"NationalCoffeeDay" news and stories

Happy National Coffee Day!

We'd be preaching to the choir to tell you to raise up a cup of java today -- odds are, you're either a loyal coffee drinker or you don't touch the stuff, and there's little to do to change that. But ours is a caffeinated world, in which coffee takes place second only to oil as the most valued commodity. According to Bob Thomson, a pop-culture professor at Syracuse University who leads an entire course on Starbucks, "As you're working during the day, coffee becomes the equivalent of 'in-flight fueling station.' You grab a cup on your way to work, you've got your little commuting holder in your car, there's a pot at work... I think it's really appropriate that oil and coffee look the same because, in a lot of ways, oil and coffee are doing the same job."

Most Americans drink coffee every day, at a rate of 2 to 3 cups a day -- in fact many would argue they couldn't function without it. How much coffee do you drink daily? Confess your coffee habits in the comments.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot at having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.

Now this is actually one of those food/drink holidays that could actually become a national holiday, considering how many people drink coffee and are pretty much obsessed by it and can't function without it..

National Coffee Day can be celebrated in many different ways. You could just go to Starbucks or Peets or Dunkin Donuts, but if you want to make your own coffee drinks, check out the Cookin With Coffee Directory. How about a Coffee Float or Mexican Coffee or this page that has recipes for Coffee Brownies, Coffee Smoothies, and coffee that's perfect for a crisp fall day, which has ingredients that include whole cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom.

You can also check out CoffeeUniverse.com for lots of info on that most sacred of beans.