A recent survey by Zagat discovered the average coffee drinker indulges in 2.2 cups each day. The love of the bean is so strong that in a sample of 1,700 caffeine lovers, a large majority are unwilling to go without it, even with the current economy and the high prices for a daily fix.
Deborah Abrams, a 20-year-old UF economics junior, generally drinks the caffeinated beverage once a day. Despite the cost, Abrams said Starbucks is her main coffee spot.
“It is expensive,” she said. “But if people buy it, then it’s working.”
According to Zagat, 83 percent of those surveyed said java is a “mainstay in their everyday routine.” However, only 12 percent of voters said they could reduce their daily fix intake.
The average coffee product costs $2.98, according to the survey. That adds up to $774.80 for every weekday of the year. If a person splurges on 2.2 cups a weekday, it’s $1,704.56 a year.
Sara Mignano, a UF marketing freshman, said she drinks coffee at night so she can study. However, the 18-year-old said she does not need it.
UF health professor and nutrition specialist Linda Benjamin Bobroff said if someone is used to drinking coffee every day and skips a day, he or she can get a headache. Overconsumption of caffeine can also result in jitteriness.
“Know how you react to it,” she said.
Coffee consumption is about self-control, Bobroff said. If drinking too much is causing problems, she added, consider drinking coffee in moderation.
