Coffee today stands as among the most popular beverages in the world today, along with tea, beer, wine, and simple water. This in turn results in a huge market for coffee bean bags and grounds, not to mention accessories like coffee grinders, coffee makers, and mugs for home use. In other cases, a person won’t have time to grind coffee beans in the morning, and will instead buy their coffee to go in a disposable paper cup with a plastic lid. But in other cases, Americans love to grind their own coffee beans at home and personalize their drink, and if they have time for this, making coffee at home is much cheaper than buying it to go every work day. Coffee bean bags can be found at any coffee shop or most grocery stores, and these coffee beans and bags may come in a wide variety of flavors. Not to mention sugar, cream, cinnamon, and other ingredients that may be added for more flavor.
Americans and Coffee
The United States is the world’s single largest importer of coffee beans, and the American coffee market for all sorts of products is enormous. In fact, back in 2014, the United States alone bought 25% of the world’s coffee bean imports, and American coffee brands big and small are out there to provide this hot drink to anyone. While some major coffee retailer chains are well known across the nation, countless smaller coffee shops are also a big part o this market. And put together, they represent a large percentage of all coffee sales in the United States.
Who is drinking all this coffee? Nearly half of all Americans aged 18 and up drink it every day, and most drink it at least occasionally. This beverage is well known for being a stimulant due to its caffeine, and this makes it a popular choice for breakfast. Around 65% of all coffee in the United States is consumed during breakfast hours, with another 30% being consumed between meal and only 5% being consumed with other meals. And since this is a stimulant, coffee drinkers are urged to avoid caffeine consumption six to eight hours before bed. Decaffeinated, or decaf, coffee may be consumed later in the day instead.
How to Drink
There isn’t a “wrong” way to drink coffee, but some Americans have varying preferences on how they make it and consume it. Some drinkers have their own coffee grinder and maker at home, and such machines can be found at coffee shops or grocery stores. A person may enjoy the price-efficiency and customization of making their own coffee at home, and they have a wide variety of flavors to choose from. Any coffee shop or grocery store will have a wide variety of bean bags and grounds flavors available to choose from, and that’s not even including additives such as cream (also varies in flavor) and sugar packets or even cinnamon. A person may even have their own collection of coffee mugs, and have some favorites or novelty coffee mugs for home drinking.
In other cases, a person will want to get their coffee to go, and any city or town will have a number of coffee shops where a person can get coffee on the run. Such coffee isn’t served in a mug like at home, though; the customer will instead get their hands on a disposable paper cup, and this cup comes with a cardboard sleeve to protect the hands from the hot drink inside. Such a coffee cup will also have a plastic lid on it that can both keep the heat inside and also contain spills or leaks. Rushed business professionals in the morning may opt to get their coffee to go like this, and can take their spill-resistant containers on a taxi, subway, or bus without a mess.
Coffee makers, bean bags, and more may be used in an office’s break room, and employees may share responsibility for making the coffee and providing fresh bean bags or grounds. These co workers can share supplies such as Styrofoam or paper cups, sugar or cream packets, and wooden stir spoons. Anyone who finds an empty coffee pot should refill it, and clean up any messes that they make to keep the area looking nice.
