Were They Afraid to Drink Coffee 250 Years Ago?

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[@reginaldsafety6090]

Interesting that they thought coffee was good for breathing issues, because it is! Caffeine is a weak bronchodilator which can improve breathing issues for 2-4 hours after drinking it. In a world without albuterol this was probably pretty significant.

[@catherineshaw1122]

Che Guevara had terrible asthma before inhalers existed and swore by yerba mate tea for it. As someone who also has asthma, I have used coffee and yerba mate to help my lungs for decades. It's not a weak effect for me, quite intense.

[@spugintrntl]

Can I just say that I LOVE your pfp and username.

[@rebeccacorbin1590]

It's also a mighty good diuretic as I learned after an all night study session while in college.

[@TheDondaffno]

That's why coffe and cigarettes are so good together :D

[@adrianaslund8605]

Theophylline in Tea is also a bronchodilator. Making tea perhaps an even more ideal option for breathing issues.

[@幸-s8v]

"coffee promotes digestion" i see the morning coffee bathoom runs have been a thing for centuries lol

[@williamwigfield7296]

You beat me to it! First thing I thought of.

[@catherineshaw1122]

Ayurveda recommends coffee after a meal for kapha doshas.

[@charsquatch600]

It has the opposite effect on me, so I never drink it unless I have diarrhea, despite loving it

[@catherineshaw1122]

@@charsquatch600 that might be a side effect of it being very dehydrating.

[@randyc4959]

it is a diuretic. i always try to up my water intake at morning coffee because of that. when i was truck driving i hardly made it past the 1st two or three rest areas at the start of a day. also why i kept an empty sport drink bottle or two on hand. traffic jams happen at the most ... inconvenient ... times.

[@johnboleyjr.1698]

I literally got an ad in the middle of this video that was espousing the negative effects of coffee on a person's health. Also, I was a U.S. Navy Sailor, I can, and have, drank coffee to wake up, go to bed, stimulate my appetite, calm my stomach after eating very large meals, and to "hydrate" after a great night of drinking enough alcohol to float a Battleship. Coffee is at least one of the most important meals of the day.

[@catherineshaw1122]

Coffee actually dehydrates, as it signals the bowels and kidneys to empty rapidly.

[@johnboleyjr.1698]

@@catherineshaw1122 yes, I'm aware. That might be the reason I placed quotation marks around the word "hydrate".

[@jandl1jph766]

@@catherineshaw1122 The diuretic effect seems to happen only for doses "significantly higher" than what the person is used to, though - it mostly goes away as tolerance increases.

[@paulorchard7960]

Smell of coffee awakened me from a coma! After a fall from height I was in ICU and in a coma for almost 7 days when a coffee cart came through one morning and that smell is the first thing I remember!

[@abel5925]

Glad you made it bro ❤️

[@perry92964]

lol, your the ultimate coffee snob

[@toucanrising7014]

The best part of waking up..!

[@lynnodonnell4764]

That's how Starbucks was born! lol What a GREAT STORY! ☕

[@felonosrs]

@@toucanrising7014 Lmfaoo, i shouldn't laugh but that made me wheeze

[@mrdanforth3744]

Coffee, tea and chocolate may have reduced certain infectious diseases because they required boiling water, and if the water was contaminated boiling would kill any germs.

[@Neenerella333]

You could say that about noodles too!

[@Stettafire]

TBH boiling doesn't kill all germs but it does help

[@marthaadams4393]

@@Stettafire It used to. But, with certain things being put into out waterways and drinking water today - no longer true. I am a WWII baby and boiling used to be adequate whether at home or camping.

[@cahallo5964]

this is the weirdest paradigm at looking at the past, boiling making drinks safer was known, it has been known for waaaay longer than the discovery of America even, it' just that people are kinda lazy/don't think they'll get sick. The same as today, it's not that uncommon.

