We all love interesting tidbits of knowledge, especially when the facts in question are surprising and novel. We recently partnered with a fellow design group called Fun Fact Co. that specializes in just that: interesting knowledge in bite sizes.

The full collaboration will be coming soon, but for now, enjoy these fun facts about coffee from our FFC counterparts:

1. People that drink coffee are proven to have longer lives than those non-coffee drinking folks

Research from Harvard Health has linked moderate intake of coffee (that's 3-4 cups per day) to longer lifespans. It also lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, Parkinson's disease and type-2 diabetes. 

2. Coffee has been enjoyed by people for at least 1200 years.

Archeologists agree that coffee has been around since 800 A.D. Legend has it that goat herders discovered how caffeine affected their goats, who looked like they were "dancing" after eating the fruit of the Coffea arabica plant. Later, a monk tried roasting it and brewing it and noted that he was unable to sleep (a Eureka! moment).

3. Coffee, as a beverage, is polarizing and has had a checkered historical past.

That's right, some cultures have not liked what coffee has done to the populous. Mecca banned coffee in 1511 because leaders believed it sparked "radical thinking". Coffee was also attempted to be banned by certain Italian clergymen in the 16th century who called it "satanic". However, Pope Clement VII was a coffee lover and even baptized it in the year 1600. So, I guess coffee is saved?

4. Nobody, I mean nobody drinks more coffee than the Finns.

Yup, Finland, as a whole, drinks the most coffee in the world, with the average adult Finn consuming 27.5 pounds of coffee per year. Norway, Iceland, and Denmark also rank high on the list of coffee consumers. The flavor must really resonate with the wintery climate.

5. "Decaf Coffee" is a made-up, inaccurate and deceiving marketing term.

An eight-ounce brewed cup of decaf coffee contains two to 12 milligrams of caffeine. A standard cup of coffee has between 95 and 200 milligrams of caffeine, while a can of cola contains between 23 and 35 mg. So keep that in mind when you are sipping a decaf at night thinking you'll get a restful sleep.

6. Coffee beans are actually the seeds of the plant, not beans at all.

Or more precisely, coffee beans are the pits of cherry-like berries found on flowering shrubs. Fun fact, the flowers of coffee trees have the aroma of jasmine, which we can all agree is magical.

7. The most expensive coffee in the world is objectively nasty and derived from feces.

Indeed, the most expensive coffee in the world is called "cat poop coffee" and is made from the feces of an Asian palm civet that eats coffee cherries and then poops them out. It can cost up to $600 per pound.

8. Coffee can make you literally more intelligent.

Studies have shown that caffeine can improve cognitive function, including memory, attention, and reaction time. So, a cup of coffee could help you think more clearly and perform better on tasks that require mental focus. Done and done.

If you liked these fun facts, check out the work from Fun Fact Co. They have a neat trivia game that just launched and focuses on fun facts about taboo subjects... like death.