Ever since people discovered the benefits of coffee, it has become a popular drink and a crucial element of the culture in many countries and societies. The Turkish traders brought coffee to Europe, and then it traveled to the rest of the world, becoming one of the world’s most popular drinks. About 150 million Americans drink some type of coffee drink throughout the day, with an average consumption of 3.1 cups per day. But why is coffee popular in America?
Coffee is popular in America due to the addictive and habit-forming nature of caffeine and the social tendencies of coffee drinking. Caffeine helps wake Americans up before work and is a fun activity to share with a co-worker or friend.
Keep on reading to learn more!
History of Coffee
Author Note: Right after oil, coffee is the most valuable legally traded community, with almost 2.25 billion cups consumed every day across the globe. It’s more than just a hot drink, as it has become a daily ritual in the lives of millions of people.
When they were first discovered, coffee beans were prepared in a different way than the way we use them today, creating a fermented drink that resembled wine. This drink had a strong aroma, but the texture and taste were different from everyday coffee as we know it. Then people began to roast the beans, and this was the first step to create coffee that tastes a lot like our modern coffee.
After coffee traveled to Europe and became popular among the elite, the Dutch founded the first European-owned coffee estate in Sri Lanka, followed by the French, who grew the beans in the Caribbean, and the Spanish who grew them in Central America. This allowed coffee beans to be grown out of Arabia for the first time. Coffeehouses began to emerge in Vienna, Paris, and Rome, and it became socially acceptable to head to a café to enjoy a drink with friends.
The Boston Tea Party
However, Coffee wasn’t popular in the American culture until after the Boston Tea Party in 1773, where the nation made a patriotic decision to switch from tea to coffee. During the Civil War, soldiers began to rely on coffee for an energy boost. Some American presidents like Theodor Roosevelt were known to be avid coffee drinkers.
Throughout the years, the love for coffee kept on growing, and it soon became a drink that can be associated with the modern American who has a fast-paced life. During the 1960s and 1970s, coffee became an artistic trade, valued for the complexity of its flavors. This created several complex drinks where coffee was the main ingredient, enhanced by other delicious flavors.
Why Do Americans Prefer Coffee to Tea?
Coffee is currently considered to be a crucial part of American culture. Americans wake up to the coffee that they probably prepared on a programmable machine that was set on the day before.
Author Note: As they sip on their drink, they start planning their day, catching up with family, and doing a few chores before heading to work. It gives the energy boost that Americans love so much and need to keep on overcoming obstacles in their everyday lives.
Tea, on the other hand, is about slowing down. It’s a drink that people enjoy when they’re not in a hurry. If you take a look at people indulging in their cup of tea in a Chinese teahouse, a Turkish café, or an Egyptian hookah lounge, you’ll realize the difference.
Tea vs. Coffee
The whole idea of drinking tea is about sitting down, relaxing, and chilling. There’s no hurry when it comes to preparing or drinking tea, but coffee is all about pushing it forward. Coffee gives you an energy boost that allows you to speed things up.
Historically, people viewed tea as a tool England used to enslave Americans, culturally and financially. The English had their tea rituals, and the Americans were trying to break free from them, creating a drink that will be deep-rooted in the American culture.
The revolt towards King George III was one of the reasons why Americans started to drink less tea. Tea was imported from Asia, and as the American President Andrew Jackson abolished the tax on coffee, the drink became more popular.
Coffee in America Today
Coffee did not become popular in America overnight. Over the years, drinking coffee became a social ritual, where people would decide to grab a cup of coffee when they want to discuss something important. It has become a drink that you can consume when you want to have a friendly chat with someone or close a business deal. People head to a café to meet someone for the first time or to discuss important plans.
Today, coffee is part of the American culture as much as blue jeans. There are more people today drinking coffee than ever. About 64% of Americans are drinking a cup of coffee every day. This explains why it’s rare to go around a block without seeing one or two coffeehouses.
People enjoy their coffee at home with the help of the versatile coffee machines they can buy. Most of these machines can be programmed to prepare several types of coffee drinks, using coffee grounds, k-cups, or coffee beans that need to be ground on the spot. As a user, you’ll have total control over how strong the coffee will be by adjusting some of the settings.
Author Note: People value coffee as a morning drink that helps set the mood for the day or as a pick-me up shot that can be drunk in the afternoon. Adding flavors, milk, or sugar, is a matter of personal choice and allows you to enjoy a personalized cup of coffee just the way you like it.
The Many Health Benefits of Coffee
In addition to the cultural value, coffee has a lot of health benefits that make it quite popular. It’s packed with healthy nutrients and antioxidants that encourage people to drink it more often. Here are some of the health benefits of coffee.
- Coffee is an energy booster. It contains caffeine, a strong stimulant, and when it’s absorbed into the bloodstream and travels to the brain, it enhances the transmissions between neurons. It can improve your memory, mood, and mental functions.
- Drinking coffee is a potent way of burning body fat. Caffeine can boost the metabolism rate, increasing your body’s ability to burn the stored fat when you’re trying to watch your weight.
- Coffee is rich in antioxidants that protect cells from degeneration. It reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia. These are neurodegenerative diseases that affect memory and other brain functions. Although there’s no known cure for these conditions, drinking coffee regularly can slow down the progress of the condition and keep the symptoms under control.
- Consuming coffee also lowers the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Regular coffee drinkers have a 30% less risk of suffering from Parkinson’s disease compared to people who don’t drink coffee on a regular basis. People who suffer from Parkinson’s disease suffer from trembling, impaired balance, slowness of movement, and stiffness of joints. Drinking coffee will improve the quality of life and reduce the severity of the symptoms.
Increases Energy and Improves Mood
- Because it gives you an energy boost, coffee will enhance your physical performance. As it breaks fatty acids, coffee provides your body with fuel to enhance physical performance. It increases the level of adrenaline in your body, which prepares your system for physical exertion. Drinking a cup of coffee before hitting the gym or planning any physical activity will have a positive effect on your performance.
- Coffee can improve your mood and alleviate the symptoms of depression. Depression is a mental disorder that negatively affects the quality of life. Drinking coffee will decrease the severity of depression symptoms, reduce the risk of suicide, and help improve your mood.
- A single cup of coffee contains several vitamins and minerals that boost body functions. When you drink a couple of coffee cups a day, the amounts of vitamins and minerals add up. It will provide you with the needed nutrients that you need to stay healthy.
- Coffee can help in cases of insulin resistance and will lower your risk of type 2 diabetes. Coffee contains cafestol, a bioactive compound that increases the production of insulin, boosts the sensitivity to insulin, and reduces fasting glucose levels.
- The antioxidants and nutrients in coffee help protect the liver and enhance its functions. There are several diseases that affect the liver, including fatty liver disease, and coffee will decrease the risk of these conditions. When not treated, these conditions can lead to cirrhosis, which replaces the liver tissue with scar tissue. Coffee lowers the risk of cirrhosis by 80%.
- The antioxidants in the coffee protect the cells in the body from the free radicals that cause mutation. These mutations can lead to different types of cancer, but drinking coffee keeps cells healthy. Coffee specifically protects the body from liver and colorectal cancer.
Wrap Up
Americans are avid coffee drinkers, usually starting the day with a strong coffee cup that helps them get started with their daily activities. There are several cultural and historical reasons that coffee is a crucial part of the American culture and the most widely drunk beverage in the USA.
Moreover, coffee is packed with health benefits that make it quite popular. We hope you found this article on why coffee is popular in America useful.
Stay caffeinated friends!