[@Haxorpenguin]

Boiling is enough to kill most pathogens, at least the ones typically capable of infecting people, as far as I understand. Sporulation of some pathogens might occur and be able to survive in boiling water, yes, but the spores produced usually need some time to transition back into viable pathogenic forms, this might be on the span of hours to days in some cases - this is called "the lag phase" of inoculation. To kill every germ (as well as spores), an autoclave is used. An autoclave is able to produce and withstand internal temperatures above the boiling point of water at pressures several times that of our atmosphere. I'm a biotechnology engineer and we routinely autoclave any and all waste that gets into contact with GMOs in order to make sure there's no risk of the GMO leaving the lab, so I have some knowledge of the inadequacy of simply boiling compared to complete sterilization techniques. No, this isn't something new that is added to the water, this has always been a thing, but we weren't aware and/or deemed it inconsequential to leave such spores unsterilized as the water would usually be used before the spores would become viable and able to multiply. Today it's still fine just to boil contaminated water in order to remove most pathogens in order to make water sources potable, most places. Anyways, to get back on topic, it definitely would have been more than enough to boil water (and still is, unless you need something clinically sterile for surgery or lab work) in order to significantly reduce the likelihood of being infected by various waterborne infectious diseases. In addition to aforementioned coffee, tea and chocolate, during beer brewing the wort is raised to a temperature that inactivates grain enzymes, which would also be sufficient to do the same to enzymes of microbes commonly found in water, thus rendering them functionally inert and unable to replicate, making beer among the selection of beverages mostly safe to drink. Cheers!

[@theTeslaFalcon]

So the East India TEA Company paid for studies to show that coffee was unhealthy & tea was healthy? Nothing has changed in 300 years. Nothing ever does.

[@pmichael73]

Allegedly, Voltaire drank 64 cups of coffee each days. These probably would have been small cups but still quite lot!

[@millermichael]

70 modern day cups can kill you so I hope they were small!

[@Plasmacore_V]

Old school drinking from the saucer in the painting at 2:00.

[@JS-wp4gs]

'Will drinking coffee kill me?' 'No, but trying switch my coffee out for decaf will get you killed' - 18th century programmer

[@lindabarling7719]

🤣🤣🤣

[@Xarcht]

But Decaf is healthier.

[@HitchHiker4Freedom]

😂

[@0v_x0]

Hand carving all those wooden program tablets for the difference engines at the time was hard work. People say writing in fortran was bad.

[@Hrafnhistorical]

Now that's funny timing, this very evening I was doing some filming in a powdered wig about life in an eighteenth century coffee house, and I read exactly those same two texts by Bacon and Willis myself!

[@bonniechance2357]

There was a TED talk some years ago about the role of caffeine in sparking the Enlightenment. It was about how the switch from drinking beer all day to drinking caffeinated drinks "woke up," for lack of a better term, intellectual curiosity and discourse. Of course, the fact that coffee and tea houses were popular meeting places for scholars might have had something to do with it, too.😊

[@danielbenjaminsilva]

Thank you for this. I was scanning comments to make sure this point was added to the discussion. So cool.

[@TonyFontaine1988]

Doesn't make sense considering the Rennessaince is what sparked the enlightenment, long before coffee was discovered

[@Vunderbread]

@@TonyFontaine1988 Was gonna say this - the sociopolitical environment was at least 90% of it. Europe was always a powerhouse just waiting to be unleashed if the shackles upon the population would ever be broken. There’s a TED talk for every theory out there. It seems like a platform that’s mostly used by people seeking a few minutes in the spotlight, although a few are really fascinating.

[@fortusvictus8297]

@@TonyFontaine1988 The Renaissance was more of a function of the movement of wealth and power to industry. The 'average' person had little to do with it other than increased employment and urbanization and increased access to education. The enlightenment piggybacked on that but was really a philosophical movement that was far more what we would call upper-middle class today. Working men, 'men of industry' were actively engaged and began social parties and regularly got together to discuss things like politics and philosophy which was only an 'Elite class' thing in the Renaissance as mentioned in this video.

[@MikehMike01]

@@TonyFontaine1988 most TED talks are bs

[@gabrielbruce1977]

Funny thing about coffee- the fact it's a stimulant specifically. Folks with ADHD have come forward multiple times- myself included- to report that drinking it actually helps! It's a form of self-medicating. It actually helps to *calm our brains*. Now, I'm not saying these folks 250 years ago who drank it before bed strictly had ADHD, b u t

[@MegaZsolti]

But what

[@gabrielbruce1977]

@@MegaZsolti but there might be a connection there.

[@MegaZsolti]

@@gabrielbruce1977 Oh, so this wasn't an ADHD joke. Sorry.

[@jackingwads7513]

The problem is coffee makes me tired it does help my ADHD but Adderall does so without ever making me sleepy I need my Adderall

[@acethememelorde4377]

It works for the same reason drugs like Ritalin or Adderall, which are also stimulants, work to treat ADHD! Stimulants actually calm our brains down, allowing us to slow down and actually focus.

[@Madiannereid]

The fact that ideologues were preaching about spending “too much” money on coffee as early as 1700 is too funny.

