What Is The Best Time Of Day To Drink Coffee?

Hey Arrowhead Coffee family, it’s Sara again coming at you from the Ottawa Valley. I sat down at my kitchen island this morning with a cup of cleared hot, I wondered out loud to my feller and dogs when is the best time of day to drink coffee.  This set me on a quest and now I am detailing my findings for you all here.

The long and short of it, it really depends on each individual person.  I have two favourite times of day when I will consume coffee: first thing in the morning and before I workout.  If you have been reading the Arrowhead Coffee Company blog posts, then you’d know that drinking coffee has a plethora of benefits. If you haven’t been reading the series, here are some fun facts on the benefits of coffee:

Read More: Health Benefits of Coffee - Ticket to the Fountain of Youth?

• Two to three cups of coffee may assist with brain activity by increasing blood flow. It can also assist in relaxing the nervous system. Also, thanks to caffeine, it blocks the adenosine receptors, which makes you tired. Caffeine also assists with the processing of information at faster rates. While this likely won’t turn you into Albert Einstein, it will likely help you to put the milk back in the fridge rather than the cupboard. 

• Daily consumption of coffee may protect against liver fibrosis; cirrhosis of the liver; and decrease the risk of various liver diseases, including liver and uterine cancers. This is because coffee may help to break down stored fat in the cells of the liver.

• According to and article published by Johns Hopkins Medical, “dark roast coffee decreases breakage in DNA strands, which occur naturally but can lead to cancer or tutors if not repaired by your cells.

I love using coffee as a pre-workout supplement, instead of consuming random chemicals that I can’t even pronounce. One cup of coffee before a workout can increase blood flow, which can help improve endurance. Coffee also increases the amount of adrenaline in the blood. Coffee also helps you to not only train longer, but also with more effort/exertion.  Translation: better workouts and more gains.

This had me questioning though if there is a specific time of day when you would get the most benefit out of coffee. Of course, the most popular time of day to drink coffee is the morning. Drinking coffee in the morning gives you not only mental alertness, but vitamins as well such as Vitamins B1, B2, B5, folate and magnesium. These vitamins are best take in the morning so that you can reap the benefits of these nutrients throughout the day.

The Best Time To Consume Coffee

There is some science that suggests it is best to have your morning cup of coffee is around 8am.  If you are one of those wild people who wakes up well before 08:00, it is still suggested to have your first cup of Arrowhead Coffee around 08:00. This is due to the body getting a natural cortisol boost first thing in the morning. The crash or tired slump, happens around 08:00 - hence the recommendation to have your first fresh cup around then. Other sources state that the best time to consume your first cup of coffee is between 08:00 and 10:00.  Either way, I stick with 8am for when I slurp back my first cup of java.

Some experts also suggest that consuming coffee in the morning is the best due to the fact that coffee is a fat burner and by consuming it in the morning, you can benefit all day from its fat burning properties. A Harvard study also showed that coffee can boost your mood - its true that a cup of coffee really is a cup of happiness.

The other best time to consume coffee is in the afternoon around 14:00. Having my afternoon cup of coffee helps me with mental alertness. I don’t get the cravings for sugar and it keeps me from having that afternoon crash - you know, when 14:00 hits and you feel yourself just staring at your computer screen wondering what is the meaning of life and what was actually on your to-do list. I can’t be the only one out there. Regardless, my afternoon cup of coffee helps me avoid the blank staring and pondering life’s great mysteries. I think of my coffee like adding fuel to a car - I like a steady flow to keep me running. It also helps that Arrowhead Coffee is delicious.

Caffeine Sensitivity

There are people, however, who have a sensitivity to caffeine. Signs of sensitivity include: rapid heart rate, tremors, upset stomach and/or anxiety. If you are trying coffee for the first time, start with one cup a day and slowly work your way up to more until you are certain that you do not have a sensitivity. Another point worth noting, experts also suggest drinking coffee either with or after having consumed food. The rationale is because coffee can stimulate the increase in the production of stomach acid. With the food in your stomach, it helps to quell the potential for acid reflux/heartburn.

Like I said, it truly depends on the person as to when is the best time to consume coffee. Do you feel like a zombie in the morning? Do you workout? Do you have an afternoon slump? Do you just love the taste of Arrowhead Coffee?  By answering those questions, you should be able to determine when is the best time of day for you to consume coffee. 

Clearly there are so many benefits to consuming coffee and there is no one best time to consume it.  Your body will thank you, regardless of the time of day. If you’re as fond of Arrowhead Coffee like I am, then you can check out their coffee subscription service. All of their blends are available for one-time purchase or via a subscription where your desired blend is shipped to your door every 60, 75, or 90 days