Berry intelligent? Take our quiz to find out how much you know about coffee

“What exactly is a coffee bean?” Illustration: Christopher DeLorenzo/Guardian

1. Where does the word coffee actually come from?

   1. The Portuguese word for “dirt”.

   2. The Arabic word for “wine”.

   3. The early modern English word for “nut”.

2. We know why we love caffeine, but why does the coffee plant produce it?

   1. To tempt humans to grow, eat and breed it.

   2. To grow more quickly than nearby plants.

   3. To suppress growth in nearby plants.

3. How long does it take the coffee plant to start fruiting?

   1. Six years.

   2. Ten years.

   3. Eight years.

4. What exactly is a coffee bean?

   1. A nut.

   2. A type of bean.

   3. A seed.

5. How much coffee is produced every year by farmed coffee bushes?

   1. 10m tonnes.

   2. 1m tonnes.

   3. 20m tonnes.

6. 

   Where is the so-called “bean belt” in which most of the world’s coffee plants grow?

   1. In Africa.

   2. Along the equator.

   3. In North America.

7. How long do coffee plants bloom for?

   1. Three months.

   2. A fortnight.

   3. A few days.

8. What is the coffee bush’s natural habitat?

   1. Forest.

   2. Tundra.

   3. Grassland.

9. Which coffee bush species is older?

   1. Arabica.

   2. Robusta.

   3. Intenso.

10. How many main types of coffee species are there?

    1. Ten.

    2. Seven hundred and forty-two.

    3. Two.

Solutions

1:B - The earliest known word for coffee was the Arabic word “qahwa”, a type of wine. From there, it evolved to become the word we’ve used since 1582., 2:C - Caffeine also helps ward off pests, but the real shocker is its ability to suppress growth. Dropped leaves contaminate the soil, stopping nearby seeds from germinating., 3:A - While a coffee plant takes only one year to grow, it can take up to six years before it produces those magic “beans”., 4:C - The coffee “bean” is a bit of a misnomer – it’s actually the seed of the coffee tree, found in the pit of the coffee “cherry”, an edible little berry., 5:A - A massive 10.4m tonnes of coffee is produced every single year – that should be enough to wake you up!, 6:B - Coffee is primarily grown in places such as Brazil, Colombia, and Ethiopia – countries along the equator that have the ideal conditions for the plant., 7:C - While the coffee plant’s bloom is spectacular and smells great, it’s short-lived. After just three to four days, petals from the burst of bloom will fall., 8:A - Nespresso has planted more than 5m trees in coffee farms to recreate the plant’s shady evolutionary forest habitat – and improve biodiversity at the same time. , 9:B - After extensive genetic mapping by Nespresso, it was found that robusta evolved before arabica, with the former being a “parent” species to the latter., 10:C - While there are some variations, there are just two primary species of coffee produced: arabica and robusta. Arabica actually accounts for three-quarters of all beans sold.

Scores

1. 10 and above.

   You’re a bean expert! Pack your bags and head to Brazil! You’re a coffee harvester in the making. All that knowledge will only help to enjoy your daily mug (or two) more.

2. 9 and above.

   You’re a bean expert! Pack your bags and head to Brazil! You’re a coffee harvester in the making. All that knowledge will only help to enjoy your daily mug (or two) more.

3. 8 and above.

   You’re a bean expert! Pack your bags and head to Brazil! You’re a coffee harvester in the making. All that knowledge will only help to enjoy your daily mug (or two) more.

4. 7 and above.

   Not bad. You know more than most about the humble coffee bean, but maybe this is a sign to learn some more!

5. 6 and above.

   Not bad. You know more than most about the humble coffee bean, but maybe this is a sign to learn some more!

6. 5 and above.

   Not bad. You know more than most about the humble coffee bean, but maybe this is a sign to learn some more!

7. 4 and above.

   Not bad. You know more than most about the humble coffee bean, but maybe this is a sign to learn some more!

8. 3 and above.

   Do you even drink coffee? Maybe you do indulge in a cup every morning, but other than that, you don’t seem to know much about where coffee comes from! Better brush up if you want the most of your Nespresso.

9. 2 and above.

   Do you even drink coffee? Maybe you do indulge in a cup every morning, but other than that, you don’t seem to know much about where coffee comes from! Better brush up if you want the most of your Nespresso.

10. 0 and above.

    Do you even drink coffee? Maybe you do indulge in a cup every morning, but other than that, you don’t seem to know much about where coffee comes from! Better brush up if you want the most of your Nespresso.

11. 1 and above.

    Do you even drink coffee? Maybe you do indulge in a cup every morning, but other than that, you don’t seem to know much about where coffee comes from! Better brush up if you want the most of your Nespresso.

Discover what’s next for Nespresso’s journey to carbon-neutral coffee here