[@lynnodonnell4764]

Hello Starbucks!!!! I'm a temp and really have to curb my urge to relax in a coffeehouse.

[@KainYusanagi]

It was an expensive commodity back then, though. Remember that 1750 even was before the founding of America. Coffee was one of the commodities bought and sold by the British East India Trading Company back in the 1600's, but it was bought and sold in trade with the Islamic world initially, rather than in shipping it up to Britain or anywhere else in Europe; even after it eventually started making its way back home as an imported good, all imports came from the Middle East, and was not grown elsewhere. It wasn't until much later, around 1700, that it actually started to be spread to European colonies, taking until nearly 1800 to be transplanted to Mexico. Us calling coffee Java and Mocha actually derives from those ports being origins for the coffee trade, so they were marked with port-of-origin as a form of quality guarentee styling.

[@Madiannereid]

I think if you’re going multiple times per day every day, then sure, that could be an issue (especially in terms of environmental impact), but the idea that something that brings someone joy, or provides an escape, a social outing, or just plain provides a sense of fun or normalcy or enjoyment is evil because you CAN do it more cheaply at home is entirely missing the point. Everyone has things they spend money on and enjoy. For some people that thing is professionally made coffee in a “coffee house” and if that’s how someone chooses to spend their money then so what? Pundits and their “oh you’re latte-ing your retirement away” is just ludicrous; if you added up up what you spent on any one item over 35 YEARS of course it’s an outrageously high number. We really only “need” beans, spinach and water to live (for example) but that doesn’t make everything else luxury goods. Life is too short.

[@Madiannereid]

@@KainYusanagi yes I am aware of this: I have a master’s degree in History. I was making a joke based on what they explicitly said in the video. As they said, coffee houses were in the UK and Europe as early as the 18th century and, while a luxury, were not entirely out of reach of the middling and working classes.

[@boxelderinitiative3897]

@@Madiannereid masters degree, who cares. take the hit, move on, get your nose out of your crack

[@HLBear]

I remember being told coffee would stunt my growth. That hasn't stopped me!

[@nancybarnett2832]

My dad wouldn't let us drink coffee because he said it would stunt our growth. Turns out I don't like the taste anyway.

[@hollyreilly2035]

I never clicked so fast! This was really interesting, how people reacted to these new things back then. I remember reading in a textbook about nutrition that any time a new study comes out about food toy should take it with a grain of salt. Sometimes something needs years and years of testing to really see the effects of it.

[@Jinjerella]

In my lifetime I've Been Told that bacon is bad for me probably 12 different studies said so and probably at least the same number of studies saying bacon has benefits. It used to be about every other year they either gave bacon back to you or took it away from you according to some study or another.

[@josephteller9715]

@@Jinjerella I've never seen a study that claimed bacon was good for you... its a processed meat and generally falls into the too much salt gives you hypertension school of medical advice.

[@Marlaina]

Milk was pushed hard when I was a kid in the 90s. Now it’s not as good for you as was once thought.

[@Jinjerella]

My mother insisted in the '60s coffee stunted your growth. Some things just never go away.

[@kojiur]

I was told the same thing in the ‘90s. Every kid was drinking a ton of caffeinated soda and people thought that was okay, but somehow caffeine in coffee would stunt growth…

[@AnnikasASMR]

I was told the same in 2009

[@renaebettenhausen3611]

About coffee helping you go to sleep. While, generally speaking, caffeine IS Stimulant for most people, people with Attention Deficit Disorder will experience the opposite effect. ADD is quite often treated with stimulants. I have ADD, to the point where there are days that I can not finish a sentence. For me, coffee is a lifesaver. It is well known among people who have ADD that coffee is helpful in increasing one's attention span. I know for me, a doubleshot latte puts me in a good mood and I can get stuff done. 4 doubleshot lattes will put me to sleep. I know I'm not the only one. While some people can not drink coffee past noon for fear of not sleeping, for me, a good night's sleep involves firing up the espresso maker.

[@joanhoffman3702]

How fascinating! I can’t have caffeine after a certain time, or I won’t sleep. We’re all individuals and the differences made life interesting.

[@deadgavin4218]

the same but i find high caffeine from energy drinks and blonde coffee to not have this effect at amd eventually to be disruptive to sleep and agitating, so this opposite effect of stimulants i think may have been over generalized to caffeine and that coffee may have another compound causing this effect

[@KSeigY]

Anecdotally, I've heard that part of the reason it helps is that the caffeine quiets down the ambient voices/thoughts that are constantly "buzzing" in an ADHD mind (at least, some have it. Maybe not all), making them less of a distraction and allowing one to focus more easily.

