Why caffeine is so popular???

Hi Sphinx30, You should know the history of coffee why it is the worlds known drink. It started in Ethiopia (part of Arabia at that time), a shepherd is shepherding his goats and they need to get over a hill. There are bushes near the foot of the hill and the shepherd noticed that when the goats eat the fruits of this bush, the goats become energetic and jumpy and the shepherd thought that there must be something in the fruit to make the goats to have enough energy to get over the hill. The shepherd gather some fruit from this bush (coffee) and gave the fruits to their medicine man (Shaman). The medicine man then boiled the fruit and let the soup be serve to his energy drained patients. The patients become more lively after drinking coffee. The news of having a wonder drink that will put energy to the one who drinks it spread like wild fire to every corner of the earth. Green coffee beans, then are boiled to make the drink but green beans do not last long and become rotten. For most of the drinkers are travelers that require weeks or months to reach their destination and green coffee beans only last for a couple of days. The travelers then dried the beans just to increase the shelf life of the beans. The dried beans are stored in leather bags and because of moisture from the bags, some of the dried beans started to grow molds making the taste coffee sour and rancid. Since coffee is treated as a medicinal wonder drink, they don't want just easily to throw the beans to waste, instead they roasted it and the roasted beans are then boiled as usual for the drink. They accidentally found a more tastier and more aromatic drink than chocolate which is the known drink at that time. So coffee became a well known drink even King Louie VIII heard about it and wanted to try this drink. When the King tried drinking coffee, he immediately love the taste of coffee and ask the Shaman to gave him ripe coffee berries. The King ordered that the berries to be planted in France. The King made a special house for the coffee tree to mimic the temperature of that of Arabia to make the coffee tree grow. It is made of glass to entrap the heat from the sun. The King just made the first Greenhouse just because he wanted to grow coffee tree. Coffee became the most pampered tree that it loses its natural way of growing in the wilds. The coffee tree now must have a good shade to grow and when it reaches around 4 feet, it doesn't need the shade but instead it needs a full sunshine, so from bushes, man altered the coffee into a coffee tree. The King, because of his love for coffee again ordered plantation of coffee to other lands such as in Brazil, Indonesia, and other parts of the world. In Indonesia, Java became the port of trade for coffee thus the term Java Coffee. Coffee became not only a drink but also a currency and a good commodity. Since majority became coffee drinkers particularly in USA, when a coffee disease known as "coffee rust", this disease affects the coffee tree by attacking the leaves with brown rust like patches that eventually kills the coffee tree this disease hit Asia and frighten coffee drinkers. The American farmers planted their own coffee tree and stop importing from other countries a glut in coffee production came about. The price of coffee dive and affected the farmers planting coffee. The American Government wanting to help the coffee farmers imposed that coffee shall be drank during the two (2) 15-minute breaks during work instead of drinking tea thus the term "Coffee Break".During "Coffee Breaks" employees began socializing with each other thus coffee became a social drink. So this is the reasons why coffee become so popular not only due to its health benefits but also because of its social value. What are the benefits of drinking coffee? 1) It is a diuretic drink, it helps in urination. 2) No calories if taken "black", 3) Have caffeine 4) If you are drinking 4 cups or more in a day then you decrease your risk by 30% of getting prostrate cancer, 5) helps in the digestion of food. and 6)antioxidant. The disadvantages of coffee: 1) high in uric acid, 2) makes the blood acidic (thickens the blood), 3) osteoporosis of the bone, calcium should be taken when you are drinking coffee. 4) Fattening when it contains sugar and creamer, 5) diuretic, frequent urination, you need extra 2 cups of water for every cup of coffee you drink and 6) not a substitute for water. I can down several coffee with an average of 7 to 8 cups a day and as a coffee lover one must know the pros and cons of drinking coffee. You can drink coffee whether it is hot or cold, but the best is drinking with someone and enjoying each other company. Coffee anyone? Ferritic

Wow! I am interested what health benefits it can bring since caffeine is mostly known for its addictive effect. :)

The main people I see that surround me who drink coffee are mainly the older people now days you see a lot of people into drinking coke and ice tea. I have always wondered how is it that some can drink it when they first wake up, during work, during food, and before going to sleep. I myself am into drinking unsweet tea, most people do not like and they usually have this face of huh when I order it. I just do not like sugar featured drinks that is just me.

Aside from keeping us awake and some health benefits caffeine is also addicting. So regular intake of coffee will most of the time make us addicted to it. I don't see anything wrong with that. Its good since lot of people needs to be awake especially in their line of job.

I think it is also because a lot of the drinks that have caffeine in them taste so good. Like coffee, for instance, or Coca Cola!

I believe for its extraordinary ownerships, it is a strong stimulating of the central nervous system but above all as substance is enough old. Habits are hard to die.