Bryan Mercadente maintains an almost explosive aversion to both tea and coffee. His reasons, as far as I can tell, range from aesthetic disdain to a misplaced belief that stimulants weaken the will. I will not fault him for asceticism; it is a noble instinct in an age of excess. But like many noble instincts, it becomes absurd when divorced from reason. I therefore submit the following in defence of coffee—not merely as a beverage of taste, but as a civilised ritual, good for body and mind, and better still when mixed with cloves and cinnamon.

Coffee is among the many things Europe has borrowed from the world and perfected. In the seventeenth century, when Englishmen first encountered it in Ottoman lands, they promptly made it their own. The London coffeehouse became a school of manners and intellect and trade. Voltaire, Kant, Beethoven and Rossini drank the stuff compulsively. It sharpened their thought and in some cases probably kept them alive.

Modern research confirms what experience had long taught: coffee is good for you. It is rich in chlorogenic acids and polyphenols—antioxidants that neutralise cellular decay and lower the risk of chronic disease. Harvard’s School of Public Health reports that moderate coffee consumption is linked to reduced mortality and improved cardiovascular function (Harvard Health, 2015). Even the sternest puritan must admit that such evidence cannot easily be ignored.

Caffeine, often maligned, is one of nature’s most efficient neurostimulants. It increases alertness, enhances focus, and may even delay neurodegeneration. A JAMA Neurology study in 2016 found habitual coffee drinkers less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease. The notion that clear thinking must arise from abstinence is sentimental nonsense; the greatest minds of Europe thought best with a cup beside them.

The healthfulness of coffee can be magnified by the civilised addition of spice. I speak not of syrup and milk—which Bryan abominates as a Jew abominates pork—but of clove and cinnamon. Their virtues are both medicinal and aesthetic.

Cloves contain eugenol, an oil so potent an antiseptic that it is used in dentistry. A 2010 Food Chemistry study ranked them among the richest natural antioxidants. Their flavour deepens the bitterness of coffee, giving it something of the warmth of incense. Their aroma alone could drive melancholy from the heart.

Cinnamon, whether Ceylon or cassia, is no less remarkable. It moderates blood sugar, improves insulin sensitivity, and reduces systemic inflammation. Studies in Annals of Family Medicine (2013) and Clinical Nutrition (2019) confirm these effects. When added to coffee, it offsets caffeine’s tendency to raise glucose levels and lends a subtle sweetness that obviates the need for sugar. It is, in short, a medicine disguised as pleasure.

The three—coffee, clove, and cinnamon—form a triumvirate of health and taste. Each strengthens what the other lacks. Their combined antioxidant power reduces oxidative stress; their anti-inflammatory effects stabilise the metabolism; their fragrances stir the intellect. To drink them together in the morning is to take part in a quiet alchemy: a transformation of mere wakefulness into clarity.

Scientific evidence aside, the habit of morning coffee is a moral good. It disciplines the body and prepares the mind for work. Unlike alcohol or narcotics, it does not dull reason but refines it. It is a stimulant of moderation—strong enough to lift the spirit, too mild to corrupt it. In that respect it belongs to the same moral order as wine at supper and incense at Mass: substances that elevate without enslaving.

Indeed, the cultivation and enjoyment of coffee represent one of the blessings of Western civilisation—a union of reason, refinement, and gratitude for creation. The act of brewing it is meditative: water brought just to the boil, grounds measured precisely, spices stirred with care. It is the opposite of the plastic “energy drink” culture that has replaced adult taste with adolescent panic.

Those who reject coffee in the name of purity fall into the same trap as the early heretics who condemned flesh, wine, and song. They mistake the discipline of pleasure for indulgence itself. Properly taken, coffee is a sacrament of work—proof that divine grace may reside in the ordinary. It sharpens the intellect. It steadies the mood. It connects one to the long line of thinkers who began their mornings the same way.

Bryan will no doubt reply that abstinence preserves his edge. He would rather spend time lifting heavy weights than drinking coffee; and his latest selfies are impressive. But I feel no inclination to follow his example. The man who refuses coffee on principle risks becoming one who distrusts all stimulants of thought—books included. I would rather begin my day in the company of cinnamon and cloves than in the sullen company of self-denial.

Drink, therefore, not for indulgence but for clarity. Take your coffee black if you must, but let it be spiced. It is not a modern fad; it is an ancient and an honourable pleasure—and even an innocent pleasure. The monks of Yemen drank it through their vigils. The merchants of London drank it as they built an empire. And those of us who still write at dawn drink it to keep the intellect awake in a world that prefers to sleep.

Bibliography of Web Sources

• Harvard Health. “The Latest Scoop on the Health Benefits of Coffee.” Harvard Health Blog, 2015. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-latest-scoop-on-the-health-benefits-of-coffee-2017092512429
• Eskelinen, M.H. et al. “Coffee Consumption and Risk of Parkinson’s Disease.” JAMA Neurology, 2016. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9883660/
• Pérez-Jiménez, J. et al. “Identification of the 100 richest dietary sources of polyphenols.” Food Chemistry, 2010. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21045839/
• Allen, R.W. et al. “Cinnamon Use in Type 2 Diabetes: An Updated Meta-Analysis.” Annals of Family Medicine, 2013. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3767714/
• Ranasinghe, P. et al. “Cardiovascular and Glycaemic Effects of Cinnamon: A Systematic Review.” Clinical Nutrition, 2019. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11155465/