“Want to grab coffee sometime?”

Coffee. A caffeinated drink brewed from roasted coffee beans and flavored with sugar and milk. Despite the drink’s miniscule demeanor, coffee is ingrained into American culture. Even at Yorba Linda High School, students and teachers are constantly carrying a cup of coffee throughout the day. An example of such trend is further shown through the multimillion business, Starbucks.  By 2018, Starbucks had over 29,324 stores worldwide. Coffee fanatic, Mary Liu (12), explains that “coffee helps [her] through the day. Especially with [her] hectic schedule, without a bit of caffeine in [her] bloodstream it is hard to function.” Clearly, coffee is widely popular among Americans, yet how and why is it so popular?

Coffee Fact #1: Did you know that coffee drinkers tend to live longer? According to MSN lifestyle, a moderate consumption of coffee reduces risks of cardiovascular diseases such as diabetes.

Why is coffee so popular?

Mainly, coffee is popular due to the globalization of cafes. Coffee shops, such as Starbucks, are neutral locations that serve as meeting grounds for interactions between businesses, friends, and dates. Thus, coffee is popular amongst people of various backgrounds and monetary status.Not only for social interactions, but people come to these shops to get their work done. Students come to study. Business individuals come to finish papers. Artists come to draw. Contributing to the popularization of coffee shops is the media. For one, coffee shops are aesthetic locations for pictures. From cat cafes to Harry Potter themed coffee shops, individuals are attracted to these types of bars due to their aesthetics. On a different note, coffee shops are cool. Famous tv shows, such as the Friends, are mainly situated in bars and coffee shops. As the media portrays coffee shops as attractive locations to socialize, viewers are more attracted to these locations. Overall, with the popularization of cafes and coffee bars by the media, products of coffee shops such as frappuccinos or lattes are increasingly popular.

Coffee Fact #2: Instant coffee has been around for nearly 250 years. The first original instant coffee was found in England. Prior to the introduction of Instant coffee, people would chew the coffee beans.

Health and Coffee: A perfect blend?

In the past, coffee was rumored to stunt growth and cause heart diseases. Yet, recently, according to Mayo Clinic, coffee has a positive effect on one’s health. As mentioned above, coffee decreases the probability of cardiovascular diseases. However, that isn’t all, coffee also protects drinkers from other types of illnesses such as Parkinson’s disease and Liver cancer. Not to mention, by drinking coffee, one improves productivity and energy levels. Individuals are no longer tired during work or school, and is able to increase their quality of work.

Coffee Fact #3: The most expensive coffee in the world is the Kopi Luwak. Usually, the Kopi Luwak is sold for $500 per pound, but ranges from $100. They are made from coffee beans eaten by the Vietnamese Weasel, Wild Civets.

Coffee is a substantial ingredient to many of Americans’ lives. Not only does it keep us awake, but coffee maintains the culture and health of the people.