All language subtitles for Get.factual - Caffeine Chronicles_ The Transformative Journey of Coffee _ Full Documentary (720p).English

NARRATOR: A herd of goats
in Africa.

The famous Boston Tea Party
of 1773

and a fruit known as a cherry

that changed the course
of history.

What connects all of these?

and how has it transformed
societies around the world?

ANJULA MUTANDA: It actually
smoothes the wheels

of how we function day to day.

NARRATOR: After oil, it is the
planet's second most important

sought after commodity.

It's hard to imagine a life
without it.

DR. ARCHER: It's sort of
the lubricant

that makes the western world
work I think.

NARRATOR: But can supply keep up
with demand in the future?

Between us, we consume over
2 billion cups every day

of this great invention.

Coffee, so much more than
just a drink.

Europeans alone consume

over 2.5 million tonnes
of coffee a year.

That's the equivalent weight
of 25,000 blue whales!

Globally, the coffee industry is
worth over $100billion annually.

Café culture has continued
to boom,

from Italy to the UK,

from America to Australia.

It seems we can't miss
our daily caffeine fix.

I drink coffee every day
Monday to Friday,

I drink coffee every morning,

obviously a bit of a kick
to start the day.

I love coffee!

I do drink coffee,
I drink maybe 3-4 cups a day.

NARRATOR: Our everyday lives
have been transformed by coffee

and even the history of the
world as we know it,

has been formed by this
extraordinary beverage.

As with most foods that have
been around for centuries,

coffee's beginnings are shrouded
in mystery and legend.

How did we discover that
an innocent little berry

could produce such a
delicious drink?

Some historians believe coffee
was unearthed

by a goat-herd named Kaldi
in Ethiopia.

He found his goats frolicking
and full of energy

after eating the red fruit
of the coffee shrub.

Kaldi tried the fruit
for himself

and had a similar reaction.

After witnessing the goats'
and Kaldi's strange behavior,

a monk took some of the fruit
back to his friends,

they too spent the night
awake and alert.

However, it's not until the
middle of the 15th century

that we have the earliest
credible evidence

of coffee-drinking.

It appears in the accounts of
Ahmed Al-Ghaffar in Yemen.

The drink was brewed in
a similar way

to this reconstruction.

Once made, it was consumed
during mystical ceremonies

and used to stay awake
for religious rituals.

By the 16th century,

coffee had reached the rest
of the Middle East,

Persia, Turkey
and Northern Africa.

It then spread to Italy.

The thriving trade between
Venice and North Africa,

Egypt and the Middle East

brought many goods,
including coffee

to the port of Venice.

Some people reacted to this
new beverage

with suspicion and fear,

calling it the
“bitter invention of Satan.”

The local clergy condemned
coffee when it came to Venice

in 1615.

The controversy was so great

that Pope Clement VIII
was asked to intervene.

He decided to taste the beverage
for himself

before making a decision,

and found the drink
so satisfying

that he completely changed
his mind

and gave coffee the thumbs up.

From Venice,
it spread to the rest of Europe

where coffee houses were
quickly becoming

centers of social activity
in all the major cities.

In Turkey, the coffee revolution
took a dark turn.

In 1663, the Ottoman Empire
was rocked by a new crime.

People would be decapitated
if found to be engaging

in this illicit activity.

The Ottoman Sultan Murad IV
cracked down on a practice

he believed was provoking
social decay in the capital...

Coffee consumption in public.

The sultan believed coffee shops
would encourage

dangerous thoughts and speech.

But this didn't deter
the people,

and coffee culture survived
in the background.

Coffee was having an
equal effect

in another corner of the world,
in England.

It became so popular,

it replaced the common breakfast
beverages of the time,

beer and wine.

Those who drank coffee instead
of alcohol

began the day alert and
energized and not surprisingly,

the quality of their work
was greatly improved.

