Coffee's long history as a beverage has engendered a lot of not so well-known information that are part legend and partly true. Here are a few.

Coffee from the Balkans.
Although the Balkan countries are not part of the coffee belt (the are where coffee is grown), beliefs as to its Balkan origins still persist. It seems that some tribes living around the Black Sea were said to drink a certain "black brew" that gave them inordinate strength and stamina. Sounds like coffee? You bet, since caffeine does give some coffee drinkers increased concentration and the like. However, this has not been verified or if the story is true, chances are their dark brew came from parched grains.

Coffee is the second-most heavily traded commodity.
True. After oil, coffee trading is one of the world's major preoccupation. It seems that people simply couldn't live without coffee in the morning. Thus, this demand has kept coffee in the forefront of global trade.

The Philippine was once a major coffee exporter.
True. But this global preeminence lasted all but less than a decade in the 1880s. It seems that a coffee rust once decimated the coffee plantations of the world, all the while sparing the Philippines. As such, for a very brief period, the country became the sole major source of coffee in the world. This enabled the town of Lipa to become one of the wealthiest towns in the Philippines. Alas, the coffee rust eventually came to the Philippines destroying the Plantations in Batangas.

Cavite province is the preeminent coffee producer in the Philippines.
Probably it once was, but not anymore as some Mindanao provinces have more land planted to coffee than Cavite. However, Cavite coffee farmers hold the record of having the most beans per tree because of sound agricultural practices.

Coffee is bad for the health.
Based on current studies, this is not true. Sure, coffee may cause stomach acidity to some people but its other health benefits probably outweigh this. It seems that coffee is chockfull of antioxidants and one cup of coffee may actually provide the body with enough antioxidants for the day. Moreover, it seems to have beneficial effects on memory retention and possibly even against Alzheimer's.

So what are you waiting for? Have a cuppa!