[@tinyspyder]

100% yes!!

[@rin_okami]

It's theorized the reason for that is because in people with ADHD, the problem is caused by a deficiency of certain neurotransmitters, which coffee stimulates the production of. So while in neurotypical people it causes an overproduction (causing the "buzz"), in people with ADHD it merely bumps them closer to normal. This also explains a lot of ADHD's symptoms as the brain desperately jumping from one novel stimulus to the next, because that stimulus also increases the production of the neurotransmitters that the brain is starved of (but only for a short period of time, hence the ADHD person's need to jump from one thing to the next rather than being able to focus on just the one.)

[@Normie_Normalson]

I'm glad you said we still have this problem today, a lot of people think this is 'all in the past'. Nutritional epidemiology doesn't have any experiments with proper controls, duration and statistical power to underpin it (for obvious ethical and practical reasons), so it's still relying largely on naturalistic observation and mechanistic speculation, just as 300 years ago (albeit within a different paradigm). We make fun of 'bad humors' today, but they'll be making fun of 'bad cholesterol' in the future.

[@Ebani]

I already do, sadly STEM ppl are few and far between

[@Stettafire]

@@Ebani What? There are lots of STEM people. Several million of us?

[@no_problem8023]

"Nutritional epidemiology doesn't have any experiments with proper controls, duration and statistical power to underpin it (for obvious ethical and practical reasons), so it's still relying largely on naturalistic observation and mechanistic speculation, just as 300 years ago (albeit within a different paradigm)." This statement sounds like the kind of typical statement said by one who is attempting to discredit, and delegitimize scientific studies, and science, in general. What studies/research about coffee/nutritional epidemiology aren't suitable enough for you? Please back up what you mean when you imply what you are implying? What you're saying about coffee tests and research are the same that misinformed conservatives say about vaccines. Modern society has benefited greatly from reasearch/studies about Nutritional epidemiology.

[@MsFitz134]

@@Ebani failing to see the connection between STEM and nutrition... I'm not going to go to a calculus professor, computer programmer, or mechanical engineer for nutrition advice. It's true that a lot of nutrition advice is not based on what is considered good science, but that doesn't mean STEM people know more than nutritionists do.

[@Normie_Normalson]

​@@no_problem8023 nutritional epidemiology attempts to infer causation from correlation, without controlling for genetic, lifestyle and environmental confounders (and no, post-hoc multiple regression analysis is not 'control', it only further confounds the findings). Additionally the findings are rarely based on actual observations, but rather respondent data, which is provably unreliable and replete with both reporting and collection errors. The result is that in almost every epidemiological study the error bars alone will render the data irrelevant. Any signal is utterly swamped by noise (there are examples such as smoking and lung cancer where the signal is so strong and consistent it cuts through the noise, but that is the exception not the rule. and typically in such instances the association is so obvious no study is even required. smoking was an exception because of decades of propaganda and the consumer bias of addicted smokers)

[@pdgingras]

I did a paper way back in my college days (circa 1985). It was determined by science that one could overdose on about 70 cups of coffee. So therefore, coffee can kill you. 🤓 Btw, it was also noted that nutmeg was a hallucinogen, which just happens to be the favorite spice of our most beloved host.

[@antidoteify]

yeah about nutmeg, it is in fact so.

[@0v_x0]

​​@@georgevieira6686 some people report the feeling to be like an unpleasant and overpowering hashish like sensation, which can include mild visual activity, but not classical hallucinations in the clinical sense. Otherwise yeah.

[@0v_x0]

​@coolguyhentaisenpai i think it takes less than half of that to cause potentially fatal water hypoxia. i think it's like 2 gallons in an hour without urinating but that's just a loose memory. I do know water poisoning is definitely a thing though.

[@wm2990]

Nutmeg effects the central nervous system in a way similar to mescaline but not as strong. I tried to smoke it once when I was younger and it gave me a terrible headache and dizziness with like a body numbness.

[@garym2879]

Vassilaro's Coffee. 100+ year old coffee company in NYC. Greek immigrant started it in 1919. BEST COFFEE IN NYC!!!!

[@elliephants7047]

Love their enthusiasm- all thoughts which I've had, drinking coffee, two, three hundred odd years later!! Especially since my pot-a-day habit dropped by necessity to nearly none. Cruelty, I tell you.

