Coffee and Tea Quiz
Ethiopia to Hangzhou, espresso to matcha: 15 questions on the world's two favorite hot drinks.
Which country is widely regarded as the birthplace of coffee?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Ethiopia
Coffea arabica grows wild in the forests of southwestern Ethiopia, and the region of Kaffa is often named as the source of both the plant and the word coffee.
Legend credits a goat herder named Kaldi with discovering coffee after noticing his goats dancing about after eating the red berries.
What type of tea is Earl Grey?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Black tea flavored with bergamot oil
Earl Grey is black tea scented with oil from the rind of the bergamot orange, a citrus fruit grown mainly in Calabria in southern Italy.
The blend is named after Charles Grey, the British prime minister from 1830 to 1834, though no one has proved exactly how his name became attached to it.
Which country is the world's largest producer of coffee?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Brazil
Brazil has been the world's biggest coffee grower for more than 150 years and produces roughly a third of the global crop, mostly arabica from Minas Gerais.
Vietnam is the second largest producer and grows mainly robusta, the bean used in most instant coffee and many espresso blends.
The Japanese tea ceremony is known by which traditional name?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Chanoyu
Chanoyu, literally "hot water for tea", is the formal Japanese ritual of preparing and serving powdered green tea, also known as sado or chado, the way of tea.
The 16th-century tea master Sen no Rikyu shaped the ceremony's ideals of simplicity and harmony, and his descendants still lead Japan's main tea schools.
What is the difference between Arabica and Robusta coffee beans?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Arabica is smoother and more complex in flavor; Robusta is stronger and more bitter
Arabica beans are prized for their sweeter, more aromatic taste, while robusta beans have almost twice the caffeine and a harsher, more bitter flavor.
Robusta plants are hardier and yield more fruit, so the beans cost less to grow and are often added to espresso blends for extra crema.
Which region of China is famous for producing Longjing (Dragon Well) green tea?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Hangzhou (Zhejiang)
Longjing tea is grown in the hills around West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, where the leaves are pan-fired by hand to give their flat shape and chestnut flavor.
The Qianlong Emperor is said to have granted imperial status to 18 tea bushes at Longjing village in the 18th century, and they are still tended today.
What brewing method forces hot water through finely-ground coffee under high pressure?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Espresso
Espresso pushes water at around nine bars of pressure through a tightly packed puck of fine grounds, extracting a concentrated shot in about 25 to 30 seconds.
Milan engineer Luigi Bezzera patented an early espresso machine in 1901, and the lever machine that created modern crema arrived from Achille Gaggia in 1948.
Matcha is a powdered form of which type of tea?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Green tea
Matcha is made from shade-grown green tea leaves that are steamed, dried and stone-ground into a fine powder, so the whole leaf is whisked into the drink.
Shading the plants for several weeks before harvest boosts chlorophyll and the amino acid L-theanine, which gives matcha its deep color and savory taste.
Kopi luwak, one of the world's priciest coffees, is made from beans that have passed through which animal?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
An Asian palm civet
Kopi luwak comes from coffee cherries eaten by the Asian palm civet; enzymes in its digestive tract alter the beans, which are then collected from its droppings and cleaned.
Animal welfare groups have documented civets kept in cramped cages on Indonesian farms, so many specialty roasters now refuse to sell kopi luwak at all.
Which country has the highest per-capita coffee consumption in the world?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Finland
Finns drink around 12 kilograms of coffee per person each year, the highest figure in the world, with Norway, Iceland and Denmark close behind.
Finnish labor law and many workplace agreements guarantee coffee breaks, and light-roasted filter coffee is the everyday norm rather than espresso.
Masala chai, the spiced and milky tea drunk by the cupful, originated in which country?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
India
Masala chai is Indian: black tea simmered with milk, sugar and spices such as cardamom, ginger and cinnamon, sold on almost every street corner by chai wallahs.
