Coffee – half of America cannot start their day without it. An estimated 1.6 billion cups of this murky aromatic brew are consumed all over the world every single day. That’s a lot of wide-eyed and bushy-tailed individuals walking around on any given day.

Good to the Last Drop and Good for You

Aside from being a natural mood enhancer, the current buzz (no pun intended) about coffee is that it now has been found to contain certain health benefits. Recent studies have shown that regular coffee consumption has been found to mitigate the risks of certain diseases such as colon cancer, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. Of course, no one involved in the studies is actually advocating adding coffee to a normal diet if you are not already a regular coffee drinker. The results merely indicate that your regular morning cup of Java may actually be doing your body good, aside from making sure you’re wide awake in the morning so that you don’t leave the house wearing a mismatched pair of socks.

A Little Goes a Long Way

Caffeine is a natural stimulant and its consumption has been linked to increased blood pressure as well as irregular and elevated heart rates for people who are already prone to these conditions. Rather than give up their daily brew, these coffee lovers drink decaffeinated coffee instead. Decaffeinated coffee contains only about 4 mgs of caffeine per 9 ounce cup versus 100 mgs for regular coffee. Currently, there is no process that can remove 100 percent of the caffeine in coffee.

The process of removing the caffeine from the beans before they are roasted does lead to some flavor loss, but the aroma of decaffeinated coffee is just as intoxicating as regular coffee. For some, this, plus the addition of certain flavors, is enough to get their motors started in the morning.

One of the most exciting coffee news lately has been the discovery of a coffee variety that is naturally decaffeinated. Without having to undergo a process to remove the caffeine, coffee brewed from this variety will be as flavorful as any regular cup of coffee. Alas, the project is only in its early stages and it may still be years before a commercially viable amount can be made available.

Whether you drink regular or decaffeinated coffee, in America alone, you are one of 150 million daily coffee drinkers – and proud of it for sure.