to be thinking about drinking coffee...

I doubt if it will do you much harm medically, but if you're 53 and have never drunk it before, you might find that you just don't like it enough to get into the habit.

I used to get up early when Dts were small, had a half hour of lovely coffee in calm before they woke up/ I was a coffee snob. Covid
stole it from me back in 2020, haven't been able to drink it since.

Embrace the coffee!

Just find yourself something that gives you 5 mins you enjoy. I love my first coffee of the day if I manage it get up before DC. But it could be tea or a nice yogurt or an orgasm 😂whatever floats your boat.

As a former smoker I really couldn't get exercised about a coffee addiction. It's incredibly benign. Yes it's addictive in that if you drink enough you will get mild withdrawal symptoms but in the scheme of things you can get addicted to its at the incredibly mild end of the spectrum. I love good coffee: love the taste, love the ritual of it and it gives me a nice pick-up in the morning. As long as you're not drinking 15 cups a day you'll be fine.

That said, if you're suffering from chronic fatigue, coffee might not really touch the sides. It's worth thinking about other approaches (HRT? better sleep hygiene? exercise?)

Definitely good real coffee. You don't need complicated kit. An Aeropress is good and simple, doesn't take over your worktop. Ideally whole beans and a decent grinder but just start with ground in small quantities.

I love coffee! In moderation it's actively good for you.

Has to be Nice Coffee though, none of your instant rubbish.

Clearly she meant if you’ve got a problem with energy, brain fog or anything like that it’s not caused by a caffeine or sugar deficiency and so having those masks the root cause.

Well yes, in your 50s these symptoms might be associated with menopause and/or developing hypothyroidism (and probably other things) so it's definitely a good idea to get a checkup/blood tests

I’m also someone who’s never had coffee (or tea!) but considering it recently, especially the coffee to help get me more awake in the morning, the smell is awful though.

@Dotjones I once tried to give up caffeine and I got horrendous headaches - but I think that was cos I went cold turkey on coffee, tea and cola at the same time . I also found I drank far less coffee and cola when I started working from home .

Apparently coffee may help prevent Alzheimer's so more reason to drink it up

53 and never a coffee? How are you even alive?!

Oh and of course no sugar, syrups or excessive milk.

Why is coffee a "bad habit"?? It's extremely good for you, supports the microbiome and boosts longevity of life. (Fresh coffee of course, and not instant processed muck).

What about Berroca or a different brand of energy tablets that you dissolve in water. I find I get more energy with those than a coffee. A coffee a morning isn’t really a bad habit but i don’t find it comes with a big energy boost (although some people do)

I love coffee! It's more an enjoyable taste than energy though... there's an added benefit that caffeine actually helps with adhd and I definitely have more than a lot of people would (cup 7 is in front of me now).

It's comforting to have a nice hot cup of nice coffee on a cold morning- only good stuff though, fresh ground beans.
And refreshing to have an iced coffee on a hot day, drizzle of caramel or sprinkle of coconut 👌

I get a mildly annoying headache if I don't have it for a couple of days but it goes quickly

Yeah get involved coffee is excellent

Coffee's good for you so there's no reason not to start drinking it. The bigger concern would be if, as a coffee novice, you pump it full of milk and sugar because those things can be unhealthy.

I've never got the idea of being addicted to coffee. I know some people say they have withdrawal symptoms but personally I don't know anyone who has ever claimed to have them. I drank loads of it daily for 30 years, then the pandemic hit, I started working from home and it dawned on me one day I hadn't had a cup of it in months. It might be that I started young, probably around 6 or 7 which is younger than most people, maybe it got my system ready.

Be aware that coffee doesn't perk you up much though. For me it makes me sleepy rather than makes me alert unless I have a high strength one, triple expresso dropped in an americano type of deal.

I don’t drink coffee as don’t like the taste. I start the day with a Coke Zero for the caffeine hit.

I am the same age as you and drink coffee. It is a bad habit and I really wouldn't start. It is bad for sleep and your teeth.

Coffee supposedly depletes iron in your body (I’m not a scientist) so beware if you have a tendency to anemia.
Personally I love coffee, not quite addicted but I feel there’s something “wrong” if I don’t have my espresso at 1:30.

Don’t expect coffee to taste as good as it smells.

How odd that you interpreted it that way.

Clearly she meant if you’ve got a problem with energy, brain fog or anything like that it’s not caused by a caffeine or sugar deficiency and so having those masks the root cause.

How strange you would think otherwise.

I know people here seem to love expensive coffee gadgets. The coffee capsules are an environmental disaster. And fancy espresso machines are expensive and hard to fix when they go wrong. Many are a faff to clean.

Can I put in a plea for the humble moka pot. The 6 [espresso] cup size is about equivalent to one decent mug. They're very simple and quick to clean. You can buy replacement parts for them. I'm fussy about my coffee but I find even the packets of ready-ground (like Lavazza etc) make great coffee in them.

If you're drinking too much coffee then do what I did: just have it in the morning and switch to something else for the rest of the day.