It's all in the coffee

Everything you need to know about the coffee bean...

It takes 42 coffee beans to make an espresso.

Over half of the espresso consumed in the UK is drunk in the South East.

85% of coffee drinkers in the UK take milk in their coffee and 57% add sugar.

Bank giant Lloyd's of London began life as Edward Lloyd's coffeehouse remedy and adding milk became popular in the 1680's, when a French physician recommended that café au lait can be used for medicinal purposes.

Cappuccino got its name from the distinctive peak of foam on the top – people thought it looked like the cowl of a Capuchin friar's habit!

The ancient Arabs took coffee so seriously that if a husband refused to make coffee for his wife, it was considered a legal cause for separation.

As milk ages, the quality and quantity of foam it can produce deteriorates.

Every year more than 400 billion cups of coffee are drunk around the world – that's 70 million cups every day in Britain alone.

The average Brit consumes 3-4 cups of coffee every day.

There are two main types of coffee plant, Arabica and Robusta.

Coffea Arabica beans come from East Africa and Latin America – they are high-quality beans, with a refined delicate taste, and are commonly used in espresso based drinks.

Coffea Canephora (Robusta) beans are grown in Africa, Brazil and Indonesia. With twice as much caffeine as Arabica beans and a harsher taste, Robusta tend to be used in instant coffee and ground blends.

The way to judge fresh coffee is by its 'roasted on' date. Coffee should be drunk within one week of roasting.