[@looksirdroids9134]

Nearly none? Yeah, you're still an addict. Obviously not strong enough to quit properly.

[@Gamerkat10]

You know, it's always refreshing to see you discuss the things people got wrong, but also what they got right. There are some funny things here, but it's also correct that it can help breathing and headaches....but also cause trembling or nervousness for us 'hot brained' people, lol. Thanks for not just focusing on how 'dumb' people were back then

[@singletona082]

'Coffee clears the mind.' Well part of that is getting off of the mild hangover you've suffered since you were ten helps....

[@carlwilliams1340]

As someone with ADHD, coffee actually does a great job with getting me to sleep.

[@mikhailkalashnikov7886]

Heck, I drink espresso instead of taking ADD meds, and it seems to fix my brain.

[@tinyspyder]

Yes!!!!

[@marilynmitchell2712]

A stimulant sometimes does relax me.

[@Thoroughly_Wet]

Shallows out the "spikes"

[@The_Gallowglass]

@@mikhailkalashnikov7886 And that's how you were able to create the AK platform. :D

[@333whiteraven]

I have that grinder! It's an awesome little thing. I didn't know the design was that old.

[@kimfleury]

I can't believe Glade hasn't come up with a coffee-scented air freshener.

[@sarahcrews2544]

Hobby lobby has a candle that is spot on!

[@lydiabond5393]

@@sarahcrews2544 thanks for that tip! I will check that out

[@crystalcleartruth221]

Old spice makes coffee scented deodorant

[@LazyLifeIFreak]

I love the taste and smell of coffee, my better half absolutely hates the taste but loves the smell.

[@Mark-nh2hs]

Coffee is like Guinness lol Guinness looks impressive when in a glass but many hate the taste - I used to hate the stuff but then one day I loved it 🤣🤣🤣.

[@robin-chat2812]

I worked in a couple of call centers and free coffee flowed from morning til night

[@roddmatsui3554]

Coffee got me through some asthma reactions in the early 2000s, and I was very grateful for its usefulness in that regard and as an energy drink. I also like the flavor of it.

[@daruween1398]

Coffe being baptised is the most hilarious thing ever

[@BogeyTheBear]

I've heard of 'baptizing' red wine, but this was just the practice of adding a drop or two of water to the first glass poured (but not the subsequent glasses) to improve the taste.

[@Q_The_Rabbit]

The most memorable times of childhood were (There was a fireplace next to our wood stove) sitting around the fireplace with everybody on the farm drinking coffee as breakfast was being cooked. Even as a toddler with fresk milk. Now, I roast my own (The kitchen is La Cornue, but a Vogelzange Railroad flat top is on the covered patio).

[@BluJean6692]

I'm surprised the Swedish royal experiment on tea vs coffee didn't come up! I think the subtext of it was related to the fears expressed in this...

[@micahrollins8353]

“Thou shalt not even talk unto me lest I hath partaken in mine coffee” -Shakespeare’s mug probably

[@prepperskills7223]

Sometimes coffee makes me sleepy. It as sometimes has a mellowing effect on some people with atypical neurology.

[@ninja1man4u]

I love that mug, unironically, I kind of want that as my morning mug now.

[@0v_x0]

The 1855 treatise "Plant Intoxicants" by Baron Ernst Von Bibra, a German ethnobotanist, is quite an interesting read. This was right when isolating chemical alkaloids from plants was rapidly developing in science. Caffeine itself is an interesting topic throughout the book. It has an imperialistic tone at times which can be a bit offensive, but is generally a very sound and interesting resource, and piece of period specific science.

[@SkylerLinux]

Voltaire really knew how to go about life, fresh roasted coffee is the best coffee

[@Zeddex2965]

He's right. It's pretty cool that the way people talk about what they believe something is, even before investigating it to see what it actually does, is the same way we do things today, all these years later.

[@morelcompasstv]

I just want to thank you for having a wholesome show of any kind on the internet. It’s so rare and I sincerely appreciate it

[@antidoteify]

3:52 it's a soup..from the perspective of an italian. Thank you for the fine youtube you all create.

[@RaspK]

Regarding the whole humours thing, it goes even farther back in time: Classical Antiquity. The 4 Elements are supposed to be sharing some properties, namely how cold or warm they are, and how moist or dry they are - each one having a primary property and a secondary property among those two, in a chain sort of way (e.g. primarily hot, secondarily dry). Funnily enough, because of the whole opposition thing, and as it clearly makes most sense for the "element" of fire to be primarily hot, the primary property of water is... being cold, not moist!

