Los Angeles’ yoga-mat-and-herbal-tea health craze has compelled Angelenos to turn against the world’s most underrated beverage ““ coffee. But, with recent health discoveries and a global rise in coffee’s popularity, it’s time that we return to our good ol’ cup of Joe and sing the praise of java.
Last month, a study conducted at Rutgers University on mice found that a combination of caffeine and exercise increased the destruction of precancerous cells that had been damaged by the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
Such a finding caused coffee enthusiasts, including myself, to bust out and rejoice.
For years, we Java Joes and Janes have endured harsh criticisms that come with indulging in a cup of rich, flavorful goodness. We know the negative side effects ““ the irritability, the yellowing of teeth, the increased heart rate, and even the occasional burnt-tongue accidents we encounter when we too-eagerly delve into a cup of our morning ambrosia.
But now we devotees can celebrate. Health benefits from succumbing to our coffee cravings and enjoying our caffeine buzzing? Sounds like the ultimate good news before we tackle the fall quarter.
MSNBC recently published an article discussing the further health advantages of coffee. In a study conducted by the American Academy of Neurology, it was found that coffee could help increase long-term memory in women, and it can also enhance athletic performance in dedicated exercisers.
But even without the science community’s recent discoveries, we devout coffee drinkers would still shell out the $1.50 or so for eight ounces of brewed beauty.
We’re enthusiasts, fanatics and devotees to the java. One could consider us patrons to an art ““ the art of cafe.
We appreciate the subtleties and variety that are available at our local Starbucks or Kerckhoff Coffeehouse ““ the espresso, the cappuccino, the latte ““ and we savor every single drop of artistic glory.
We cling desperately to coffee-filled paper cups, adorned with those clever protective sleeves and spill-proof tops, as we sit outside Powell Library and grumble at the “no food or drink” rule.
We continually applaud the genius of the Starbucks Corporation for inventing canned iced coffee, so that the hot L.A. summer months prove no feat to our well-developed addiction. And we’re not alone in our endeavors.
The New York Times reported earlier this month that quarterly profits for Starbucks climbed 9 percent, and sales from the 14,396 worldwide Starbucks locations jumped from $1.66 billion to $2.01 billion over the past year.
Even China, a traditionally tea-loving country, joined in on the trend. China’s coffee consumption increased by an annual rate of 18 percent from 1999 to 2005 (in comparison, global coffee consumption rose only 3 percent during this same period), according to the Wall Street Journal last month.
The truth is, we coffee addicts are tired of fighting the negative stigma associated with our beverage dependence. After all, it’s not as though we didn’t try to overcome our addiction.
We can all attest to the dark days when we tried to ditch the roasted coffee beans for the more image-friendly green tea, leading us to scour the shelves of Whole Foods, or the natural-food aisle at our local grocery store.
We even confess to the time we faltered and recklessly decided to experiment with energy drinks ““ the caffeinated beverages that advertised everything from burning calories to enhancing our academic endurance.
But, it just wasn’t the same. We always returned to our beloved cup of Joe, after a long and tortuous battle of ordering just pastries ““ and no beverage ““ at campus cafes, or grimacing at the crude and carbonated taste of those chemically-enhanced energy drinks.
And now, with last month’s miraculous caffeine-related breakthrough, we can finally hold our heads high, gulp down our precious venti double-shot caramel macchiatos, and ignore all former coffee criticisms.
Although, it’s not like we can hear our critics over the roar of our espresso machines, anyway.
How do you take your coffee? E-mail Chung at lchung@media.ucla.edu. General comments can be sent to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.