About Coffee Culture

Coffee Culture

Features

Do you know where all the local Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and local cafes are in your area? Can you read a Starbucks menu and know exactly what everything means? Do you know the difference between light, dark and medium roast ? If you answered yes to any one of these questions and especially all of them, then you belong to the coffee culture.

The Facts

As described by the Wikipedia, coffee culture is, "a social atmosphere that depends heavily upon coffee shops, espresso in particular, to act as a social lubricant." The idea of grabbing one's laptop, heading to a local Starbucks, ordering a half-cap, light- carmel macchiato, with soy and no whip, then sitting in an overstuffed arm chair to type the next greatest American novel is borderline orgasmic, if you belong to the coffee culture.
America houses the greatest number of consumers of coffee and coffee related business's and paraphernalia. So it seems only natural that the beverage be tied into our media, environments, lives and households. Television shows like Friends, Frazier, Gilmore Girls, NYPD Blue, Monk and Seinfeld have all emphasized coffee as a main character in their shows and a standard prop in the backdrop to all socialization. Coffee is our friend.

Effects

Many doctors and nutritionist have toted the benefits of caffeine (http://men.webmd.com/features/coffee-new-health-food). Coffee can reduce the chances of your getting cancer, dying young, lower your cholesterol, improve brain function and reduce your chances of getting a heart attack. It also keeps cavities at bay and alleviates headaches and wards off colon cancer. What more could you ask for? Why isn't everybody drinking coffee and gaining its medicinal properties? Well, there are a few reasons why.
Negatives of coffee drinking for some is caffeine sensitivity. For some people, coffee drinking can speed the heart rate, cause nervous jitters and the headaches associated with the coffee drop.
Some negative benefits are worsening women's infertility, headaches, worsening of symptoms for people with high blood pressure and heart conditions. So for those suffering from these conditions and or symptoms, coffee would not only not benefit them, but possibly kill them. Everyone tolerates coffee differently.

History of

Coffee can be recorded in culture as far back as the eleventh century according to Wikipedia.com. Starting and staying for quite some time in Ethiopia, then traveling from continent to continent, eventually being planted in the America's by Haitian explorer Chevalier Gabriel Mathiew de Clieu.

Significance

Fair trade coffee and locally grown coffees are growing in popularity for those who are socially-conscious. For the rest of the consumers of coffee, they will buy more of the social lubricant in any form they can get. American coffee culture is strong and only increasing in popularity.
Americans will look to its long time trusted friend coffee to get them through their day. Without coffee, life in America would come to a screeching halt and production would decrease. As popularity of energy drinks, one shot jolts, coffee and energy mixed drinks increase, so will the demand for coffee, keeping the coffee culture alive and well.

Resources

• History of Coffee, Wikipedia