[@tinagriffith841]

Recommended serving is safe to say 1 cup a day... but they never mentioned the size of the cup!😁

[@marilynmitchell2712]

6 ounces. I wrote a paper about coffee in Writing 101

[@gabrielpaludo6913]

Comically large cup

[@lyra2112]

Excellent episode! Cheers! ☕️☕️

[@steelwheels327]

250 yrs later and its still going strong!!

[@zomath9151]

Thank You for interesting and detailed story!☕️ let’s take a cup😁

[@johnnyclarik1]

Regarding breathing, coffee helps. Caffeine, actually. My son was born 3.5 months premature in March of 2020 and spent the forst 40 days of his life intubated. He received a daily dose of caffeine because it would help him remember to breathe. So they were certainly on to something with that claim.

[@lmtoad1397]

You should make those mugs for Townsend's online! I'd love a skull and crossbones mug!

[@archibaldmaclaine6506]

Perhaps with something about nutmeg on the other side. HHHHHhhhhmmmmmm I wonder how well coffee and nutmeg would go together? Must try it soon.

[@RavenBlaze]

There was an advertisement on this video stating that coffee was bad for you with Jitters and anxiety and whatnot.

[@AKATE47]

The music on this channel is always sooo soothing! Can anyone tell me what style or genre of instrumental music this is? I want a playlist of it 🥲

[@townsends]

I'm not sure what the correct genre name would be but the music piece is from Manduetto by Jim's Red Pants jimsredpants.bandcamp.com/album/manduetto-mandolin-duets-from-the-18th-century. Hopefully this will help you find similar pieces.

[@limgreen9766]

"Everything is toxic, the amount matters" Dr. Theophrastus Bombast von Hohenheim

[@sadielappin8862]

2:08 "If you didn't buy fancy coffee, you could own a home" but 250 years ago...

[@MatthewBester]

I'm British/English and I pretty much only drink coffee now. Maybe a cuppa now and then.

[@brianartillery]

In the late 1990's, a friend at work, brought me in an old, but unused filter coffee jug. It wasn't long before I was using it throughout the day at work - and was making some beautiful coffee with it - I spent a lot of money on the best coffee I could afford. I shared it with a lot of people, but I was still drinking an awful lot of coffee each day, to the point where I got kept awake at night - not by caffeine, which has no effect on my sleep at all, but by 'Jiggly Legs' (Medical terminology. Possibly). My Doctor asked me how much coffee I was drinking each day, and wasn't amused when I said: "About two litres." I drink coffee about twice a week now. 😆😆😆

[@toddjackson3136]

I think coffee is like wine. A little bit is probably beneficial as to the health benefits. However the benefits are quickly outweighed by the negatives when you drink too much of it. Where that line is is going to be different for each person. The problem is both substances are addictive. Some people have strong enough will to not be problem, but, most will become addicted to one degree or another. I believe we should be careful what ever we choose to put in ourselves. Evaluate yourself while your consuming. If you see signs of addiction pull back and reevaluate.

[@KSeigY]

If you really think about it, coffee is just bean tea. Just a funny thought I heard on a D&D stream one time, thought others might think it's amusing.

[@JennyA]

Who else was drinking coffee while watching? I've been drinking different coffees from around the world and I keep coming back to Columbia.

[@OofusTwillip]

Even today, some of us drink coffee to relax at night, while others can't sleep if they drink coffee in the afternoon. Neurology plays a role in this. My brain needs a stimulant to relax it, so I drink coffee in the evening. It really makes me sleepy.

[@xcom9x]

When they talk about a "sulphur" &c I bet they don't mean a sulphur compound like we would understand it -- I think they mean it in the alchemical sense. There were classes of materials like metals, "sulphurs" were another kind, as well as ashes or earths. You could do a whole series on that stuff though, it's really esoteric. Iirc sulphur of coffee would be the "soul" or "spirit" of coffee in some kind of sense? They're trying to get a handle and you could see how it would eventually lead to the discovery of caffeine.

[@Myrtle2911]

I'm watching this as I sip coffee. LOL. I find it interesting that they didn't know about caffeine, but they really did describe the effects accurately. It *is* a diuretic and can make you "produce urine." It has a mild laxative effect, so maybe that was the "aids in digestion" they saw. Caffeine does help with headaches. It's one of the active ingredients in Excedrin. It can make some people very jittery and shaky while not affecting others at all (me).

