Brewed Brilliance: Coffee Trivia for Curious Teens

Test your coffee smarts—from beans and brewing to culture and chemistry. A challenging, fun quiz for curious teens ready to perk up their knowledge.

  1. Which molecule primarily causes coffee's bitter taste and contributes to its antioxidant activity?
    1. Theobromine
    2. Caffeine
    3. Tannic acid
    4. Chlorogenic acid
  2. Which coffee species accounts for most of the global specialty coffee market due to its superior flavor but is more disease‑sensitive?
    1. Coffea robusta
    2. Coffea arabica
    3. Coffea liberica
    4. Coffea excelsa
  3. What is the dominant chemical process during coffee roasting that creates hundreds of aroma compounds?
    1. Maillard reaction
    2. Fermentation
    3. Hydrolysis
    4. Photosynthesis
  4. Which climate change effect most threatens coffee yield by increasing incidence of coffee leaf rust?
    1. Higher temperatures
    2. Increased CO2
    3. Sea level rise
    4. Longer winters
  5. Which brewing variable primarily controls extraction yield and strength independent of grind size?
    1. Bloom time
    2. Water temperature
    3. Tamping pressure
    4. Brew ratio
  6. What natural process in processing coffee cherries reduces bitterness and can increase fruity flavors through microbial action?
    1. Decaffeination
    2. Roasting
    3. Fermentation
    4. Aging
  7. Which alkaloid besides caffeine is present in coffee and contributes slightly to its stimulant profile?
    1. Acetylcholine
    2. Nicotine
    3. Serotonin
    4. Theobromine

Answers and explanations

  1. Question: Which molecule primarily causes coffee's bitter taste and contributes to its antioxidant activity?
    Answer: Chlorogenic acid
    Explanation: Chlorogenic acids are a family of compounds responsible for much of coffee's bitterness and antioxidant properties; roasting alters them into quinic and caffeic acids, which change flavor. Many assume caffeine causes bitterness, but caffeine is only mildly bitter compared with chlorogenic-derived by
  2. Question: Which coffee species accounts for most of the global specialty coffee market due to its superior flavor but is more disease‑sensitive?
    Answer: Coffea arabica
    Explanation: Arabica makes up most high-quality coffee because of its nuanced flavors; it's more susceptible to rust and has lower yields than robusta, which is why robusta is often chosen for hardier commercial blends.
  3. Question: What is the dominant chemical process during coffee roasting that creates hundreds of aroma compounds?
    Answer: Maillard reaction
    Explanation: The Maillard reaction between amino acids and sugars forms many of coffee's complex aromas; caramelization also contributes, but Maillard accounts for the broader bouquet. People often cite 'browning' generically—this specifies the chemistry.
  4. Question: Which climate change effect most threatens coffee yield by increasing incidence of coffee leaf rust?
    Answer: Higher temperatures
    Explanation: Warmer temperatures expand suitable zones for leaf rust and stress plants, making them more vulnerable; altered rainfall matters too, but temperature shifts directly speed pathogen cycles. Assuming only drought is common but incorrect.
  5. Question: Which brewing variable primarily controls extraction yield and strength independent of grind size?
    Answer: Brew ratio
    Explanation: Brew ratio (coffee-to-water) directly sets beverage strength and, with contact time, governs extraction yield; grind size influences rate, but ratio determines available solute concentration. People confuse ratio with time, which affects extraction but not inherent concentration.
  6. Question: What natural process in processing coffee cherries reduces bitterness and can increase fruity flavors through microbial action?
    Answer: Fermentation
    Explanation: Controlled fermentation of mucilage breaks down compounds and produces fruity aromatic precursors; washed versus natural processing changes flavor profiles via different fermentation dynamics. Some think 'drying' causes fruitiness, but fermentation is key.
  7. Question: Which alkaloid besides caffeine is present in coffee and contributes slightly to its stimulant profile?
    Answer: Theobromine
    Explanation: Theobromine occurs in smaller amounts in coffee and has milder stimulant and vasodilating effects compared with caffeine; many confuse theobromine with caffeine or assume it's absent in coffee. It's distinct from paraxanthine, which is a metabolite.