[ "Half of the adult population in this country are regular coffee drinkers ... drinking an average of three to four cups of coffee a day," says Dr. Jim Lane, a researcher at the Duke University Medical School.

That works out to over 330 million cups of coffee a day, which explains why, after oil, coffee is the second most valuable commodity in the world. More than just a beverage, some experts even argue that coffee has intertwined itself with American culture.

"As you're working during the day, coffee become the equivalent of 'in-flight fueling station,'" says Bob Thompson, a professor of popular culture -- and an entire class on Starbucks -- at Syracuse University. "You grab a cup on your way to work, you've got your little commuting holder in your car, there's a pot at work ... I think it's really appropriate that oil and coffee look the same because in a lot of ways oil and coffee are doing the same job." ]

What? Second most VALUABLE commodity. We buy "the best part of waking up" (coffee) almost as much as good ol' dinosaur grease (oil). Unbelievable. What I also found unbelievable was this entry on wikipedia. Not the best source, but interesting nonetheless:

[In the United States, from the late 1950s onward, coffeehouses also served as a venue for entertainment, most commonly folk performers. This was likely due to the ease at accommodating a lone performer accompanying themself only with a guitar, even with limited floorspace; the political nature of much of 1960s folk music made the music a natural tie-in with coffeehouses with their above-referenced association with political action. A number of well known performers like Joan Baez and Bob Dylan began their careers performing in coffeehouses. Blues singer Lightnin' Hopkins bemoaned his woman's inattentiveness to her domestic situation due to her overindulgence in coffeehouse socializing, in his 1969 Coffeehouse Blues.

From the 1960s through the mid-1980s, many churches and individuals in the United States used the coffeehouse concept for outreach. They were often storefronts and had names like The Gathering Place (Riverside, CA), The Lost Coin (New York City), and Jesus For You (Buffalo, NY). Christian music (guitar-based) was performed, coffee and food was provided, and Bible studies were convened as people of varying backgrounds gathered in a casual "unchurchy" setting. These coffeehouses usually had a rather short life, about three to five years or so on average.[citation needed] An out-of-print book, published by the ministry of David Wilkerson, titled, A Coffeehouse Manual, served as a guide for Christian coffeehouses, including a list of name suggestions for coffeehouses.]

So, what is it exactly about coffeehouses or coffee shops (whichever you prefer) that make them so accessible? Accessible enough to host "outreach" church ministries?

I think what's interesting about a coffee house is that, it has an informality to it. Coffee traditionally was not as upper-class as tea, and thus, it would seem, has retained a sort of accessible-to-all kind of reputation. And so, coffee houses inherently carry that sort of accessibility, that connection point. Coffee houses have always served as a sort of social gathering spot, which has in modern history been enhanced as a place for musical venues and internet connections.

So coffee becomes more than just a brew or an espresso or a frappuccino...it becomes about the connections associated with it.

Now I know that Starbucks and other chains have streamlined this model into the fast-food service industry business. Which, ironically, began to go against what started those chains in the first place. That sense of connection associated with the coffee house. If you haven't noticed, Starbucks has recently changed their colors from green to brown. Starbucks' CEO Howard Schultz recently wrote of Starbucks' streamlining that "one of the results has been stores that no longer have the soul of the past and reflect a chain of stores vs. the warm feeling of a neighborhood store. Some people even call our stores sterile, cookie cutter, no longer reflecting the passion our partners feel about our coffee."

The connection that coffee culture offers and the irony of the Starbucks model offers an interesting commentary on our culture. How we long for connections that make us feel welcome and invited just as we are, and how we can be easily turned off by the mundane, even if it serves us effeciently; that our search to fulfill our needs (or greed) for something can ruin what was special about it in the first place.