The 17th century saw the arrival
of “penny universities”,

so called because for the price
of an English penny

you could purchase a
cup of coffee,

gain entry to the coffee house

and engage
in stimulating conversation.

By the mid-17th century,

there were over 300 coffee
houses in London,

many of which attracted
like-minded patrons,

including merchants, brokers
and artists.

So the coffee house is
an institution

in the 17th and 18th century.

Coffee houses were like clubs
but they were clubs

in which you had to pay very
little to get into.

So you paid your penny,
you got a cup of coffee

and that gave you access
to the newspapers,

it gave you access to
comfortable facilities to sit in

and it provided you with
a space in which

you could discuss the world.

NARRATOR: Coffee houses became
the new hangout spots

where men met up to socialise
and debate.

ANJULA MUTANDA: If you
think about

the advent of coffee houses
and people coming together

to share a cup of coffee,

it can become a creative space.

Ideas are flowing, people are
feeling more creative.

They're feeling more motivated.

NARRATOR: These ground-breaking
get togethers

allowed both the rich and poor

to learn from one another
without prejudice,

enabling everyone
to speak freely.

ANJULA MUTANDA: Even to this day
you still see

the coffee house is used
as a hub,

they're coming together
for coffee,

but what you're also picking up
on is great conversation.

NARRATOR: Today, the world can't
seem to get enough of the stuff,

but where and how
do we source our coffee,

and find enough to feed this
global thirst

of epic proportions?

There are two primary types
of bean, arabica and robusta,

with arabica widely considered
to have the finer flavour.

It accounts for about
three-quarters of coffee

cultivated worldwide.

Coffee grows best in subtropical
and equatorial conditions

with plenty of rain.

It's produced in around
eighty countries

in South and Central America,
the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.

The process begins
with planting.

A coffee bean
is actually a seed.

If it isn't picked and processed
it grows into a woody bush.

Once the seeds have germinated
and grown into healthy shoots,

they're planted out
in neat rows.

This often takes place during
the wet season,

so that the soil remains moist

while the roots become
firmly established.

It will take 3 or 4 years before
the plants are mature enough.

Then they'll be ready
for harvesting.

This Mayni community in Peru
harvest by hand,

often with the whole family
joining in.

One of the customers of these
farmers' hard work

is a specialist roaster
in the UK,

they are experts in
all things coffee.

And they're full of surprises.

GREG CAMPHER: Believe it or not,
coffee is actually a fruit.

It grows on a bush and it
flowers at different stages.

So you'll get red and yellow
and green cherries.

The reason why we call it
a cherry is because

it's very similar in size

but inside that cherry
you only get two coffee beans.

NARRATOR: To satisfy
the enormous

and growing global market,

we need a lot of coffee plants,
and more importantly,

the cherries they produce,

to give us the vast quantities
of beans we consume.

These go on to be processed
in various stages.

GREG CAMPHER: There are
three main ways,

washed which is a process
whereby they mill the cherry

flesh from the beans,

the beans are then washed
within fresh water

and that gives you
a very clean taste.

You then have the naturaly
processed of coffees,

which are where the cherries
left on the beans

and it's popped into the sun

and that cherry ferments down
and hardens.

But it imparts a lot of flavour
so you get a very fruity cup,

and then you have the final
process

which is the pulp
natural process.

So they mill the cherries
and so the beans pop out

but they they don't wash
the sugars off the beans.

NARRATOR: The sugars are
important for flavour

before the next key stage
of production...

Roasting.

We roast coffee because as green
it doesn't taste that great.

Roasted coffee you change
the cellular structure,

you change the chemical
structure that allows you to

extract using water all the
beautiful flavours and oils

that you want within your cup.

NARRATOR: Clearly,
preserving flavour is key

to producing a tasty
final product.

The coffee roaster

is a surprisingly simple
piece of machinery.

The easiest way to
describe it is sort of like

a washing machine over
a barbeque.

Inside you have a drum,

it revolves,
it's got little fins on it

and that sort of toss
the beans around

to provide an even
application of heat.

