coffee

+---------------- Bizarre Coffee Facts --------------------+  

Advertisements for coffee in London in 1657 claimed that the  
beverage was a cure for scurvy, gout and other ills.  

In Italy, espresso is considered so essential to daily life  
that the price is regulated by the government.  

In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their  
husbands if the man failed to keep his family's pot filled  
with coffee.  

Large doses of coffee can be lethal. Ten grams, or 100 cups  
over 4 hours, can kill the average human.  

Milk as an additive to coffee became popular in the 1680's,  
when a French physician recommended that cafe au lait be  
used for medicinal purposes.  

Raw coffee beans, soaked in water and spices, are chewed  
like candy in many parts of Africa.  

The average cup of coffee contains more than 1000 different  
chemical components, none of which is tasted in isolation  
but only as part of the overall flavor.  

Until the 18th century coffee was almost always boiled.  

When a coffee seed is planted, it takes five years to yield  
consumable fruit.