10 things you didn't know about coffee

Coffee fuels workers worldwide. And you can always rely on the Store First team to offer you a brew when you pop into your nearest self-storage centre.

So, in honour of International Coffee Day, we've "bean" searching the web for some weird and wonderful facts about the world's favourite cuppa. It's time to stick the kettle on, put your feet up and read on.

1. Goats discovered coffee

According to Buzzfeed, our favourite source of crazy facts, coffee was discovered by accident by a 9th century Ethiopian goat herder who noticed his goats enjoying bursts of energy after munching on beans. We're not even kidding! (Sorry)

2. It MAY count towards your five-a-day...

Oddly, the coffee bean is actually the pit of a berry, which makes it technically a fruit. Does this mean five cups might count as our five a day?

3. Timing is everything

Get the most out of your caffeine hit by picking the perfect moment. Coffee is said to be most effective when you drink it between the hours of 9.30am and 11.30am, because that's when the body's cortisol levels begin to drop after an initial high when we first wake up. Caffeine works best when levels are low, making 10.30am the best time to stick the kettle on.

4. Manners cost nothing

A café in France made the news for taxing rudeness. A simple "please" saved you a few euros; a "hello" made your morning caffeine fix even cheaper.

5. Coffee works fast!

Need a quick pick-me-up? Good news - the effects of caffeine can be felt just ten minutes after consumption. Maximum impact kicks in around 45 minutes after your first sip, but carries on working for three to five hours.

6. There's no accounting for taste

The world's most expensive coffee, Black Ivory, is actually made from elephant dung. It will set you back a hefty $50 a cup. Think we'll stick to Nescafé!

7. Coffee could kill you

The lethal dose is said to be around 100 cups. So no matter how tired you are, keep a lid on your consumption or it could be fatal!

8. Coffee created the world's first webcam

You can always rely on students to find the laziest way of doing things. And incredibly, that's how the world's first webcam came to be. A bunch of scientists at Cambridge Uni set up a camera with a live web feed to keep an eye on how full the coffee pot was, after wasting countless trips to top up only to find it empty. A for effort!

9. No girls allowed

Women were banned from drinking coffee in public in England in the 1600s.

10. Store First is a great place to get a cuppa

All of our Store First self-storage centres offer tea and coffee making facilities for individual self-storage customers and business storage customers. We have kitchens kitted out for you to use, as well as machines in most of our boardrooms (don't forget, you can hire these out for your meetings, interviews and training sessions). Now, whose turn is it to brew up?

Sources: Buzzfeed, Distractify, Mic, The Telegraph and Inc.