Coffee: Dream or Nightmare?

There's something that I cannot come to an agreement with myself about. I started drinking coffee a couple of years ago, and I absolutely love it. However technically, I am not of the age group where coffee is suppose to be consumed, therefore I am afraid that it will be a problem (or that what everyone tells me about drinking coffee as a minor is true). I really don't see the problem with it, but I guess it is worth looking into.





Here are some reasons that I enjoy drinking coffee:

1) Sophistication. Every time I drink coffee, I feel like I am sitting in some sort of a cafe with a group of college friends discussing the meaning of life. I feel that there's always a esoteric group of people who enjoy talking about intellectual topics that I would usually avoid with the average person, so coffee sometimes takes me to a place of above average debates.

2) A state of uncontrollable happiness. After sipping on a coffee for about 5 minutes, I sense a slight urge to giggle. Most of the time it's controllable, but if I let my guard down, I begin to laugh even if there's nothing funny at all. My mother would ask me why I'm laughing, but unfortunately for her my answer is just me laughing harder. The least that I'll do is smile really hard. This usually goes on for a few hours of my day,  but it depends on the size of the coffee. ;-)

3) Optimism. It seems like the days that I drink coffee are the best days of the week. Everything just seems to be going well for me. The chances of me having a bad day after drinking a cup of coffee are highly improbable. This is all the ore reason why I should drink coffee!

Last, but not least, 

4) The taste.  I love the smell and taste of a well made cup of coffee. Be it in my home, or at a local Starbucks (one of my favorite places... ever), its distinct essence and effect on my palate makes me feel like life can only get better (dramatic, yes, but I'm sure you understand what I mean).

Contrary to all of those benefits, there always seems to be something that makes it hard to enjoy coffee. Here are some Debby Downers I have to deal with when drinking coffee:

1) Crashing. I can't say that I really felt this before, but I hear that people can "crash" after drinking coffee (I guess like after a sugar rush. Now that I have felt). I think the other day I felt tired a few hours after drinking coffee, but it was late (like past midnight) when I felt tired, and I was sleepy before I drunk it (5 p.m.), so I'm not sure.

2) Coffee myths. While enjoying coffee, I can't help but think of all the things that people say about people who drink coffee. Like:"If you drink too much coffee, you'll stop growing," or, "Coffee can stain your teeth". I don't know if these things are true (I believe the teeth one more than the growth), but it certainly make coffee less desirable.

3) Decaf. For some reason, decaf makes coffee boring. Knowing that the coffee is specially made to only taste like regular coffee without the effects of regular coffee is silly to me. That's like diet soda or something. Or sugar free candy. Are you kidding me?!?! If this is what I have to go through to get a cup of coffee, then forget it (while sipping on the cup).

Click here and/or here for more pros and cons of coffee.

Like I said before, I only drink coffee on occasions. My average intake is at least 1 cup weekly (if my mother lets me), and if I have any more than one a week, then there has to be quite a reason for it. I only started drinking more than one a week recently because my grandmother bought this new K-cup machine, and it's easy and fun to make coffee with. Plus she has assorted flavors. :-D

One of the main reasons that my coffee intake is occasional is because I prefer Starbucks coffee, and due to their prices, we only go every once and a while. I don't even have full cups; my mother shares some of hers with me. My favorite is the Chai Latte, which to my benefit isn't even coffee. Luckily for me, they have soy milk as an alternative to cow milk (I am a vegan, but I still don't like soy. I prefer almond or coconut milk). I like to think of it as a mini vacation in a cup. (Might I just mention that I want to buy the new $7 coffee from Starbucks... the next time I get $7)

I can't say that I regret drinking coffee, nor can I say that I'm addicted to it. Coffee is a natural bean that has just been roasted, ground, and brewed into a beverage with sugar and/or creamer. I really think that there's nothing wrong with it. I might even go far enough to say that it is comparatively as bad as alcoholic beverages. So it's really up to you whether or not it is your best or worst nightmare.