Underneath the drum
along the bottom

is the gas burners so that
provides two phases of heat.

We load the beans on the top,
open the little shoot,

the beans when they are
in the roaster

will congregate
the most in this area.

NARRATOR: Roasting can take
as much time

as the manufacturer would like.

Different roasting times produce
different coffee flavours.

One of the many secrets
of the trade,

whoever and wherever
the roaster is.

It is a secret recipe yes,

but it depends really on what
you are roasting it on

and every roaster is different.

CHRIS DANSON: When a roast is
completed,

we then dump it out into
the cooling tray.

So the plan is to stop that
roasting process

as quickly as possible.

So there's a big fan underneath
here that spins them around

then as soon as they hit
room temperature

we'll do a quick
visual inspection

for beans that have
roasted unevenly.

Drop them into a bin

and then we wait twenty-four
hours before packing.

NARRATOR: For coffee consumers,

drinking a brew
has become a daily ritual.

We have coffee shops everywhere
so that's

certainly something that
we socially understand.

Coffee equals a social space

where I get a great cup of java.

NARRATOR: Coffee shops remain
as much a meeting place today

as they were in the
17th century.

What is it about coffee
that encourages us to chat

and exchange views?

Turns out, it's not actually
the coffee that helps

the brainstorming process,

but a chemical it contains;

caffeine.

Caffeine acts as a central
nervous system stimulant.

So when it enters the body,
one of the major effects it has

is it makes us more alert and
obviously makes us less tired

Coffee has an effect
physiologically,

we know that because it mimics
another molecule

in the body.

And when caffeine attaches to
this particular molecule,

it blocks off its processing.

So rather than feeling relaxed
and sleepy,

you feel the opposite,
you feel alert

and you feel lively
and you feel motivated because

another effect
is dopamine in the body,

comes to life
and becomes very effective.

Now what does dopamine do?

It makes you feel good,
it makes you feel alert

and you can concentrate better.

So suddenly you've gone from
somebody who might

have been feeling a little bit
relaxed and a little bit sleepy

to alert and ready to go.

NARRATOR: We find that
drinking coffee

helps us kick-start our day,

or gives us a boost
at any other time.

But how does it perk us up

and what exactly
is it doing to our bodies?

I would like to think that
I drink coffee

in a truly enlightened way,

engaged in high thought
and deep discussion.

I actually think I drink it

because otherwise
I'd fall asleep.

Caffeine is a
naturally occurring stimulant

found in certain foods and
drinks particularly in coffee,

and the way it works is it

gets into our bloodstream

and it binds to the adenosine
receptors in our brains.

NARRATOR: When this reaction
takes place,

neural activity slows down,
making you feel sleepy.

Caffeine mimics this activity,
but without you feeling tired.

Now adenosine receptors are
usually to receive adenosine

which is a chemical
that tells you

when it's time to go to sleep,
it like calms your brain down

and makes you sleepy.

And so caffeine mimics that and
gets in the way and stops the

adenosine from binding
like it normally would so

it gives you this sort of
stimulated feeling,

and then it also,

because we're now being
more stimulated

it gets our adrenaline going

and so it gives us this
sort of buzz.

NARRATOR: Many studies
have been conducted

into the effects of coffee

and recently, scientists have
shown it can have

psychological effects
which can alter our mood.

I think yeah coffee can change
our mood because the caffeine

can make you feel more alert,
more concentrated,

more motivated,

and if you're in that frame of
mind you feel you can do.

So if you're somebody who's
feeling a little bit low

and ‘I need a coffee pick me up'

a lot of people ascribe coffee

to helping them get up and go,
it can be a motivator.

NARRATOR: If you don't want
to drink coffee,

but you do want motivation,

there is an alternative
on the market

that will give you
a similar kick.

Energy drinks are becoming the
go-to thirst quencher,

with the global energy drink
market anticipated to reach

$86 billion by 2026.

