After all, caffeine is the world's favourite legal stimulant and, notwithstanding a boom in energy drinks, coffee seems to be the world's favourite way of consuming it. Even in khat-chewing Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya, I'm told workers keenly anticipate a daily cup of "Joe".
There seems little scientific basis for the claim that coffee makes you work harder, though a lot of us feel sure it does.
All I could find was a brief study sponsored by a coffee machine manufacturer. This claimed coffee drinkers at some IT company experienced a 19 per cent boost in productivity and motivation.
The fact people almost everywhere drink it makes coffee a $100 billion global commodity: Turkey's coffee houses date back to the 1500s; Japan is famous for canned vending machine coffees; Italy is the birth place of espresso; Vietnamese take theirs with condensed milk...
New Zealand's current cafe culture was part of a worldwide renaissance, apparently boosted by the expansion of Starbucks in the 1980s.
New Zealand had a cafe craze after World War II but it petered out in the early 1960s, as Kiwis stayed home to marvel at The Avengers and Maverick on the NZBC's one black and white TV channel.
Arrival of TV changed us in many ways -- also savaging dance bands, home gardening, many sports and clubs, church attendance and so on.
In any case, about 20 years later cafe culture returned with a vengeance, perhaps aided by TV this time. We saw the cast of Friends sitting on an orange couch drinking coffee at the "Central Perk coffee shop" and wanted to emulate them. And of course, this social trend was concurrent with something else favouring expansion of cafe culture -- stiffer drink-driving laws.
In the workplace, from the 1980s onward, popularity of takeaway coffee began to eclipse that of cigarettes.
The indulgence firms once displayed to allow John or Jane to scuttle away for a smoke, was soon extended for a quick visit to pick up a takeout cup from a nearby cafe. Hence it makes sense for employers to move coffee-making inhouse.
Catering to the Kiwi coffee fix and the higher expectations that go with it, has become big business -- leading to intense competition.
According to customer satisfaction research business Canstar Blue, the average New Zealander spends $13.67 a week on coffee. Canstar puts Generation Y's weekly coffee spend even higher -- at $16.10, or $837 a year.
So as you'd expect huge competition for the coffee drinker's dollar and you'd be right.
After interviewing 1566 New Zealanders, Canstar concluded Wild Bean Cafe -- our largest retailer of fairtrade coffee -- was our top chain (Muffin Break, Mojo Cafe and Starbucks also rated highly).
I don't get my morning cup from Wild Bean but note a couple of points about the company.
Because its a people-centred industry they put huge resources into team building and staff training. To encourage baristas to stay sharp, they created a retail excellence awards (Rex) competition.
Baristas from around the country perfect flat whites and craft their finest cappuccinos in preparation for these awards, with the grand final to be held at the Novotel, Auckland Airport, on Friday 27th November.
Baristas have regulars who want their coffee made solely for them, so it must be consistently good and delivered fast. One bad cuppa can cost a customer. So the annual competition aims to maintain standards and improve staff training and retention.
"For me as a barista, I feel the awards acknowledge the talent that goes into making a great coffee and it's the perfect way for us to showcase our skills," says last year's supreme Barista of the Year, Wild Bean Manukau's Gina Bowman.
And yes Gina, there's nothing like a bit of competition to bring out the best in people.
