The Friendly Bean: How Coffee Is The Best Drink For Writing

Everyone knows a cup of coffee is the way to go to get you up and running in the morning. Not only does coffee taste good, but it focuses you and perks you up for a busy day.

It also helps get your creative juices flowing (no half-hearted pun intended).

Just for transparency sake, I’ll let you know I’m the biggest caffeine addict on the planet. Get me my cup of joe, energy drink, anything with the highest caffeine percentage legally sold in Canada, and I’m a happy camper. So I’d like to say I’m a self-appointed expert in the field of caffeine-containing drinks.

Now I’m going to tell you why I love caffeine so much…

Coffee Has Serious Health Benefits

Let’s get the boring stuff out of the way.

Caffeine has several documented health benefits, such asreducing chances of cancer, risk of diabetes, Alzheimer’s, all that good stuff. But the physical benefits aren’t much use when you’re trying to crank out that last story at 3 am that’s due tomorrow.

What about the mental benefits?

One of the more useful ones is increased memory and attention span. The trick with it is timing. Drinking a cup of coffee in the morning cantemporarily increase short-term memory and awareness. It also gives you more of aselective attention span, so you can really get into a groove and get your work done, which is incredibly helpful when you have 20 projects due yesterday.

Caffeine mimics several natural chemicals that keep you awake during the day such as dopamine, which is one of the reasons you feel alert after drinking coffee as it synthetically adds more “awakeness” to your daily routine, which is another reason to chug it down in the morning.

We wrote an article on thebenefits of coffee with gangster rap, so if you need more convincing on the benefits of caffeine, give it a look-over.

Does the Blend Matter?

Now let’s dig into how to choose your java. Dark or medium roast? In regards to taste, the names speak for themselves. Dark roasts are more robust and have a fuller flavor, while medium and light roasts are a bit more watered down in comparison. I’m personally fond of lighter roasts when I have a latte or the sorts, but dark when I’m drinking it straight.

The reason?

Medium and light roasts actually have more caffeine

Whaaaaaaat? Let me explain.

The longer beans are roasted, the more caffeine gets burned. Simple premise. This also means, a light roast is the best for caffeine, which is why you can afford to add that flavored syrup and milk without feeling too horrible. Speaking of flavors… don’t do sugar.

I know that double-double (two sugars and two creams from Tim Hortons for the non-Canadian readers) sounds tempting, but it will do you harm. The sugar crash combined with a slower caffeine crash will make you feel like death by the end of the day, even worse than if you had decaf (shameless loot plug right there).  Dairy can also lead to problems for those who are lactose intolerant, so try out alternatives like almond or soy milk to avoid the gurgling stomach effect.

If you’re on the hunt for some good value beans, we actually sell our own! Our dark roast offers a deep, rich and delicious coffee experience full of unforgettable floral and earthy tasting notes. You can order your ownHustle Blend coffeein our shop.

How To Maximize That Caffeine and Be Productive.

So you’ve got that first hit of caffeine flowing through your veins, now what? How can you use this newfound life and put it towards hustling?

Here are a few ways to really maximize that new energy and write something worth reading.

Skip the boring, monotonous tasks.

Yes I know, that stack of bills and chores are piled sky-high, but now is not the time. Use coffee as a stimulant for creativity at the beginning to really benefit from the energy. Caffeine stimulates the visual part of the brain, so now is also the time to make some eye-popping visuals to accompany your writing.

You’re also more focused and have more of a selective attention, so if you have any editing to do, try it after a cup of joe. At the same time, don’t waste all your time on one project that you’re not making any headway on. Try it in increments, so you’ll be able to have short breaks and come back with a fresh look at things.

Trying to start an article?

Focus on crafting a basic framework with no details. Sounds counter-intuitive, doesn’t it? Think of this process like writing in a journal, just writing all your thoughts down until something clicks. You can narrow the thoughts you have after you’ve found a workable idea.

We also write an article onwhat else is secretly killing your productivity if you’re still stuck in a rut. Definitely worth a read to get out of that writer’s block mode.

If you have this amazing quote or idea, write it down immediately. After you’re done the basic framework and you’re still wired, act like a dictionary and start throwing words to fill up the pages. Sorry, bad analogy. How about start spitting the hottest bars you can possibly think onto the paper? Much better. Ok, I had way too much coffee, I’m going to lay off for today.

So coffee, the miracle bean part of most people’s routine. After all, what kind of beans do you think Jack was growing? (For clarification, it’s coffee beans I’m talking about). If you don’t believe in the healing properties of coffee, I implore you to have a cup and join the rest of us bean lovers.

Pro Tip: Try a sweetened latte or caramel macchiato if you’re new to the coffee world, you can thank me later.

Wrapping Things Up

If you want to try something new or your current coffee isn’t cutting it, do try ourhouse blend dark; you won’t regret it. I say this as a self-appointed caffeine expert, so you can trust my word on this!

What’s your stance on coffee? Do you love it, loathe it or need something stronger than a cup of joe?