Although they might seem
like a new fad,

these drinks have been widely
available since the 1980s.

The concept began life
as a Thai energy drink,

called krating daeng.

It was used by factory workers

and truckers to get through
long shifts.

Austrian entrepreneur
Dietrich Mateschitz

discovered that krating daeng
cured him of his jet lag

on a business trip to Thailand.

He liked it so much,

he eventually tracked down
its creator, Chaleo Yoovidhya

and the two went into
business together.

Mateschitz rebranded it

and brought it to European
markets in 1987.

A completely new product
category was born,

the energy drink.

These contain more sugar than
the standard cup of coffee,

appealing to the younger market

who perhaps don't enjoy the
taste of ordinary coffee.

But whichever way you choose
to consume your caffeine,

it will have the same effect,

either will give you a boost
throughout the day.

Scientists have suggested
that the early coffeehouses

were the original version
of the internet.

Caffeine-fuelled conversations
inspired new ideas,

scientific discoveries and even
momentous historical events

like the Boston Tea Party.

This famous protest was planned
in a coffeehouse that survives

to this day in Boston,
Massachusetts,

the Green Dragon Tavern.

On December 16, 1773
the Boston Tea Party took place,

involving three British ships.

Every year, this important
moment in history is celebrated

with people dressing up
and re-enacting what happened.

The story began
when ships containing tea

were imported into Britain
by the East India Company.

Unfortunately, the company
was facing bankruptcy

and had asked the British
government for permission

to export tea directly
to America,

in order to get rid of their
surplus stock.

This was approved

and in 1773
the Tea Act was passed.

But the British government had
underestimated the strength

of the American resistance
to being taxed by them.

ACTOR: For we will not
pay that tax.

NARRATOR: Angry
American colonists

disguised as Mohawk Indians

dumped 342 chests of tea
into Boston Harbour,

through frustration at the
British for imposing

taxation without representation.

This event was the first major
act of North American defiance

to British rule.

Sixty people took part
in the protest

that became known ironically

as the Boston Tea Party,

dumping tea worth a million
dollars in today's money.

It was a significant event

in the lead up to the
American Revolution.

After the ‘tea party',
drinking tea became unpatriotic

to the Americans.

French and Dutch coffee
merchants saw an opportunity

and flooded the American
market with cheap coffee beans,

encouraging Americans
to turn to coffee.

Many historians believe
this was the start

of the USA's
obsession with the drink.

But it was catching on back in
tea-obsessed Britain too.

As the industrial revolution
took hold

in the 18th and 19th centuries,

the workforce was switching
to coffee.

DR. WHYTE: What it does is give
you an alternative to beer

so you can drink water safely.

Before water's purified
you need to boil it

or process it in some way,

and brewing, whether coffee or
beer is one way of doing that.

The other thing, of course is
that coffee acts as a stimulant,

so the provision of caffeine
whether in coffee or in tea

in the 19th century century is
something that enables people

to work longer and harder than
they might have done otherwise.

NARRATOR: With the growing
number of factories,

more people started working
on a set schedule.

They would wake up,
have breakfast,

and then head to their
factory jobs.

These workers began to live
almost exclusively

on coffee and bread

because coffee was stimulating
and warm,

providing an illusion of
nutrition they could afford.

Cheap coffee on tap is available
in a place like this

the cultural icon known
as the American Diner,

celebrated here in 1951.

Often open 24 hours a day, the
diner is a place to socialise,

eat a cheap meal if you're
working a late shift

or any time of day.

And they serve coffee
all day long.

It's a development from Americas
first mobile coffee shop,

when food and coffee began to
be sold from a re-purposed wagon

in the 1870s.

Soon the idea had spread
and evolved

into the permanent
stylised diners

found all over
the United States.

But the diner isn't the only
icon of American culture

associated with coffee.

The New York Stock Exchange
and the Bank of New York

both began life in the
coffee houses

of the world famous financial
district, Wall Street.

