The Coffee Blog

Over 2.25 billion (yes, BILLION) cups of coffee are consumed, globally, every day. The biggest consumers are USA, Europe (Finland in particular) and Brazil (which is also the biggest supplier of coffee).

90% of the worlds adult population consumes caffeinated beverages each day. Coffee makes up a high percentage of that number.

I am part of that number. Are you?

Personally, I like a cortado coffee in the mornings. Cortado means 'cut'...it's a small, strong coffee, with a bit of milk. I'll have that on a Tuesday, Thursday and on weekends.

On a Monday, Wednesday and Friday I'll make a 'Bullet' coffee, which is a shot of espresso, a teaspoon of butter and a teaspoon of honey. I go for a short run on these days, so this coffee gives me energy for the run, without bloating me up. Fats (butter) and honey are two quick fire energy-givers.

Why do we drink coffee?

For some, it's the taste, for some it's the buzz, for some it's just part of their morning routine. For some, it's to avoid gettting withdrawal symptoms if they stop. Think about this: why do you drink coffee?

One reason we all know, why we drink coffee is to help us wake up and feel more alert in the mornings.

How does this work though? Caffeine found in coffee, blocks the receptors for a molecule called Adenosine. Adenosine makes us feel sleepy. So caffeine blocks it from reaching it's receptors and stopping us feeling sleepy. Like a goalkeeper stopping the ball going in the net, caffeine stops adenosine going to its receptors. This is also the reason we can have a post-coffee crash - the blocked adenosine gathers up and when the caffeine wears off, the gathered adenosine rushes the receptors and, boom, we feel very sleepy.

So 90% of the adult population are blocking their adenosine receptors, then getting a slight crash (it varies peron to person), daily.

Some people consume coffee just to feel 'normal', to get to a baseline level where they feel like they can go about their day. That's crazy. Over time, the effects of caffeine are blunted, so we have a coffee just to feel normal.

How does coffee help us? It can feel like it gives us physical energy and cognitive ability, such as better focus. It can improve learning and memory, and increase mental and physical stamina.

Caffeine is a performance enhancing drug (legal, of course) but if we think about 90% of the world already being in a caffeinated state, it would take extra caffeine to reap the rewards fully.

How can we enjoy the effects of coffee better? Studies have shown that a regular coffee drinker needs 4 days or so to reset tolerance levels. For some, those four days might give you headaches, fogginess and some withdrawal symptoms. But, after the four days, you will feel the above-mentioned benefits kicking in. You could repeat this protocol every week, every month, every few months if you want to feel the mental and physical benefits of caffeine better.

For the record, there are no major downfalls of consuming coffee. Up to 3 cups a day is fine, and research backs that.

Some people, however, cannot tolerate caffeine. They'll get jittery, anxious and are very sensitive to caffeine. These people should not try and persevere, their sensitivities don't usually disappear.

Even de-caff coffee - which is NOT entirely caffeine free - can cause bad effects for the caffeine-sensitive amongst us.

Here are a few do's and dont's for coffee drinking:

• avoid coffee 9 hours before you go to sleep

• arabica blend is nicer than robusta (my view)

• don't have more than 3 or 4 cups of coffee per day

• if you like strong coffee (espresso, machiatto), have it earlier in the day

• in the afternoon have a milkier coffee (latte, cappucino)

• use coffee as a natural pre-workout drink

Whether you like flat white, espresso, latte's or cappucino's, keep enjoying your coffee!