Coffee is often drunk for breakfast, and indeed may serve as a replacement for breakfast for many on-the-go professionals. Coffee is also traditionally served after a meal, often in a restaurant or dinner party. This tradition was engendered in Europe, and was originally characteristic of a fine dining experience, but over the years has generalized to be customary after any type of meal, in any establishment, high brow or no.

The great America “coffee break” was first promoted in 1952 by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau as a way to boost sales. Before this time the idea of taking a break to drink a hot beverage was unheard of, but the growing dependence on coffee, coupled with the energy burst and
productivity associated with taking a cup ingrained its presence in American culture, and coffee breaks have become an institution of the
American workplace.

Of more recent fame, gourmet coffee has become the rage among discerning beverage connoisseurs. Varieties such as Jamaican Blue
Mountain coffee have change the way people think about what a cup of coffee should taste like, and the nearly hostile takeover of every other street corner in major metropolitan cities by Starbucks and other trendy coffee houses gives an intimation of how deep the dependency is.

The premium coffee brands remain the preferred variety for most epicureans, but less expensive and more widely available coffees are seeing huge success as the world grows busier and people are sleeping less and getting more done in less time. The cup of coffee is becoming an indispensable necessity of life for everyone from business executives and politicians to homemakers and hippies.