Back in the day, the coffee
would have been black

and extremely rough
by our standards,

but the chemistry was the same.

So, how do you make
the perfect cup of coffee?

Firstly, the temperature of the
water has to be just right

so it absorbs the
coffee correctly.

Any cooler and the water
absorbs the coffee poorly,

any hotter and the water
burns the grains,

making the coffee taste bitter.

Brewing time is also vital.

There are three key stages.

Acidic, fruity-flavoured
compounds are the first

to be extracted,

followed by more earthy,
caramel-like compounds,

and finally
the bitter-tasting ones.

Short brew times lead to only

the first group
of compounds being extracted.

Whereas over-brewing

can lead to an excess
of the bitter flavours.

For the best coffee,

we have to aim between
these two extremes.

Today the coffee industry
is valued at $20 billion.

And on average,

500 billion cups are consumed
on earth every year.

We just can't get enough
of the stuff!

I discovered I loved coffee
when I went to Italy

and I had a particular brand of
coffee and I had to come home

and find out what it was
and where I could get it,

of course I could get it in the
local supermarket.

And I had it every
single morning

for like five straight years.

I never used to be much of
a coffee drinker

until the last couple of years,

my other half drinks it a lot
so I started sampling it

and I have to say it does make
you feel alert,

and I'm able to get into my work

more quickly
and more creatively as well.

NARRATOR: But while some people
are just catching on to coffee,

this continuing growth
is creating issues.

Every coffee drinker seems
to have their own routine

of when, where and how.

Going back we used to drink
it a lot.

I used to drink a lot of it when
I had kids that were younger.

In the afternoon, I do have a
cup of coffee in the afternoon,

at work, after lunch,
wake me up.

NARRATOR: But all this coffee
consumption is leading to a big

environmental problem.

At home or work, you might have
a wide variety of mugs

or cups to choose from.

However, on the move,

you are more likely to grab
a takeaway coffee

in a so-called paper cup.

Worldwide, sixteen billion
are used annually

with many consumers presuming
they are recyclable.

But, they are not.

Due to the complicated way
in which the cups are produced,

fewer than 1% are recycled.

Though they are made largely
of paper,

disposable coffee cups are lined
with plastic polyethylene,

which is tightly bonded
to the paper

making the cups waterproof
and able to contain liquid.

The difficulty of recycling
coffee cups is increased

by the fact that they are
contaminated with drink.

It means cups can't be recycled

at conventional
recycling plants,

and must instead be taken
to special facilities.

Un-recycled plastic takes
hundreds of years to break down,

meaning lots of it
ends up polluting

the natural environment.

Gradual breakdown of plastics
results in tiny “microplastics”

that can be ingested by animals
and us, causing harm.

Understanding of the true nature
of so-called disposable

coffee cups
and awareness of protecting

the environment are growing.

Slowly people are remembering
to take reusable mugs

to coffee shops.

So next time you grab a coffee,

consider taking your own
reusable cup.

But not everyone has time
to grab a coffee on the go

or make a fresh cafetiere
in the mornings.

One of the solutions brings
its own environmental issues.

The coffee market is constantly
growing and diversifying,

trying to cater to
individual needs.

People have less time than ever,

so the industry has developed
a simple solution

to your caffeine fix,

which has revolutionised
coffee drinking.

The coffee capsule.

An estimated 56 billion are used
worldwide every year.

These shiny jewel-like pods
are easy to prepare,

with only one click,
one cup of coffee is produced.

These capsules
might look contemporary

but the technology behind
this recent invention

was actually
created decades ago.

A Swiss aerodynamics engineer
called Eric Favre

is the father of capsule coffee.

In 1975, he was Nestle employee
when he decided

to seek out the best coffee
in the world.

He found what he was looking
for in Rome.

He learnt the reason why
Italians were lining up to

sample a particular cafe's brew.

