The above world map of coffee consumption per capita is making the rounds today on the blogs. There are any number of fascinating aspects to the map, but for me what jumps out is that other than Brazil, the equatorial ring of countries that produce the world's coffee beans are not big coffee drinkers. (The gray indicates no data, so the contrasts are not as stark as they seem in the map.) I've heard that this can actually create challenges for aspiring growers of coffee in these regions, because they aren't culturally equipped with the knowledge of what makes a good cup of java. When in Thailand in 2009 I was shocked that, for the most part, bad instant coffee was the only coffee available outside of the airport. According to some, the US became a bastion of coffee drinking because of the association of tea with the Brits back during the American Revolution.

I did a little investigating and found two other beverage maps of the world.

The above world map of beer consumption looks surprisingly similar to the coffee map. Texas should have its own designation. When I lived there I heard a legendary statistic that it accounts for 1/8 of US beer consumption.

Argentina comes out of nowhere to take the prize in the above wine consumption map of the world.

If I'm reading the map correctly France wins the award for most consistently gluttonous.

For a fascinating breakdown of life expectancy, food and hunger around the world go here.

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