The British-run Indian Tea Association pushed tea breaks in the early 1900s, and vendors added milk and spices to stretch the expensive leaves.
What does the term "single origin" mean in coffee terminology?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
The beans come from one specific region, farm, or country
Single origin coffee is sourced from one place, whether a country, region, cooperative or individual farm, rather than blended from several sources.
The most precise label is a single estate or micro-lot coffee, which can be traced to one farm or even one section of a hillside.
Rooibos tea, naturally caffeine-free, is native to which country?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
South Africa
Rooibos, meaning red bush in Afrikaans, grows only in the Cederberg mountains of South Africa's Western Cape, and its needle-like leaves turn red when oxidized.
Since 2021 rooibos has held protected designation of origin status in the European Union, the first African food product to be granted it.
Which roast level spends the least time in the roaster and keeps the most of the bean's original acidity?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Light roast
Light roasts are pulled from the roaster soon after the first crack, at around 180 to 205 degrees Celsius, preserving the bright acidity and origin flavors of the bean.
Dark roasts are taken past the second crack, when oils rise to the surface and give the beans their glossy look and smoky, bittersweet taste.
What is the traditional British custom of "afternoon tea" credited to?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Anna, Duchess of Bedford
Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford, began ordering tea, bread and cake to her room around 4pm in the 1840s to bridge the long gap before a late dinner.
Catherine of Braganza, the Portuguese wife of Charles II, is credited with making tea drinking fashionable at the English court nearly two centuries earlier.
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All Food and Drink quizzes →About the Coffee and Tea Quiz
After water, coffee and tea are the most consumed drinks on the planet. Coffee's story starts in the highlands of Ethiopia, while tea has been grown in China for thousands of years and its finest green leaves still come from the hills around Hangzhou. Along the way the two drinks launched trade routes, sparked a revolution in Boston and gave the world espresso machines, afternoon tea and a coffee that passes through a civet before it reaches your cup.
These 15 questions cover where the beans and leaves come from, how they are roasted, brewed and served, and the traditions built around them, from the Japanese tea ceremony to Earl Grey and masala chai. It suits anyone who cannot start the day without a cup, and it works well as a quick round for a cafe quiz night. Every answer comes with an explanation and a bonus fact.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Easy. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
How many questions are in the Coffee and Tea Quiz?
There are 15 multiple-choice questions, split evenly between coffee and tea, covering origins, roasting, brewing methods, cultural traditions and a few famous names.
Is the quiz only about coffee?
No. Seven questions are about coffee, seven are about tea, and one covers the British custom of afternoon tea, so tea drinkers and coffee lovers get an equal share.
Which country drinks the most coffee?
Finland drinks the most coffee per person, at roughly 12 kilograms of beans per head each year, well ahead of Italy, the United States and Brazil.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- Which country is widely regarded as the birthplace of coffee?
Ethiopia Coffea arabica grows wild in the forests of southwestern Ethiopia, and the region of Kaffa is often named as the source of both the plant and the word coffee. Legend credits a goat herder named Kaldi with discovering coffee after noticing his goats dancing about after eating the red berries. - What type of tea is Earl Grey?
Black tea flavored with bergamot oil Earl Grey is black tea scented with oil from the rind of the bergamot orange, a citrus fruit grown mainly in Calabria in southern Italy. The blend is named after Charles Grey, the British prime minister from 1830 to 1834, though no one has proved exactly how his name became attached to it. - Which country is the world's largest producer of coffee?
Brazil Brazil has been the world's biggest coffee grower for more than 150 years and produces roughly a third of the global crop, mostly arabica from Minas Gerais. Vietnam is the second largest producer and grows mainly robusta, the bean used in most instant coffee and many espresso blends. - The Japanese tea ceremony is known by which traditional name?
Chanoyu Chanoyu, literally "hot water for tea", is the formal Japanese ritual of preparing and serving powdered green tea, also known as sado or chado, the way of tea. The 16th-century tea master Sen no Rikyu shaped the ceremony's ideals of simplicity and harmony, and his descendants still lead Japan's main tea schools. - What is the difference between Arabica and Robusta coffee beans?