The barista was aerating
the coffee by

pulling the lever not just once,

but at several short intervals,

which brings out all the
flavours and aromas.

Inspired, he set about
designing a machine

that introduced a maximum
amount of air into the water

before it's forced
through the capsule.

Back in Switzerland the inventor
put his plans into action

and developed a prototype
espresso machine

a ground-breaking contraption.

He then invented
a sealed capsule,

similar to the ones today
where air is trapped

before water is pushed through,

filling the cup
with frothy espresso.

But these pretty pods
have a major flaw,

their lack of recyclability.

Every minute of the day up to
29,000 capsules are dumped

in landfill sites worldwide.

The bulk of capsules on
the market

are plastic with
a silicon lining,

so the capsules need a bespoke
recycling process.

Companies claim their products
are recyclable.

It's true but the problem lies
with the process itself.

Recycling is complicated.

The capsules can't just be put
in the normal trash.

They have to be sent
directly back

to the company that made them.

Because of this,

many coffee drinkers don't
bother following the procedure

or simply haven't got time.

Research is being done into
compostable materials

so the capsules can go
to landfill

and decompose over time.

It's not all bad news.

The coffee machines used
to process the pods

are more environmentally
friendly than you might think.

They only flash-heat the small
amount of water needed

for one cup,

unlike the kettle, which uses
much more energy and water.

Whilst we've managed to crack
convenience coffee,

research into the physical
effects of coffee on our bodies

has brought conflicting
results.

DR, SEWELL: The health benefits
associated with coffee

have been heavily scrutinized.

There is some evidence to
suggest it is good for us

but there is also a lot of
evidence to suggest

that it may be harmful to us.

Some of the health benefits
associated with coffee are that

that it can act as a protection
to our liver

to prevent us from developing
liver sclerosis,

as well as also some types
of liver cancer.

Furthermore, coffee has also
been associated

with reducing the risk of
the onset of dementia.

Some of the negative points
is that

it may increase our risk
of heart disease.

Drinking coffee in moderation
is fine.

NARRATOR: Moderation,

according to America's
Food and Drug Administration

is measured as a maximum
of four cups a day.

Any more and you could be
putting your health at risk.

But for some, drinking coffee
just isn't a good idea.

Some people should actively try
and avoid drinking coffee.

Namely individuals who
are pregnant

because we do know that
there are harmful effects

associated with caffeine and the
developing foetus in the mother.

Other individuals who should
also refrain from drinking

too much coffee coffee or indeed
too much caffeine

include those who might have
trouble sleeping.

There is also some evidence
to suggest that perhaps

coffee might be problematic
for those individuals

which have
chronic heart disease

or individuals who have
high blood pressure as well.

NARRATOR: Scientists researching
the physical effects

of caffeine on the body came
across an extraordinary

and extreme outcome,

in spiders.

In 1995, scientists at NASA
used house spiders

to explore the effects of
different drugs,

one of which was caffeine.

The spiders spun bizarre webs
and scientists found that

the more toxic the chemical,
the more deformed the web looked

compared to a normal web.

The webs of spiders
given caffeine

were characterised by
disorganised cells

and a lack of the normal
"hub and spoke" pattern

proving caffeine really does
have an effect.

Meanwhile an American pet owner

thinks coffee is the secret
to long life...

in cats.

Jake Perry has owned many
felines over his lifetime,

all living to at least
30 years old.

One kitty in particular called
Creme Puff topped the record

for the oldest cat in the world,
living to be 38.

Jake shared his secret for
feline longevity,

a breakfast of eggs, bacon
and coffee, with cream.

Creme Puff's love of dairy in
his coffee is widely shared.

From Latin America's
cafe con leche

to South India's filter coffee,

many recipes call for
adding dairy.

Nowadays this drink comes in
all shapes and sizes,

from latte to cappuccino,

mocha to americano

and flat white to espresso.

There is a whole
coffee dictionary

that society has learnt.

