Most of us probably don’t have to look far outside our circle of friends and relatives to find someone who is – probably totally admittedly – addicted to coffee. Maybe you yourself can’t face the morning without a nice cup to get you going, or a cup in the afternoon for a second wind. But some of us manage to take coffee addiction to a whole different level, downing cup after cup, pot after pot of coffee day in and day out.
Since coffee became popular, history has been filled with anecdotes of famous figures who simply cannot get enough coffee. From politicians to scientists to writers, from the distinguished names and trend setters of antiquity down to the modern celebrity, we find coffee addicts everywhere.
Let’s take a look at some of the most notable celebrities who were totally addicted to coffee.
1. Making the Music You Love – Beethoven, Bach and Frank Zappa
Coffee has been popular with musicians and composers seemingly as long as it has been around. Beethoven famously took his coffee with a meticulously precise 60 beans per cup, and was often noted as being obsessive about his coffee habit. The Baroque composer Bach also distinguished himself as a coffee addict, requiring his daily brew to keep sharp.
In more modern times, composers still seem to rely heavily on a good cup of coffee to help get their creative juices flowing, with notable names like Frank Zappa being remembered for always having a cup of coffee on hand no matter where they found themselves.
2. Leading the World One Cup At a Time
It turns out countless world leaders are avid coffee drinkers. It only makes sense that the little edge provided by caffeine would be a desirable boost when it comes to matters of state and nation, and indeed, we see time and time again politicians and authority figures downing cup after cup of coffee.
The United States in particular is a notable example of a country whose leaders have always been big fans of coffee. From the very beginning, the President has been drinking coffee, with George Washington being a noted coffee drinker, a fact evidenced by his many orders of coffee bean during his life, including a whopping 200 pounds of coffee he imported in 1770. Seemingly following President Washington’s example, U.S. Presidents ever since have been drinking up.
The list of U.S Presidents who drank coffee is a long one, including: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush Senior and Junior, and Bill Clinton.
Theodore Roosevelt is often remembered as taking coffee drinking to new extremes, downing as much as a gallon of coffee every single day! His son once remarked jokingly that his father’s morning coffee mug more closely resembled a bathtub than a normal coffee mug.
3. The Modern Celebrity Coffee Fiend
These days it might be shorter to list the celebrities who don’t indulge themselves in some kind of coffee drink or another. Celebrities of all varieties have been spotted out and about in coffee shops, taking a cup on the go, or otherwise engaged with a cup of joe. Russel Brand is often spotted at coffee shops, along with various members of the Kardashian family, Miley Cyrus, Hugh Jackman, Reese Witherspoon, Katie Holmes, Renée Zellweger, and many, many more.
Comedians have also famously been big fans of coffee, a fact highlighted by the Jerry Seinfeld series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. The series is more or less exactly what it sounds like: in each episode, Seinfeld takes a ride with a famous comedian to get a cup of coffee and discuss whatever happens across their mind, cracking jokes here and there.
Some of the most famous names in comedy have exposed their coffee habit by appearing on the show, like Stephen Colbert, David Letterman, Jim Carrey, Steve Harvey, Jon Stewart, Patton Oswalt and others.
4. Celebrity Endorsed Coffee Brands
A few celebrities have even tried their hand at making their own coffee brands. Actor, director and author David Lynch runs his own line of David Lynch Signature Organic coffee, and has written at length about his obsession with getting the perfect cup of coffee which eventually lead to his creation of the brand. But David is not alone when it comes to celebrities lending their names and interests to coffee brands, although he may well be the most devoted. Other examples include Megadeth guitarist Dave Mustaine’s ill fated attempt to create the Dave Mustaine Coffee line, which was terminated in 2009.
More successful celebrity entrepreneurs have succeeded in creating lines of coffee, such as Leonardo DiCaprio’s “Lyon” by La Colombe, which places an emphasis on environmentally sustainable production and donates all proceeds to DiCaprio’s family fund designed to fight environmental issues. Hugh Jackman’s coffee brand, Laughing Man Coffee, has a similar initiative which donates 50% of its profits to educational charities.
Some more seemingly unlikely names to lend themselves to coffee brand include performer Rob Zombie and theatrical gimmick machine KISS. It seems the love of coffee (and the power of marketing) attract all sorts of names!
5. The Endless Appeal of Coffee
It seems just about no matter where people come from or what they do, coffee can work its way into just about anyone’s life.
Some of the most noted names in history have often waxed poetic about the benefits of coffee and their endless love for it: Thomas Jefferson once called it the “favourite drink of the civilised world.” Benjamin Franklin is recalled as having remarked coffee to be “one of the most valuable luxuries,” himself often found in coffee shops which he frequented so often as to have had his mail forwarded to a favourite London coffee shop.
Final Note
We should always remember when indulging our coffee habit not to be too eager: moderation can often prove much better than over indulgence! A cup now and then might be just what you need, but trying to live up to Teddy Roosevelt’s example of downing a gallon a day could have some nasty health consequences.
Always remember: all good things in moderation!