[@marka4891]

Man... I can't get through the day without coffee and tea. Cup o' coffee on my way to work in the morning and then ice tea throughout the day to keep me going.

[@BradGryphonn]

Coffee. That is all I needed to see in the title.

[@gaselekrauss415]

A friend suggested I add a tiny pinch of baking soda to my coffee cup. It really does taste smoother and less acid.

[@catherineshaw1122]

How you prepare it makes all the difference as well. The only method my tummy allowed was in a Bialetti pot on the stove. Rich, smooth, low acid. I got that tip from a former Jesuit priest, lol.

[@rebeccaback3287]

Verry interesting history John about coffee.I remember when I was a small child my Grandmother would grind coffee beans.You could smell it through the house.She would make it in a old purculator.That made me fall in Love coffee and I still Love it.David Back Menifee co KY.

[@helenel4126]

The coffee shops of London were only frequented by men (women stayed with tea). Lloyds of London began as a coffeeshop.

[@tokencivilian8507]

What's fascinating is that they did identify many of the effects of caffeine without knowing about it. All the discussion of stimulating the mind, coffee not being suitable for those with a nervous temper, causes trembling like the palsy, adds energy, etc. Then again, there was also much that was patently incorrect, like coffee before bed.

[@spiritsjoy]

Maybe not i sleep well after a cup of coffee.... everyones system behaves differently

[@ВикторСтупак-д9п]

Смотрю Ваши ролики , и всё больше начинаю понимать английский язык . Спасибо Вам за интересный контент !!! C ув. с Украины ! Мир всем народам !

[@rogueraven7603]

More pirate mugs please

[@trapperscout2046]

I remember once reading in Esther Forbes' novel "Johnny Tremain" a part in the book where Johnny receives payment from John Hancock then goes to a tavern to buy food. He spends part of the money on coffee and he ends up not caring too much for how it tastes.

[@karinhart489]

Also read the book as a kid. He ordered a pitcher of chocolate and a pitcher of coffee. Loved the chocolate, but was disappointed in the taste of coffee after delighting in its smell.

[@trapperscout2046]

@@karinhart489 Let me guess. It was required reading in the fifth grade? It was for me at least.

[@karinhart489]

@@trapperscout2046, well not exactly… it wasn’t required reading at my school. I was having trouble finding something I wanted to read, and was kind of off to the corner of the school library during the 1960s. Doubt I would have read it if I knew it was written in 1943. But it was a good story about apprenticeship, the guild system, classes in society, and the American Revolution. And the passage you picked out struck me as a kid about how someone’s economic station dictated he could only have known coffee & chocolate by smell rather than taste until his own good fortune. Thank goodness my doctors today & medical science tell me that both coffee & chocolate are good for my health.

[@moosemaimer]

I worked at a grocery store in high school and would never bring my wallet with me. The store had an urn of complimentary coffee for customers, so whenever I went on break I would grab a cup and head to the magazine rack. Coffeehouse experience, except I was getting paid. Now I have all manner of apparati to make coffee. In fact I'm drinking coffee liqueur right now!

[@glenquarrie3414]

The caffeine iin coffee can absolutely help relieve symptoms of asthma.

[@benjaminscribner7737]

In the 20th and 21st century, we have latte shops on almost every corner in the northwest. So not much has changed when it comes to coffee houses, just most have moved to drive in stands.

[@BOBAGENTSMITH]

Fascinating that some of these ideas are still so pervasive today.

[@0xEmmy]

6:20 fun fact: many people with ADHD report that stimulants (both caffeine and modern pharmaceuticals) can help with sleep. The concept of ADHD wouldn't have existed in 1700, but its underlying neurology - and any associated different response to stimulants - can be assumed to be as old as humanity itself.

[@willis32]

I believe a hot brain means youre a hot head and anger easily

[@artytomparis]

Voltaire had lots of interesting problems associated with attention deficit disorder according the diaries of Marie de Chatelet, his mistress.

[@Craig_Hilbig]

I have adhd, use coffee to “clear my mind”

[@artytomparis]

@@Craig_Hilbig Hummmm and it's working ???

[@deborahscotland8819]

I want a skull and crossbones mug.

[@jamesellsworth9673]

Fascinating topic, well-presented! Roasting coffee has a fine aroma!

[@judithsmith9319]

I too drink my dark roast, and sleep comes without trouble. If I drink a lighter roast, which has more caffeine, then it can keep me up thru the night. Not always which is interesting.

