by Gary Sacco

Created on: June 04, 2008

The coffee vs. tea debate has been raging for centuries. America's history was deeply rooted in Colonial customs. For hundreds of years, the English have interrupted their afternoons for a spot of tea and light snacks. So did the colonists. Eventually, greedy English governmental ministers created steep taxes on a variety of colonial staples, most distastefully, tea. An irate Bostonian mob responded to the crown's imperial demands. One dark night, they daringly boarded a vessel, filled with tea, and tossed hundreds of crates into the harbor. They instigated two revolutions that night, igniting America's thirst for independence and robust coffee's triumph over mercantilist tea.

Today, we are fanatical coffee drinkers. Millions of Americans rub the sleep from their eyes every morning and then shuffle to timer activated coffee makers for that first cup. Even more drag themselves into vehicles for a quick visit to the convenience mart or favorite coffee shop. We drink the black gold in frightening quantities. Doctors would cringe if they really knew how much! For many, a 12, or 16oz serving doesn't suffice. Consumers frequently bring their own gigantic travel mugs to fill. Java is king in the USA. Numbers don't lie, skeptics. For fiscal year 2007, Starbucks poured, steamed, chilled and capped over 9.4 billion dollars worth of coffee based drinks. The bulk of that amount earned in the USA.

Generations of Americans conquered formidable challenges, to our nation, fueled by coffee. Civil War soldiers' journals described both Confederate and Union soldiers preparing coffee by grinding it, with their rifle butts, then fire roasting it. Imagine the countryside filled with the cacophony of fighting men crushing beans. Thousands of soldiers dunking tea bags in hot water would provide a far less impressive image. They were on the way to battle, not a concerto.

Arguably, coffee fans are junkies. Many of us feel the surge of the caffeine induced high. Millions of groggy, morning challenged citizens charge their brains and bodies with the rich beverage. Fortunately, coffee sipping is far less dangerous than shooting heroin and safer, before work, than alcohol. Imbibers, downing a few cups to infuse energy into a morning presentation, are displaying common, acceptable behavior. Warning coffee enthusiasts, respect the doctrine of moderation. Sure, plowing through that "10 cupper" produces intense momentum. However, the hero's crash carries a wallop directly proportionate to coffee

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