A cross-section of people in Dubai give their opinions on what life would be like without their daily quota of the heady brew.
Coffee is the addiction that's changed many a life. Without its brain-perking effects, it's doubtful yours truly could have graduated from college, read Jane Eyre cover to cover, or made a favourable impression during my first job interview despite suffering from a massive headache.
There are some who refuse to live without their daily dose of the brew. For some, every meeting is just an excuse to sip on rich coffee and smell the heady aroma.
Without it, many a love story would have been stillborn, while many a great idea would, perhaps, have never been thought were it not for the brain-boosting powers of those wicked, black coffee beans.
It's unknown exactly who first discovered coffee's sprightliness, but Antony Wild, a British coffee merchant who has written an interesting book titled Coffee: A Dark History, surmises that it was likely a resident of Ethiopia, where the Arabica bush grows wild in the highlands - perhaps a shepherd, who noticed his animals skipping about after chowing down on the plant's cherry-like beans.
And, in due course, some clever person figured out that roasting the beans over a fire, then brewing them with boiling water, made the process of caffeine-ingestion much more enjoyable.
I am sure millions of coffee lovers out there will thank that Ethiopian (or whoever it was who discovered coffee) from the bottom of their hearts for making their lives a little less drab and dull, and putting some pep into everyday life.
We caught up with a cross section of people to find out how coffee gives them their pep and what would life be like without coffee:
Rik Singh, Graphic Designer, Lend Lease, Brisbane, Australia
Enjoying coffee in a café is a lifestyle choice. And it differs from having coffee at home, because of the environment. Imagine walking into a cozy café on a cold winters night and smelling the rich aroma of coffee. You see the barista behind the machine – an artiste at work - the sound of laughter, some music playing in the background and the rich social environment … before you realise it, three-four hours have elapsed, with an equal number of coffees having been downed and you go home relaxed, and feeling as if all's well with the world.
Without coffee, I would be bereft of these delightful pleasures that make life an enriching experience on a regular basis. Not to mention missing out on the heady aroma and rich taste of this wonderful brew!
I am here in Dubai on a visit, and me and my fiancée have been doing a lot of coffeeing around as we chat up and try getting to know each other better. I find the coffee culture quite vibrant out here and wished I could have checked out an Arabic coffee café by the roadside, but then time has been short this time… maybe on my next visit!
Lovetto Nazareth, Prism Communications
Life without coffee would be one long day in slow motion. Instead, people would take time off to maybe smoke cigarettes. Cigarette companies would make a killing, with some craving for nicotine in the absence of caffeine. Brooke Bong will be the most profitable company in the world and Bill Gates would be displaced as the worlds richest man. I will make a gazillion bucks doing advertising campaigns for caffeine supplements and marketing them as the next best thing to coffee!!
Starbucks would become an international chain of tea shops ...
Over half of the globe would be under the poverty line, but happier!!!
Ordering tea would be much simpler than the ten thousand variations you get for coffee.
America would cease to exist, and Britain would rule the world again.
People dating al over the world with ask each other out for caramel latte milk, instead of the usual: 'Can we meet over coffee?'
Late night guest show hosts would fall asleep since they would have to drink warm milk instead of coffee, while enjoying the cool night breeze.
And I would look at all these changes with a smug smile ... thanking my stars that I am more of a tea drinker.
Namdar Fereidooni, Trades Manager, 32Group
Life would be no different for me without coffee, as I would drink tea instead! Though I do like coffee, it upsets my stomach and is not as beneficial as tea. However, I do crave coffee for some reason. If you took away Coke though, that would be a devastating blow, as Coke is my first love among all!
Sabitra Chatterjee, Sales and Marketing Manager, Vision Technology
I would not like to link my 'coffee' with 'life' and scare potential wannabes out there. Its too gentle a drink for that kind of pressure!
The vibrant atmosphere of the 'Coffee House' in Calcutta is what induced me to my first habitual cup of 'Infusion' (without milk). From then on, I have been on three cups a day and still going strong...
There is the occasional flirting with tea as well, though its rare. But when the selling gets tough the coffee keeps me going. Somehow the burnt aromatic steam of coffee beans wafting sensuously from a steaming cup is a real turn on.
An all-time adrenaline pumper, the ups and downs of life somehow seem easier to handle with the first sip. I chat better and simultaneously give more time to my thoughts with a cuppa of the brew. I am definite this goes for most of us mortals, only we have taken the brew for granted.
My pep line to the millions out there: "Let your coffee give the kick you desire".
Paul Smith, Third Secretary (Trade & Investment), British Embassy
If life without coffee would mean that people no longer had to pay a steep price for coffee in some cafés then I would say it would be for the better.
So, a life without coffee for me would mean drinking more tea!
