Coffee Addiction?

 Not me. I rarely drink it. Tea is my beverage of choice. A preference inherited, I think, from my grandmother.  I have six different varieties in the cupboard which I do drink regularly, but a nice mug of English Breakfast is always acceptable. Or should that be Welsh Breakfast? 

I have noticed however that people in my reading matter seem to have an obsession with the stuff - coffee that is. It's particularly noticeable first thing in the morning, when characters either cannot function at all, or are super grumpy, or both, before their caffeine fix. Often preparation involves a machine of considerable expense that requires Master's degree in engineering to work it. Yes, I have done that one. With all the different types now on offer it can be a marker for personality. The rugged hero, of course, drinks his black. If he's a cop, it probably has the consistency of engine oil. Heroine gets something with more milk.  The precious princess semi villain - ex girlfriend, difficult boss, snooty colleague, will probably insist on a special type of non dairy, specific number of shots, etc. And I admit to this category too - I do have a weakness for the occasional fancy stuff with syrups and other additions, Dairy is OK, but I have been known to ask which speciality brew has the least coffee in it. Tea addiction - see above. 

Then there is, of course the coffee shop as a place for the meet cute, a work location or a fast pit stop in a queue for a take away. The cosy coffee shop, often attached to a bookshop, gallery, garden or stately home can be the impetus for a whole book on its own. And if you add dogs, cats, dragons ...

From a writer's point of view coffee is a useful 'prop'. It gives your actors something to do. It is an icebreaker and a signal of hospitality. It can be offered at any time of the day, unlike alcohol. It serves in the place that tobacco took in golden age fiction, when cigarettes would be offered rather than a drink. It's universal and will probably not be going away any time soon. It has certainly come a long way from the milky coffee in the cafe by the beach that was the reward for a cold winter walk in my childhood. What would now be classed as a latte - and made with instant powder, of course. 

But that was a long time ago.