One of the great joys of Spanish life is savoring a good cup of coffee on a sunny terrace. Spanish cafés, no matter how small, almost always have a proper espresso machine and typically serve very decent coffee.
Coffee is made from the seeds of the coffee plant’s fruit—commonly, but incorrectly, called “coffee beans.” These seeds are extracted, dried, roasted, and ground. Legend has it that coffee was “discovered” around the year 300 in what is now Ethiopia. What we doknow is that it was the Arabs who first turned coffee into a beverage and began cultivating it. By the late 15th century, European explorers encountered this stimulating and slightly mysterious drink for the first time on the Arabian Peninsula. The port city of Mocha became the coffee trade’s central hub.
Coffee later spread to other tropical regions. Initially, it was extremely expensive and reserved for the wealthy. In the 18th century, as production ramped up, coffee replaced beer as the most popular drink. Today, in Western Europe, more coffee is consumed than water or beer.
Myths and Facts
Coffee has long been surrounded by myths and misconceptions, particularly regarding its effects on health and mental functioning. It’s been accused of causing cancer, stomach ulcers, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease.
Yes, coffee contains acrylamide, a compound that can be carcinogenic in high doses. However, roasting significantly reduces this risk.
Coffee does not cause stomach ulcers, though it may aggravate existing ones. And contrary to earlier claims, no measurable negative effect on bone density has been found.
Caffeine, coffee’s best-known ingredient, has a proven stimulating effect: it helps us stay alert and focused and delays fatigue. However, it can also cause psychological dependence. Some regular drinkers experience withdrawal symptoms—mostly headaches and trouble concentrating—when they suddenly stop. These symptoms typically last 5 to 10 days. In some individuals, caffeine can provoke anxiety-like symptoms: palpitations, rapid breathing, and sweating.
Interestingly, caffeine was on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned substance list until 2004. Still, coffee contains many more bioactive compounds than just caffeine, and many of its health effects apply equally to decaffeinated coffee.
Coffee causes a mild increase in blood pressure and stimulates heart activity. Early studies suggested that coffee raised the risk of cardiovascular disease, but these findings were later corrected: they had been confounded by the fact that coffee drinkers were more likely to be smokers.
What the Evidence Really Shows
Why have we heard so many conflicting stories about coffee and health over the years? Because much of the early research was poorly designed: small sample sizes, short follow-ups, and weak methodologies. Despite this, results were often published—even in lower-tier journals—and then picked up and amplified by the media. No wonder the public message changed every few years.
High-quality studies require large sample sizes and well-matched comparison groups—same proportions of men and women, smokers vs. non-smokers, average body weight, and so on. The more participants, the more reliable the findings.
In 2018, three large-scale studies were published, each tracking hundreds of thousands of people over many years. All concluded that coffee drinkers had a lower risk of death than non-drinkers—especially due to fewer cardiovascular and neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Notably, the results were the same for both regular and decaf coffee, suggesting that other compounds in coffee contribute to its health benefits.
More recent, well-designed studies (2025) confirm these findings. Moderate coffee consumption (3 to 5 cups per day) is linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and reduced all-cause mortality. Again, both regular and decaffeinated coffee were beneficial.
Timing also matters: drinking coffee in the morning (before noon) was associated with a 31% lower risk of cardiovascular death and a 16% lower risk of death from any cause. These benefits were not seen when coffee was consumed later in the day.
Another major study published in September 2024, involving over 500,000 participants, found that moderate coffee consumption (around 3 cups per day or 200–300 mg of caffeine) significantly reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, and stroke. These effects were again observed with both caffeinated and decaf coffee.
Final Sip
So go ahead—enjoy your daily cup on that sunny Spanish terrace. And who knows? Thanks to coffee, you might just earn yourself a few extra years to spend on the Costa del Sol.
Pictures: 1: 15 years ago, 2 + 3 Pixabay, 4 AI-generated
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