Planetizen has a link today to some intriguing research into the average caffeine consumption levels in various American cities. They looked at all sources of caffeine, not just coffee, however the coffee category intrigued me the most.
It came as no surprise that people in the birthplace of Starbucks, Seattle/Tacoma, consume the largest amounts of coffee. What I found odd was that New Yorkers drink among the lowest amounts of coffee (and also the lowest amounts of cola). Somehow I would have thought that a city known for “energy” would have citizens consuming coffee. Instead, it’s Seattle, known for being laid back, where everyone is buzzed.
Anyone have a theory on this?
From NeedCoffee.com:
Most Coffee Consumption, Regular coffee & specialty coffee drinks:
1. Seattle/Tacoma
2. Boston
3. Houston
4. Chicago
5. MiamiLeast Coffee Consumption, Regular coffee & speciality coffee drinks:
1. Dallas/Ft. Worth
2. New York
3. St. Louis
4. Atlanta
5. Philadelphia
1 
44 
5
That’s easy to answer. New Yorkers are more intelligent and care about their health.
Did you know that coffee puts the system under the strain of metabolizing a deadly acid-forming drug, depositing its insoluble cellulose, which cements the wall of the liver, causing this vital organ to swell to twice its proper size. In addition, coffee is heavily sprayed. (Ninety-two pesticides are applied to its leaves.) Diuretic properties of caffeine cause potassium and other minerals to be flushed from the body.
All this fear went away when I quit, and it was a book that inspired me to do it called The Truth About Caffeine by Marina Kushner. There are five things I liked about this book:
1) It details–thoroughly–the ways in which caffeine may damage your health.
2) It reveals the damage that coffee does to the environment. Specifically, coffee was once grown in the shade, so that trees were left in place. Then sun coffee was introduced, allowing greater yields but contributing to the destruction of rain forests. I haven’t seen this mentioned anywhere else.
3) It explains how best to go off coffee. This is important. If you try cold turkey, as most people probably do, the withdrawal symptoms will likely drive you right back to coffee.
4) Helped me find a great resource for the latest studies at CaffeineAwareness.org
5) Also, if you drink decaf you won’t want to miss this special free report on the dangers of decaf available at http://www.soyfee.com
Jasmin, thanks for the info. This explains why the only coffee I like is shade grown, organic — and swiss water decaf. The others make me feel awful. (I’m often sensitive to additives and pesticides in food.)
On the health conscious issue, my source also suggested that. But they also reported that New Yorkers drink more of those energy drinks than people in most cities — somehow I don’t think they are that much healthier than coffee (but I’ve never investigated).
Actually, “Dr. York,” New Yorkers probably don’t need as much coffee because, as Bill Hicks would agree, the city is pretty damn intense all on its own, without the stimulants.
Also, since from what I can tell by checking out your sites and reviews, this is probably Marina Kushner writing under an alias, I applaud you for starting up a Soy Coffee venture, then writing a health book to promote it, then starting up a health organization to promote both. It’s really quite ingenious. One tip, though: change the contact and owner information on your URLs so it’s not obvious that’s what you’re doing.
P.S. Thanks to Wendy for posting a link to our article. Hugs and espresso…Widge
This is entirely speculative, but I was thinking about the same question and I wondered if maybe it’s not so much about basic caffeine consumption but coffee culture? In New York, it’s probably fairly common to get a coffee in the morning as it is in most cities. But Seattle, with its strong ties to the coffee shop industry, may have more of an after-work culture based around consuming additional amounts of the bitter black stuff. I’ve never lived in New York, but it seems like going out for coffee is much less prevalent a social activity there than going out for lunch or a drink. Here in Chicago (another high-ranking coffee consumer) going out for coffee seems to be the more common thing to do with friends or new acquaintances. I’d imagine Seattle to be very similar to Chicago in that respect (or vice versa, I suppose).
Interesting thought Brendan. I wonder if we looked at cocktail consumption (assuming such a thing is possible) we’d discover that New Yorkers engage more of this activity than Seattle and Chicago residents who are busy drinking coffee instead.
That is a very good thought, Brendan. It’s the sort of thing that escapes me since I consume the stuff with little regard for what time it is. I will agree that grabbing coffee with new acquaintances is very useful–it takes less time than dinner, so if you’re not enjoying the company, you can knock back the rest of your cup and go “Oh, look at the time.”
We get wired on other things here in New York. And most are not part of the legal economy.
Was this study a survey of national chains? If it was, the figure for New York would be very, very skewed. Most coffee consumed in NYC is consumed in either of three places…from the corner mobile vendor in the mornings, or the neighborhood Korean or Latino bodega at lunchtime and in the evenings or home brewed. The home can bought almost anywhere…even online (Gevalia). Personally, I feel subhuman if I go a day without my obligatory three cups of Bustelo (strong and dark, three sugars…the way my grandma made it). That particular Latin espresso roast is the most popular brand among Latinos in the NYC area. Although there are others like Pilon and Cafe Rico. Those brands can be bought in bodegas, family-owned supermarkets, 99 cent stores, regular supermarkets, etc.
RE: 1st comment: I dont think that the reason New Yorkers consume a lesser amount of coffee than the people of Chicago is because they are more intelligent. I dont think that intellegence has anything to do with why New York ranked lower on the charts of consuming coffee, that’s just moronic and would be like saying that the reason Chicago ranked so high is because the people there are unintellingent or dumb. I having lived in New York all my life, think of coffee drinking as a “sit down and chat” kind of thing to unwind or what have you, and seeing that New York is such a busy city and people ae always on the go, it doesnt really fit into many New Yorkers lifestyles.