Effects Of Coffee On Your Body And What It Is Doing To The Planet

Coffee is a massively popular drink, second only to water. In this article we take a deeper look at coffee, the many ways you can have it, the effects it has on your body and what it is doing to the planet.

- Terry Robson

Coffee is truly the drink of our times. As Australians steadily drink less alcohol (Roy Morgan reports that in 2006 73.5 per cent of Australians were regular drinkers, but that figure dropped to 66.3 per cent in 2020) we are embracing coffee in ever-increasing numbers. A few years ago, coffee overtook tea in Australia as the most consumed daily beverage after water. Amble through the doors of virtually any food outlet and you will be promised “barista-made” bounty, even if in some establishments the “barista” is just pushing a button. On the sidelines of sporting fields, at eisteddfods and just about any public event a takeaway coffee cup is an almost essential fashion item. Thankfully, “keep cups” are becoming more and more common as people try to combine their love of coffee with love of the planet.

There is no debate, coffee is popular. This beverage not only drives our food consumption habits; coffee forms a hub for our socialising, shapes our urban design and is a linchpin of global trade. In terms of value, coffee as a world commodity is second only to oil. However you look at it, coffee is certainly on trend, but is coffee’s popularity a good thing? To help make up your mind about it, let’s get Socratic about coffee. Socrates was the guy who supposedly said that the unexamined life is not worth living, so we will follow his lead and truly examine coffee, from tree to lips and beyond.

What are we talking about?

Coffee trees are commercially grown in Africa, Indonesia, Vietnam and South and Central America. Small plantations are also operating successfully in Australia. If you want to blow your mind, take a sip of the stats on coffee.