The Coffee Conundrum: Health, Culture, and Caffeine

This chapter examines various questions surrounding coffee, including its preparation methods, health effects, and evolving perceptions from a simple drink to a luxury product. It highlights new research on coffee's protective health benefits, cultural variations in consumption, and the significance of individual responses to caffeine.

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Coffee’s earliest consumption dates back millennia when the tribesmen of Ethiopia used its ground-up berries to help aid concentration during prayer.

Arriving in Europe in the 17th century, Coffee quickly began to replace beer and wine as a favourite breakfast drink.

In the 20th century, coffee was blamed for high blood pressure and heart attacks, and more recently linked to a rising epidemic of poor sleep.

None of this has prevented coffee’s relentless rise. Over 2 billion cups of the stuff are drunk each day.

So, is coffee a guilty treat as many of us suspect? Or is it a health drink feeding your good gut bacteria?

In this episode, Jonathan speaks with James Hoffmann and Tim Spector to find out. They discuss how coffee affects your gut bacteria, your hormones and your heart, whether decaffeinated coffee is healthy, and discover some of coffee’s most surprising side effects – which could come in handy if you find yourself in the jungle.

James Hoffmann is a leading coffee expert and author of the World Atlas of Coffee and co-founder & chairman of the Square Mile Coffee Roasters.
Tim Spector is a co-founder at ZOE and one of the top 100 most cited scientists in the world.

Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide

Timecodes:

00:00 - Intro

00:11 - Topic introduction

01:54 - Quickfire questions

03:30 - What is coffee and why are we willing to spend money on it?

04:51 - Views on coffee

08:07 - Health properties of coffee

10:24 - How is coffee made?

14:32 - Quantities of caffeine in beverages

16:12 - How important is fermentation for coffee flavor?

17:20 - What does the fermentation stage look like?