10 Facts About Kopi That Kopi-Siao Die-Die Should Know

Last Updated on 2023-04-25 , 3:27 pm

Uncle, I want kopi peng don’t want ice!

You find yourself asking for that?

If you do, you really need help. Serious help. Because that means you have a sweet tooth that’ll get you into trouble soon.

That, or the coffee shop uncle throwing hot coffee at your face lah. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Refer to #10.

Here are 10 facts about coffee even coffee lovers don’t know about.

If you have data to burn and prefer to watch, here’s a video we’ve done for this topic:

1. How Coffee Was Allegedly Discovered

We used the word allegedly because this story is the stuff of legends.

According to the legend, we have to thank the goats for the amazing invention called coffee.

A goat herder, Kaldi, realised his goats became more energised after eating berries from a certain tree. They were so energetic they couldn’t sleep at night.

He told the abbot of the local monastery, who tried the berries for himself. Amazingly, it kept him awake and alert throughout the evening prayers.

He shared his discovery with other monks, and the rest, as people say, is history.

2. People Tried Banning Coffee Five Times in History

You can’t imagine a life without coffee right now, would you?

But back when coffee first started “trending”, powerful figures tried banning the drink.

In 1511, the governor of Mecca banned coffee because he thought coffee would simulate radical thinking and unite his opposition.

Back in the 16^th century, religious men thought that coffee was “satanic” and tried to have it banned. Pope Clement VIII tasted it for himself and found it so delicious he even wanted it baptised.

In 1623, the ruler of Ottoman, Murad IV banned coffee. For a first-time offender, he’ll be beaten up. Repeat offenders will be sewn into a sack and thrown into the river.

Aren’t you glad that you can drink coffee without going to jail now?

3. Coffee houses actually existed back in the 15^th Century

The next time somebody called you a loser for drinking at Starbucks instead of the coffee shop, tell them you’re just doing what your ancestors did.

Coffee houses existed as early as the 1500s in Mecca and were incredibly popular.

People drink coffee and held conversations there, as well as listen to music, watched plays and hear about the current news (not selfie-ing).

At that time, so much was going on in these coffee houses they were called as “Schools of the Wise”.

Not so different from us watching YouTube videos or chilling at Starbucks now, isn’t it?

4. Just smelling coffee actually wakes you up

You do know that even by smelling coffee, you’ll wake right up?

If you’re someone who wants to enjoy the perks of coffee but skip the bitter part, this is for you.

A group of amazingly smart scientists found that just by smelling coffee, it’ll alter the genes in your brain and reduce sleep deprivation.

They kept some lab rats from sleeping, then allow them to smell the aroma of coffee.

And they found that these rats expressed proteins that have healthy antioxidant properties which protects them from stress-related damage.

So even if you have no money for coffee, just make your way down to the coffee shop and smell all the coffee you need.

5. Espresso doesn’t have the most caffeine

I’m pretty sure you’ve felt like this before.

You see your friend drinking a cup of espresso and you go like this.

Ehhhh! Dude, you want to die of caffeine overdose, is it?! So bitter!

Totally not true.

An espresso does contain more caffeine per volume. But because it comes in smaller quantities, it only has one-third the amount of caffeine compared to a normal cup of coffee.

By the way, the term in espresso actually means when something is forced out. So I guess you can say that we go espresso every time we go to the toilet for big business.

6. You can’t really “overdose” on coffee

I’m pretty sure some of your “cooler” friends would’ve said this before.

Please, there’s no way you’ll overdose on caffeine after drinking 3 cups straight. Loser.

It might not be good for you but you won’t die, so stop being so dramatic.

If you really want to die of caffeine overdose, you’d have to drink between 50 to a hundred cups of coffee, depending on your weight.

That’s like…$700 if you go to Starbucks.

7. Coffee with Milk vs Coffee with Cream

If you’re someone who likes a strong cup of coffee, don’t do this.

When we consume coffee with fat milk content, we’ll absorb the caffeine slower.

So that “kick” you get from coffee?

It’s all gone.

But, if you’re someone who loves a warm cup of coffee, you’d want to add cream to your milk. Coffee with cream cools down slower.

8. Are you addicted to caffeine?

Do people accuse you of being a caffeine addict? Here’s how you know.

If you have:

• Headaches
• Serious sleepiness
• Constipation
• Lack of concentration
• Feelings of irritation and annoyance
• Lethargy and lack of motivation
• Muscle aches

You might be having caffeine withdrawal symptoms.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Most of us in Singapore are probably caffeine addicts anyway.

9. Tea leaves actually have more caffeine content than coffee beans

Now, to give an age-old argument a conclusion.

Did you know that tea leaves actually have more caffeine than coffee beans?

It’s just that during the brewing process, more caffeine is leeched from the coffee beans than from the tea leaves, which is why coffee is more stimulating.

In other words, drink warm milk before sleeping instead.

10. Kopi Peng vs Kopi

Since we’re on the topic of resolving age-old arguments, here’s one more.

Kopi Peng vs Kopi, which is better?

If you’re looking to cut down on caffeine, go for Kopi peng. Just remember to ask for siew dai po lah. Siew dai isn’t enough because the friendly uncle will add more coffee. Order it as Kopi peng siew dai po will make him add plain water instead.

Don’t say we never teach hor.

Okay, other than being a coffee addict, you might be an instant noodles addict. But do you know how unhealthy that is? One pack of instant noodles might have sodium content that’s beyond the recommended daily intake.

Take a look at this video we’ve done about instant noodles and be shocked.