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?

19:51 - Fiber & coffee

24:00 - Effects of coffee

24:54 - How much is too much coffee?

26:39 - What time is the best to drink coffee?

30:32 - What is decaf and is it safe?

34:03 - Does James drink decaf?

34:44 - Is decaf as healthy as caffeinated coffee?

36:01 - Does coffee quality matter?

37:00 - James' coffee preference

38:15 - Health side effects of coffee

40:25 - Is it healthy to mix coffee with milk?

42:48 - James' opinion on coffee with milk

44:31 - Summary

46:39 - Instagram question: Does coffee dehydrate you? 

47:00 - Goodbyes

47:17 - Outro

Episode transcripts are available here.

Follow James: https://www.instagram.com/jimseven/

Follow Tim: https://twitter.com/timspector

Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/

This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions