a coffee addict?
15. Where does the word “cappuccino” come from?
16. Which English king banned coffee and why?
17. What was the alleged secret of the long life of the cat ‘Crème Puff’, who lived to be 38 years old?
18. What is an ‘ibrik’?
19. Which country consumes the most coffee in the world, per capita?
20. How many cups of coffee does the average person consume per year in the United States?
21. Which French colony once supplied more than half of the world’s coffee?
22. How many liters of coffee could the world’s largest coffee cup hold?
23. What was the subject of the world’s first webcam?
24. What alcoholic addition would you find in an Irish coffee?
25. Which French novelist ingested ground, roasted coffee beans to fuel his writing, consuming the equivalent of around 50 cups of coffee per day?
Plan your own quiz night
If you’re looking for some recommendations, these are a few of our favorite quiz books to buy. We use these when planning fun trivia nights with family and friends!
Coffee Trivia Questions and Answers
How did you do? We hope you enjoyed puzzling over these challenging coffee trivia questions. To check your scores and find out how much coffee knowledge you really have, check out all of the answers below.
1. According to legend, where in the world did people begin to consume coffee?
Ethiopia, in the 9th century. The legend says that a goatherd, named Khaldi, observed that his goats had lots more energy after nibbling the coffee berries, and so used them to make a reinvigorating drink.
2. What makes kopi luwak coffee famous?
It is made from partially digested coffee berries that have been defecated by an Asian palm civet (a type of wild cat). Kopi luwak is one of the most expensive types of coffee in the world, costing up to $600 per pound.
3. When did coffee become a popular beverage in the United States?
During the American Revolution, as a result of the shortage of tea caused by the Boston Tea Party.
4. When coffee arrived in Europe in the 16th century, the church called for it to be banned, labeling the drink ‘satanic’. True or false?
True
5. What is an ‘affogato’?
A scoop of ice cream topped with a shot of hot espresso
6. Which US city consumes the most coffee per capita?
New York
7. Where is Kona coffee grown?
Hawaii. It is one of the most expensive coffees in the world.
8. Which pope baptized coffee?
Clement VII. It is thought that after tasting a cup of coffee Pope Clement immediately dismissed claims that the drink was ‘satanic’, arguing that something that tasted that good had to have come straight from God!
9. What does ‘espresso’ mean?
“Forced out”. This term is simply a way to describe a pressurized expression of coffee to make a strong, short drink.
10. Which country produces the most coffee?
Brazil. In 2019 Brazil produced and exported over 2.6 million metric tons of coffee.
11. Coffee can also be used to make wine. True or false?
True. Coffee wine is produced in the Philippines.
12. How many liters of water do you need to grow enough beans to produce one cup of coffee?
140 liters. Coffee plants famously require a lot of water to be productive.
13. Where was the first coffeehouse located?
Oxford, England. The Grand Café, which opened in 1652, is now a cocktail bar (although it still serves a mean espresso martini)!
14. Which famous 18th-century German composer wrote a comic opera about a coffee addict?
J.S. Bach. The ‘Coffee Cantata” was composed in 1735 and tells the story of a young woman who is so addicted to coffee that she had a daily allowance written into her marriage contract!
15. Where does the word “cappuccino” come from?
It’s named after a group of Italian monks. The color and shape of a cappuccino, made with espresso and frothy milk, was thought to resemble the clothing of the Capuchin friars – a simple brown robe with a long pointed hood.
16. Which English king banned coffee and why?
Charles II. He was paranoid that his subjects would plot against him whilst socializing in coffeehouses.
17. What was the alleged secret of the long life of the cat ‘Crème Puff’, who lived to be 38 years old?
She drank coffee with cream every day
18. What is an ‘ibrik’?
A copper pot with a long handle, used for making coffee in Turkey and other parts of the Middle East.
19. Which country consumes the most coffee in the world, per capita?
Finland. The people of Finland consume a staggering 12.5kg of coffee per person, per year!
20. How many cups of coffee does the average person consume per year in the United States?
400
21. Which French colony once supplied more than half of the world’s coffee?
Saint-Domingue, modern-day Haiti
22. How many liters of coffee could the world’s largest coffee cup hold?
18,000. In 2018, people in Honduras broke the world record for the largest ever cup of coffee with a mug that measured 3.36m.
23. What was the subject of the world’s first webcam?
A coffee maker. Students at the University of Cambridge set up a webcam to find out who was drinking all the coffee in the office, making it the first live feed to be streamed on the World Wide Web.
24. What alcoholic addition would you find in an Irish coffee?
Irish whiskey
25. Which French novelist ingested ground, roasted coffee beans to fuel his writing, consuming the equivalent of around 50 cups of coffee per day?
Honoré de Balzac
Did you ace our coffee quiz? We hope you had fun delving into these fascinating coffee trivia questions.
Now it’s time to show off to your friends and family with your newfound coffee knowledge – share this quiz and go head-to-head with the coffee drinkers in your life!
