U.S. Coffee Consumption Facts

Coffee has been a beloved beverage in America since before the country began. After the Boston Tea Party in 1773, patriots began drinking coffee as a form of political protest. Today, over 50% of adult Americans drink coffee every day, consuming an average of 3.5 cups each. Caffeine Nation, Healthy Nation But even those statistics don't tell the full tale. Recent surveys have shown coffee consumption growing by about 4% annually, with the greatest rise among people 18 to 24. The word "daily" is also deceiving. A North American study by American University and Johns Hopkins University found that 80% to 90% of adults use caffeine regularly.

So is this a good or bad thing? An impressive amount of data suggests that regular coffee consumption is good. Here are a few things medical studies have discovered:

• Six cups of coffee daily reduces men's risk of diabetes by 54%
• 6 cups of coffee daily reduces women's risk of diabetes by 30%
• Regular coffee drinking reduces risk of Parkinson's disease up to 80%
• 2 cups of coffee daily reduces colon cancer risk by 25%
• 2 cups of coffee daily reduces liver cirrhosis risk by 80%
• 2 cups of coffee daily reduces gallstone risk by about 50%

A Foreign Fuel Source
American coffee makers and espresso machines are even more reliant on foreign coffee beans than American cars are on foreign oil. Coffee is second only to oil as the most valuable commodity on earth, with about $60 billion worth exported annually.

Unlike oil, however, the only American territories capable of producing coffee are Hawaii and Puerto Rico, which is one reason why America is the world's number one importer of coffee. For more information on where American coffee comes from, see our article on famous coffee regions.