[@larryeddings3185]

I do enjoy a good cup of coffee, especially in the morning.

[@mackenziedrake]

That description of diffusing spirits of wine, stimulating urine and such is an accurate observation in and of itself. It's just the explanation of the data that's off. Thanks!

[@catherineshaw1122]

Coffee doesn't actually do anything to negate the effects of alcohol, though. That was an old myth.

[@mackenziedrake]

@@catherineshaw1122 True. You just end up alert and drunk.

[@catherineshaw1122]

@@mackenziedrake which is certainly an interesting experience, lol.

[@baldwintheanchorite]

Francis Bacon quote about coffee is only 2 eggs short of a full sunrise

[@chefevilee9566]

England had some good old mesmerism happening about the coffee

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

If coffee kills I'd have been dead long ago! Hey, those 18th Century writers left out the best part of coffee, it's the perfect accessory for ANY kind of dessert! It ain't dessert without a cuppa cawfee!

[@BarnesRanch]

Keeping you awake and helping you to fall asleep isn’t contradictory here. I got a book about coffee and in there it states that the first 30 minutes or so after drinking it may make you sleepy before making you feel more awake. Because of caffeine being a neurotoxin it takes some time to unfold it’s whole potential. And according to said book its effect will reach its peak after about four hours…

[@SargeOfTheGuard]

LOL! 😆 You, Jon Townsend, adore the aroma of Coffee?!? I so remember a while back in your video about "The Perfect Campfire Coffee" you stated you weren't very fond of this wondrous concoction! Just toss a couple of whole Cloves into the pot when you add the grinds then you'll end up with the Nectar of the Gods on Mount Olympus to be enjoyed along with the Ambrosia that your precious daughter Ivy makes by folding Puff Paste over Fruit Preserves! ☕

[@sststr]

I'm happy that you like coffee so much, that just means more tea for me!

[@sailorknightwing]

He actually doesn't care for coffee! He's mentioned it on a couple of episodes that feature it, like the coffee eggs

[@BOOMER-rs5qn]

I'm glad you like tea, it leaves more coffee for me lol.

[@TexasNationalist1836]

Too bad it’s all in the Boston harbor

[@TesterBoy]

If beer muddles the mind then coffee certainly makes it clear.

[@leradmuiel7634]

As a coffee lover this was a good video.

[@BlaBla-pf8mf]

Melancholy Vapors sounds like the name of a steampunk emo band. John, you should do a video on historical ways of making coffee.

[@stevefranklin9176]

I recall the LD50 of coffee is something like 80 cups in a 6-7 hr space for an average adult 70kg. But coffee is gooood.

[@MushroomPickles]

I have read alot of things that coffee in the 18th and 19th century was an issue because people were way more addicted to it than now, think Australia's consumption x3. American soldiers in the Civil War would collapse and go through jonesing withdrawals without it. So they were probably drinking so much it was a problem.

[@seanheath4492]

It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the beans of Java the thoughts acquire speed, The hands acquire shaking, The shaking becomes a warning. It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion.

[@deltonmcclary7341]

I need that mug that was in the first few seconds!! Name your price!!

[@tinker651]

HA! I feel like the ones who used it to sleep were basically getting a rudimentary form of ADHD possibility. Energy drinks are nite nite juse

[@CaptchaNeon]

Honestly it makes me feel better to hear the commentary about coffee back then, specifically about it making you sleepy. I haven’t met a single person in my lifetime who can relate to coffee having an exhausting effect on me. I can drink a very small amount and be very sleepy. ☕️ I really don’t know why

[@harukrentz435]

Depends. I can drink coffee and go to sleep right away no problem BUT if i still stay up 2-3 hours after drinking it then i'm in trouble coz that means no night sleep for me. This is why i avoid drinking coffee at 6-8 pm.

[@jakekarr9733]

I prefer my chai tea. Coffee I used to drink to wake up for school but now it makes me highly agitated. I consider myself a morning person anyway so coffee is like a catalyst for grumpiness rather than an alleviation for it.

[@KathysTube]

Very interesting indeed! Thanks 👍🇺🇸

[@KusumaWijaya]

I wonder why coffe can popular in that time No sugar right?

[@tihzho]

3:51 That's about enough for a small coffee cup and its going into a big pot. What's going on here?? Hot water with a just hint of coffee! 😝

[@christianpatriot7439]

I once knew a man who would go to McDonald's and end up with an ice cream cone in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.