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Fifteen coffee trivia questions with verified answers, easy to brutal, free to steal for your next quiz night, classroom, or family argument. Every answer is checked against the same sources we use for the whole site (USDA, FDA, SCA standards), because trivia arguments deserve citations. Running a real trivia night at a cafe or bar? The full host-ready version lives in our Coffee Trivia Night Kit: 30 questions in three rounds, host script, tiebreaker, and answer key.
Easy round
1. Coffee "beans" are actually what part of the plant? The seeds of the coffee cherry.
2. Which country drinks the most coffee per capita? Finland.
3. Espresso plus steamed milk plus a thin layer of foam makes what drink? A latte.
4. The cappuccino is named after the hooded robes of which monks? The Capuchins.
5. What do baristas call the compressed disc of spent coffee in the portafilter? The puck.
Medium round
6. How much caffeine is in an 8 oz cup of brewed coffee, per USDA? About 95mg.
7. Real espresso is extracted at roughly how many bars of pressure? About 9.
8. What is the FDA's general daily caffeine guidance for healthy adults? 400mg.
9. Which has more caffeine in a Starbucks grande: iced coffee or iced latte? Iced coffee, 165mg to 150mg.
10. What should you never descale a coffee machine with, despite the internet's insistence? Vinegar, it is weaker on scale and hard on seals.
Hard round
11. What is caffeine's approximate half-life in the human body? About 5 hours.
12. The SCA Golden Cup standard calls for about how much coffee per liter of water? Roughly 55g (a 1:15 to 1:18 ratio).
13. In a 1:2 espresso ratio from an 18g dose, what should the shot weigh? 36g.
14. Which coffee species grows at higher altitude and commands higher prices? Arabica.
15. Name the legendary Ethiopian goatherd credited with discovering coffee. Kaldi.
Hosting a real trivia night?
A slow Tuesday plus 30 good questions is the cheapest event marketing a cafe can run. The Coffee Trivia Night Kit ($29) is the turn-key version: three rounds by difficulty, a host script with pacing notes, a tiebreaker, and the laminate-ready answer key, licensed for unlimited nights at one venue. Until the shop register opens, order it by invoice via the contact page with subject "Trivia kit". Warm the crowd up by making everyone take the Home Barista Exam on their phones first; the arguments start themselves.
Related reading
FAQ
Are these trivia answers verified? Yes: caffeine figures come from USDA FoodData Central and published menu data, guidance from the FDA, and brewing standards from the SCA.
Can I use these questions for my event? These 15, freely, with a nod to Barista Life. Commercial venues wanting the full three-round kit with host script should grab the Trivia Night Kit.
How many questions does a good trivia night need? About 30 across three difficulty rounds, plus a tiebreaker: roughly 60 to 75 minutes of play with scoring breaks for drink orders.
Sources: USDA FoodData Central; FDA guidance on caffeine; SCA brewing standards; published menu values.
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