The life cycle of a cup of coffee - A.J. Jacobs episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 13, 2026 · 7 MIN

The life cycle of a cup of coffee - A.J. Jacobs

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Trace the globe-spanning journey of coffee as it goes from plant to brew, and the complex infrastructure that makes it possible.--How many people does it take to make a cup of coffee? For many of us, all it takes is a short walk and a quick pour. But this simple staple is the result of a globe-spanning process whose cost and complexity are far greater than you might imagine. AJ Jacobs traces the journey of this caffeinated elixir from seed to cup.Lesson by A.J. Jacobs, directed by Biljana Labovic.Animation by Daniella SchnitzerSupport Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-life-cycle-of-a-cup-of-coffee-a-j-jacobsDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-life-cycle-of-a-cup-of-coffee-a-j-jacobs#digdeeperAnimator's website: https://www.daniellaschnitzer.com/Check out our full book recommendation here: https://shop.ed.ted.com/collections/ted-ed-book-recommendations/products/thanks-a-thousand-a-gratitude-journey----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Ken, zjweele13, Jurjen Geleijn, Anna-Pitschna Kunz, Edla Paniguel, Thomas Mungavan, Jaron Blackburn, Venkat Venkatakrishnan, ReuniteKorea, John Saveland, Aaron Henson, Cailin Ramsey, Begum Tutuncu, Ever Granada, Brian Richards, Divina Grace Dar Santos, Cindy O., Jørgen Østerpart, Tyron Jung, Carolyn Corwin, Charlene You, Carsten Tobehn, Katie Dean, Ezgi Yersu, Gerald Onyango, alessandra tasso, Alan Froese, Côme Vincent, Doreen Reynolds-Consolati, Manognya Chakrapani, Ayala Ron, Samantha Chow, Eunsun Kim, Phyllis Dubrow, Ophelia Gibson Best, Paul Schneider, Joichiro Yamada, Henrique 'Sorín' Cassús, Lyn-z Schulte, Elaine Fitzpatrick, Karthik Cherala, Joshua Merchant, Clarence E. Harper Jr., Clarissa Bartolini-Toro, Exal Enrique Cisneros Tuch, Srikote Naewchampa, Tejas Dc, Khalifa Alhulail, Martin Stephen and Dan Paterniti. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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