Arabica is smoother and more complex in flavor; Robusta is stronger and more bitter Arabica beans are prized for their sweeter, more aromatic taste, while robusta beans have almost twice the caffeine and a harsher, more bitter flavor. Robusta plants are hardier and yield more fruit, so the beans cost less to grow and are often added to espresso blends for extra crema. - Which region of China is famous for producing Longjing (Dragon Well) green tea?
Hangzhou (Zhejiang) Longjing tea is grown in the hills around West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, where the leaves are pan-fired by hand to give their flat shape and chestnut flavor. The Qianlong Emperor is said to have granted imperial status to 18 tea bushes at Longjing village in the 18th century, and they are still tended today. - What brewing method forces hot water through finely-ground coffee under high pressure?
Espresso Espresso pushes water at around nine bars of pressure through a tightly packed puck of fine grounds, extracting a concentrated shot in about 25 to 30 seconds. Milan engineer Luigi Bezzera patented an early espresso machine in 1901, and the lever machine that created modern crema arrived from Achille Gaggia in 1948. - Matcha is a powdered form of which type of tea?
Green tea Matcha is made from shade-grown green tea leaves that are steamed, dried and stone-ground into a fine powder, so the whole leaf is whisked into the drink. Shading the plants for several weeks before harvest boosts chlorophyll and the amino acid L-theanine, which gives matcha its deep color and savory taste. - Kopi luwak, one of the world's priciest coffees, is made from beans that have passed through which animal?
An Asian palm civet Kopi luwak comes from coffee cherries eaten by the Asian palm civet; enzymes in its digestive tract alter the beans, which are then collected from its droppings and cleaned. Animal welfare groups have documented civets kept in cramped cages on Indonesian farms, so many specialty roasters now refuse to sell kopi luwak at all. - Which country has the highest per-capita coffee consumption in the world?
Finland Finns drink around 12 kilograms of coffee per person each year, the highest figure in the world, with Norway, Iceland and Denmark close behind. Finnish labor law and many workplace agreements guarantee coffee breaks, and light-roasted filter coffee is the everyday norm rather than espresso. - Masala chai, the spiced and milky tea drunk by the cupful, originated in which country?
India Masala chai is Indian: black tea simmered with milk, sugar and spices such as cardamom, ginger and cinnamon, sold on almost every street corner by chai wallahs. The British-run Indian Tea Association pushed tea breaks in the early 1900s, and vendors added milk and spices to stretch the expensive leaves. - What does the term "single origin" mean in coffee terminology?
The beans come from one specific region, farm, or country Single origin coffee is sourced from one place, whether a country, region, cooperative or individual farm, rather than blended from several sources. The most precise label is a single estate or micro-lot coffee, which can be traced to one farm or even one section of a hillside. - Rooibos tea, naturally caffeine-free, is native to which country?
South Africa Rooibos, meaning red bush in Afrikaans, grows only in the Cederberg mountains of South Africa's Western Cape, and its needle-like leaves turn red when oxidized. Since 2021 rooibos has held protected designation of origin status in the European Union, the first African food product to be granted it. - Which roast level spends the least time in the roaster and keeps the most of the bean's original acidity?
Light roast Light roasts are pulled from the roaster soon after the first crack, at around 180 to 205 degrees Celsius, preserving the bright acidity and origin flavors of the bean. Dark roasts are taken past the second crack, when oils rise to the surface and give the beans their glossy look and smoky, bittersweet taste. - What is the traditional British custom of "afternoon tea" credited to?
Anna, Duchess of Bedford Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford, began ordering tea, bread and cake to her room around 4pm in the 1840s to bridge the long gap before a late dinner. Catherine of Braganza, the Portuguese wife of Charles II, is credited with making tea drinking fashionable at the English court nearly two centuries earlier.
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