What Is Kola Nut?

Kola Nut 101 Guide

Kola nuts grow on evergreen trees native to the tropical rainforests of Africa and contain a natural source of caffeine. Despite the name, kola nuts are actually the fruit from these trees (Cola acuminataandCola nitida) and are about the size of a chestnut. Believe it or not, each kola nut contains around the same amount of caffeine as two cups of coffee. Across West African countries, people chew on kola nuts to extract caffeine and stimulate the mind. Fresh kola nuts have a bitter taste that gets sweeter the longer you chew, while dried nuts are milder in flavor and have a floral or spicy scent. And since the African kola nut isn’t actually a nut at all, they’re safe to eat for people with tree nut allergies.

Kola nuts grow on evergreen trees native to the tropical rainforests of Africa and contain a natural source of caffeine. Despite the name, kola nuts are actually the fruit from these trees (Cola acuminataandCola nitida) and are about the size of a chestnut. Believe it or not, each kola nut contains around the same amount of caffeine as two cups of coffee. Across West African countries, people chew on kola nuts to extract caffeine and stimulate the mind. Fresh kola nuts have a bitter taste that gets sweeter the longer you chew, while dried nuts are milder in flavor and have a floral or spicy scent. And since the African kola nut isn’t actually a nut at all, they’re safe to eat for people with tree nut allergies.

To this day, fresh kola nuts are an important fixture of culture, religion, and spiritual practice in West African countries and have even been used as a form of currency.

As the name might suggest, the kola nut is one of the reasons our favorite sugary, caffeine-packed carbonated beverages exist. In the 1880s, a pharmacist named John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola in part by extracting the flavor and caffeine from bitter kola nuts.

As the name might suggest, the kola nut is one of the reasons our favorite sugary, caffeine-packed carbonated beverages exist. In the 1880s, a pharmacist named John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola in part by extracting the flavor and caffeine from bitter kola nuts. Mainstream sodas no longer include African kola nut, opting instead for artificial sources, but kola nut extract is still used as a source of flavoring in some natural sodas and herbal drinks. It can also be used in powder form after being ground up. Due to their high caffeine content, kola nuts and kola nut extract can boost energy levels, improve metabolism, increase circulation, and aid in digestion.*

What is Kola Nut? Kola Nut 101

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