The Massive Amount Of Coffee Americans Drink Every Year

For most Americans, the morning ritual looks similar: we wake up and head directly for the coffee maker. Nine out of ten older Americans start their day with a cup of java, according to Urban Bean Coffee. 

There's good reason why most people start their day with a hot cup of coffee. Healthline reports that caffeine, readily found in coffee, is a natural stimulant that effects the brain and central nervous system, helping you to stay alert and offset tiredness.

Johns Hopkins Medicine touts numerous health benefits to drinking coffee, including a decrease in dying from heart disease or stroke, and from developing colon cancer. In addition, coffee helps increase liver function and decreases breakage in DNA strands.  

That being said, Americans might take their love for coffee to the extreme. A 2011 report by Huffington Post noted that people in the U.S. drink about 400 million cups of coffee a day, which comes out to about 146 billion cups a year.  According to World Atlas, the average American consumes just over nine pounds of coffee per year, with almost half of coffee drinkers enjoying about two to three cups a day, according to Statista. 

How much do Americans love their coffee? Let's just say a lot. Huffington Post reports that 52 percent of coffee lovers would rather give up a morning shower than their morning cup of Joe. And 49 percent would rather give of their cell phones for a month than go without coffee.

Though most people start their day with a cup, a midmorning coffee break can actually give you more of an energy boost. Drinking coffee between 9:30 and 11:30 in the morning give you an extra boost, since that's when your body's cortisol, a hormone related to alertness and stress, takes a dip. The caffeine in coffee will give you an extra boost just when you need it. 

Our love for coffee also put Starbucks in the number two spot in the top ranking fast food chains list compiled by QSR. That makes the coffee chain second only to McDonald's, and beating out chains like Burger King and Wendy's for popularity.