Cofffeeeeeee – love or addiction?

I’m a big fan of coffee. I love it. I don’t need it and I’m not addicted to it. I drink coffee because I enjoy the taste of it, nothing more complicated than that.

Caffeine is mildly addictive (“regular use of caffeine causes mild physical dependence, according to www.webmd.boots.com); it can make you feel bad for a few days but doesn’t cause the same issues as drugs or alcohol. People say they need a coffee in the morning before they can do anything, but is this the body’s physical need for caffeine or is it a psychological requirement, where just the thought that you are sitting down with a coffee at the start of the day is actually all it takes?

I don’t feel the need to have a coffee every day, it’s not something I crave. I like all different coffees. I guess I go through phases, at the moment I like to drink latte, often with hazelnut syrup in it, but not a full shot of syrup like most coffee shops would use. I’d want a maximum of half a shot of syrup.

The strength of the coffee I drink will vary too, anything from two to six shots in a latte, usually only two to three in an americano. What’s your favourite hot drink? Take your vote here:

The coffee industry is booming, coffee makers, the French coffee press, percolators and espresso machines with steam wands for heating milk readily available for home users. These espresso machines are in a somewhat different league to the espresso machines in a busy commercial coffee shop like Caffè Nero, Costa or Starbucks, mainly because commercial machines maintain the most consistent pressure and water temperature, but nevertheless, domestic espresso machines are great.

Coffee shops are popular despite the recession, and their use continues to grow.

Talking of coffee….there might just be a new blog around the corner….