Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works. Hey, brain Stuff, I'm Lauren Vogelbaum. And if you can't start your morning without a cup of Joe, You're certainly not alone. I'm right there with you. But Americans consumption of coffee is up. It's the highest it spin since and global exports are up to According to the International Coffee Organization, World coffee exports increased by seventeen percent from October to October, and overall global shipments were four point two percent higher year
over year. Clearly, coffee has become an important daily ritual for many Americans, which begs the question why are so many coffee lovers ordering those drinks using Italian words, from latte's to macchiatos. How did this happen? After all, coffee doesn't have its roots in Italy. Legend has it that the Great Being originated in the Ethiopian Plateau and was discovered by a goat herder who noticed his goats veritably
danced after eating a certain plant. It's throughout the Arabian Peninsula and adjacent areas before Europeans encountered coffee in the seventeenth century. Nevertheless, many of the coffee drinks we know today and popularized by Starbucks. More on that in a minute. Do originate in Italy and it has everything to do with the invention of the espresso machine. Espresso doesn't refer to a particular type of coffee bean. It's actually a coffee preparation method and it was first developed in Italy
in the nineteenth century. Because brood coffee could take up to five minutes to make, coffee, lovers sought a way to shorten the time between ordering and drinking. The first espresso machines were bulky and difficult, but by the early twentieth century, Milanese manufacturer Luigi Bazara had developed a single shot espresso that produced one cup of coffee in seconds, though it did take a while for the machines to improve in terms of ease of use and flavor of
the coffee produced. We spoke with Paul Bassett, former World Barista champion. He said the espresso machine kind of revolutionized coffee to some extent. Everything was centered around the way espresso was made the way it was consumed as well. He explained that with the espresso machine, coffee could be made on the spur of the moment and was intended to be drunk immediately after being served, typically standing at
a bar. Italian coffee culture grew, and espresso as we know it today became popular in Italy and France in the nineteen thirties. The nineteen fifties beatnik movement and its coffee house culture launched an espresso craze in the United States. We also spoke with Mike Ferguson with oh Lamb's Specialty Coffee. He explained early in the specialty coffee movement, authenticity meant Italian.
In the nineteen eighties, many, if not most coffee houses had Italian names and adopted as much Italian as possible into their cafe and menu, so the trend continued. The coffee drinks they served also retained their Italian nomenclature because they were specifically made with espresso. The names referred to what is added to the espresso. For example, put the word marciato into Google Translate and you'll get stained or spotted, So the drink name refers to the spot of milk
that stains the espresso. Bassett said, I think fundamentally espresso is directly linked to Italy as a beverage and the way, it's part of their culture. It's been transported all around the world and reinterpreted. Despite reinterpretation, the drinks with Italian names have an espresso base and typically some kind of milk added. For example, a cafe latte, usually just called a latte in the United States, consists of espresso, milk, and milk foam. It's not brewed coffee with milk, although
that's the literal translation. To be fair, ordering an espresso with milk and milk foam doesn't sound as catchy. The distinction between espresso and brewed coffee is important. Consider the Americano, which was named for Americans in Italy who sought a drink similar to the brewed or filtered coffee they drank at home. Because it emerged in Italy and is made by adding water to espresso, it retains its Italian title.
So this answers the question about coffee drink names. But what about Starbucks use of sizes like grande inventi, which are also Italian words. This sizing nomenclature short, tall and Grande was introduced when ill Joornale opened its doors in six and the venti size came in the early nineties. Ill Joornale was the name of the coffee houses launched by Starbucks Chairman emeritus Howard Schultz during his mid eighties
hiatus from the company. The company's website states that Schultz had been quote captivated with Italian coffee bars and the romance of the coffee experience, a tradition he wanted to bring to the United States. He returned to Starbucks and purchased the company in and that branding now extends to faux Italian product names like the frappuccino, which is a trademarked name and not actually an Italian word. By the way.
Bonus fact of the episode, the caffeine and coffee that Perks You Up is considered the most commonly used drug in the world. Today's episode was written by Carrie Whitney and produced by Tyler Clang for iHeart Media and How Stuff Works. For more on this and lots of other peppy topics, visit our home planet, how Stuff Works dot com.