Ask HN: What's your relationship with coffee?

"it's complicated"

I kid I kid. No but really, coffee is my fuel. About 3 cups a day.

All resources I've ever read argue that coffee is super helpful. Probably, I'm a sort of outliner. I drink no more than 1 cup of coffee per day and in 5 years this habit has gifted me with painful heartburns and chronic gastritis.

Initially, I started consuming coffee only because my mom has Parkinson's disease and coffee is supposed to have preventive properties. I'm afraid I will end up with ulcer sooner than I will live to Parkinson's onset.

I never really got into it.

To me it's the same as alcohol, I'm happy not to have a taste for them.

Crossland CC-1 in my office, Aeropress in my office, Chemex, French Press, and Astra Pro at home.

3-4 beverages a day on average.

I've started drinking coffee just in the last 1 - 1.5 years and I am not really sure how I feel about it. On one hand, I love the boost that it gives me in the morning to get into the zone fast. On the other hand, I am completely useless without it.

I also wonder if it doesn't decrease my attention span.

I find tea provides a longer, better modulated boost, without the gastrointestinal distress or bad breath.

I started drinking coffee in highschool, 7 years ago, but I only drink on the weekdays. I rarely drink coffee on weekends, and if I do it's an afternoon treat. There are obvious mornings where I need coffee to function and kickstart my day, but I really just enjoy the taste of coffee... Oh and it keeps me warm in the cold office.

Edit: ~3-5 cups a day

I like it. I generally only drink coffee or water. I've never gotten a "buzz" from it unless I drink unreasonable amounts, and have no problems drinking it before bed.

I generally only drink a cup at a time, off and on through the day. At home, I have a pour-over. I have a travel press that I take to work or elsewhere.

I quit. I found it gave me digestive upset, and physical stress. (I.e. more likely to tense my muscles in response to a small external stimulus)

It’s been about a month, and a number of things sre better without it. Digestion is normal, far more consistent energy than before. Also much faster to get out of the house in the morning, which is nice.

Had been drinking it for years, but only started after college. Note: I quit all caffeine, including tea. Tea had similar effects on me.

I appreciate caffeine, but coffee and I don't get along - it upsets my stomach. Tea works well.

Most of my caffeine comes from Monster Zero Sunrise at the moment. It's very low carb (~2g net per can) and is fairly inexpensive on Amazon.

I was drinking a lot (4-5 cups a day, usually crammed into the morning) when we had a Keurig in the office. Caused a bunch of heartburn during any particularly stressful weeks.

I've cut back to a max of two cups a day, and feel a lot better. I also don't feel like I need to drink coffee on the weekends to repel a headache until Mondays now.

After moving to Stockholm, Sweden at least 3 espresso based drinks per day (mostly cappuccino), sometimes up to 5-6 cups. Winter is hard here.

I drink 12-16oz a day. I avoid drinking more than that to avoid the health risks, like kidney stones. I'm pretty sure I'm addicted to caffeine at this point, but I haven't been curious enough to test that theory.

I don't find much mental effect from it ("I need my morning coffee to function" type thing), but the act of drinking hot coffee is quite comforting.

I like coffee. Mostly because it tastes good, and I kind of like the ritual. In the last few years I've really gotten into it more. I use a coffee press and grind my beans fresh every morning.

However, I don't like being a zombie, unable to function until I've had my first cup, so I moved my "first cup time" back to 9:00 am. That means I keep a coffee grinder at my desk at work. I also limit my intake to about two cups per day for the same reason.

I have ~12oz (not a small cup (8oz) but also not a big one) usually every morning, but not usually out of necessity. I could skip it and function mostly the same. Sometimes I can tell that it's actually over-stimulating and prevents me from focusing, especially when I drink it on an empty stomach. I usually try to have it with a bite of food.

I order coffee whenever I'm out for breakfast/brunch, 2 or 3 cups

I also sometimes have a latte or small cup of coffee before going to the gym, especially if I'm trying to go after work. It helps me avoid getting stuck on the couch and relaxing as soon as I get home.

Every once in a while I'll have a 6oz cup of black. Probably on average 2-3 per week, with l-theanine. I like the taste and process of drinking it but not jitters/anxiety.

I like the smell of it and in some foods it is great. Only somewhat enjoy drinking it if it's sugared up but I don't like really sugary drinks, so it is a fine line.

I do love me some tea, though.

I make about 16oz of slightly above average strength coffee when I wake up at 9-10am and drink on average about 12oz of it throughout the day until 3pm where I cut it off completely. I've found that this makes my mornings and early afternoons very productive (I think faster and can focus better) but I'm still able to fall asleep at night around 1-2am (as long as I exercise enough and have good sleep hygiene in general). I get a little slow around 4-5pm but overall it's a net positive addiction. I also usually drink much less or no coffee on Sunday and can sleep 9 or 10 hours that night.

I think my genetics mesh well with caffeine. My sister and everyone on my mom's side of the family loves coffee and none of us have any side effects from it. I discovered I liked it in college and it significantly boosted my motivation, grades, and life in general, so I kept with it. I tried going off it for a few months when I thought it was causing me sleep problems, but the cause was something else and I've been happily drinking coffee almost every day since.

love the smell, can't stand the taste, tried it three times in my life (espresso, cappuccino, in a tiramisu) and could not finish any of them, it's probably the only food item that I have such a huge disconnect between the smell/taste, as other items I hate and never have (say, alcohol) I also cannot stand from a smell perspective...

In my disciplined days I used to have coffee/caffeine only on weekdays. Cannot recommend this protocol strongly enough. Mondays are amazing because the two-day detox is enough to resensitize you to caffeine.

1 9-cup moka pot with breakfast. Occasionally an espresso with lunch.

'have drank coffee every.single.day since about 2000. I'll have 2 in the morning - 1 generic maxwell house or folgers and the 2nd a breakfast blend or something else for a little variety. At home, just using a re-usable K-Cup in a Keurig.

If I need to get out of the house a bit, I'll go work at a Starbucks and have a tall there - never more then a tall as I won't sleep well. Or - wherever. Tim Hortons is fine. Panera's is fine. Spent 3 days at the local convention center last week; their coffee was fine. I'm really not picky.

So, minimum 2, max 4 or 5 a day. Always black. I don't love the taste but I do like Starbucks the most. But I don't hate the taste either. I used to use a ton of sugar and milk - that ended about a decade ago now.

I drink about 12oz of black combined with L-theanine every morning. Caffeine alone tends to induce anxiety.

roughly the same as a crack addict's relationship with crack. Writing this while standing in a long line at Philz.