Coffee has come a long way
from traditional black.

Dairy and coffee are a
recent partnership.

They met in Europe

when the first coffeehouse in
Austria opened in Vienna in 1683

after the battle of Vienna.

A Polish military officer

by the name of
Jerzy Franciszek Kulczyck

obtained some coffee beans after
defeating the Turks.

He then opened his own coffee
house with a difference.

Here the coffee was
served white.

They added milk and sugar.

It's known as a ‘melange',

and became a typical
Viennese coffee.

It helped milky coffee
catch on.

Now baristas take great delight
in using the creamy tops

to express their creativity.

It's all in the pouring,
apparently.

Coffee has proved to be
an extraordinarily

versatile product,

not just as a drink, but because
of other hidden benefits.

These days, it turns up in some
surprising places,

like the garden.

Coffee's actually really good

to be used as a
fertiliser actually.

So plants need a lot of key
minerals and stuff to thrive

and actually coffee can provide
a few of those,

nitrogen, potassium, chromium
for instance and plenty more.

and the coffee can even attract
worms which are good at

promoting the growth of
the plants.

NARRATOR: The benefits of coffee
have also been noticed

by the beauty industry.

Coffee is deeply aromatic

and this makes it appealing for
shower and bath products.

Face and body masks are now
infused with caffeine

to invigorate the skin.

It is being used as a
natural hair dye

which is softer to the hair

and even caffeine shampoo
is on the rise.

It's been found to boost
circulation to the roots

and promote healthy hair growth.

How is this coffee obsession
affecting us as a society?

The boiling kettle...

the aroma from the mug...

the first bitter mouthful
of the morning.

But do people only drink coffee

to get their daily hit
of caffeine?

ANJULA MUTANDA: I think with
coffee for a lot of people,

coffee is part of their
daily routine.

They don't even think about the
fact that they're going to go

and have a cup of coffee,
they just know

they're going to go and have
a cup of coffee,

so it's very much embedded in
their personal daily routine.

NARRATOR: People across the
globe have different attitudes

and even words to
describe coffee.

From java to battery acid
and brew to a cup of Joe.

Some need more explanation
than others.

The nick- name ‘Java'
is a mystery.

It's believed to have been
first used by the Dutch

to refer to single-origin coffee
from the island of Java.

As the coffee trade grew,
the name ‘java' was adopted

by more and more people
throughout the world.

‘Cup of Joe' is also shrouded
in mystery

with many different theories
about its origins.

One possibility

is coffee was once considered
“a common man” drink,

so it was given the name Joe
“a common man” name.

Whatever you call it,

there's also an international
scale of popularity

and Finland comes out top.

The average Finn drinks four
or five cups of coffee a day.

Coffee consumption among
Finland's

Scandinavian neighbours
is almost as high.

But you can have too much
of a good thing.

Some people can develop an
addiction to coffee in that

they feel they can't go through
the day without having

a lot of caffeine in
their system.

The thing is the side effects
of coffee are, you know,

feeling jittery and feeling
irritable irritable and feeling,

you know, nervy a lot
of the time.

So you know you've had
too much caffeine

when you get into that state.

So for some people they
can develop

a dependence on caffeine
to get them through the day.

NARRATOR: But unlike other drugs
associated with addictions,

caffeine has a relatively
low impact.

The unpleasant effects can make
you cut down on your intake,

but it doesn't interfere with
your job or your family life

in the same way as a more
serious drug would.

Some people argue that it should
be treated in the same way

but a lot of other people argue
that it's nowhere near as bad,

and it's more of a dependence
on the caffeine

but it's on a lower level.

NARRATOR: However with
addiction, comes withdrawal

with potentially unpleasant
side effects.

Caffeine withdrawal does exist
particularly in individuals

who regularly drink coffee
or caffeine and subsequently

suddenly stop it.

Some of the symptoms associated
with caffeine withdrawal

include irritability, fatigue,
low mood, lack of energy.

ANJULA MUTANDA: So there are
symptoms of withdrawal

which can last from twelve to
twenty-four hours

for some people and for other
people a bit longer.

But unlike withdrawing from
other drugs,

it's pretty short lived and you
can choose to cut down and

not have it if you want to.

NARRATOR: The great advantage of
coffee is to make us feel alert,

however this is arguably its
biggest downfall.

Worldwide studies suggest

that up to 50% of the world's
population

suffer from insomnia

and coffee could be one of
the main culprits.

If it is consumed too late
in the day,

this stimulant can make it hard
to fall asleep.

One study found that consuming
caffeine six hours

before bedtime reduced total
sleep by one hour.

I'm not addicted to caffeine.

I think I'm quite aware of

that I can be affected
quite a bit by it

and so that means that I don't
drink too much

because it does affect my sleep
quite a bit.

So caffeine blocks certain
receptors in the brain

for certain chemicals that
induce sleep

and when they're blocked
you can't sleep so much.

So if you have a double espresso
after dinner you can't do it.

Human beings should be getting
seven to eight hours of sleep

a night, and at the moment
we're not.

The less you sleep,
the shorter your life.

Pretty much everything
is affected

by how well you sleep or not.

So the coffee epidemic is
having a massively

deleterious contributing effect
on the sleep epidemic.

NARRATOR: However,

our love for coffee shows
no sign of slowing down.

We're drinking more than ever.

So what's next for this
growing market?

Coffee, it's just everywhere,
you can't escape it

and it seems to be just the
socially acceptable thing to do.

Rather than let's go and
have a meeting

it's like shall we
grab a coffee?

and you just see so many
people around, you know,

trademark coffee cup style
things, handing them out,

it's just everywhere, it's
sort of just pervaded culture.

The explosion of coffee is not
really about the coffee.

I think it's about

a way for human beings to
convene with each other.

coffee shops, cafes, having
a cup of coffee,

it's one of the ways, in the
same way pubs do,

they bring people together.

So I think the coffee trend
is actually a facilitator

for a much bigger trend
which is about humans

requiring social interaction.

NARRATOR: But there is one
very dark cloud approaching

which consumers may be
unaware of.

The future of coffee
is uncertain.

Global warming is deciding
its fate for us.

A study in 2019 found that 60%
of coffee plants

are now at risk of extinction,

including the variety

which produces most of
the world's beans.

Researchers found that
seventy-five of the planet's

124 wild coffee species
are under threat

from the loss of forests,
climate change

and the worsening problem
of fungal disease and pests.

A world without coffee
is hard to imagine.

It impacts everyone
and everything

and one of the important effects
would be felt economically.

Coffee has become
a vital cash crop

for many developing countries.

It's the backbone of the
Ethiopian economy,

providing more than 30% of the
country's export earnings.

If the plant that once helped
cultivate imperial trade routes

becomes extinct,

it could once again change
the shape of the world economy,

but not for the better.

But all is not lost.

In 2012, coffee roasting and
importing companies

from around the world banded
together to form

‘World Coffee Research'.

A global collaborative,
working on developing new,

climate-smart coffee varieties
and farming practices.

It's a ray of hope in an
uncertain world,

for the millions who
rely on coffee.

I think for a lot of people
coffee is a great invention

because for many it's become
a daily pick me up.

This is the thing that's going
to get my day kick started

and so many people utilise it
in that way.

NARRATOR: Love it or loathe it,

this one small bean has made
an unbelievable impact.

Billions of cups are drunk
every day as coffee shops

pop up more and more in shopping
districts the world over.

South Korea is one of the
biggest boom areas,

with 88,000 coffee shops
in 2018,

which means 1 for every
600 citizens.

Coffee has transformed history,

shaped our culture

and even fertilised our gardens.

From an accidental discovery
by a herd of goats,

to becoming the world's
favourite beverage.

Coffee truly
is a great invention.