A cup of coffee is the quintessential staple of a morning routine. Many eagerly await the jolt of energy and liquid confidence a steaming cup brings before the day’s first meeting. Globally, coffee consumption has risen, and two-thirds of Americans drink coffee daily, according to 2022 data from the National Coffee Association .
And even amid coffee supply chain issues, people are willing to shell out more money for a cup of Joe (and much, much more for specialty coffees like a well-marketed iced oat milk hazelnut latte). While some swear by coffee before their first conversation, others wait until they’ve settled into the office and have had a bite to eat. So, is there a gold standard for the best time to drink coffee? Neuroscientist and podcast host Andrew Huberman says there may indeed be.
He encourages people to delay their morning coffee by 90 minutes to two hours after waking up to “ optimize physical and mental performance .” In a podcast episode, Huberman says adenosine, the chemical that makes people feel tired and less alert, builds up after we wake up. Therefore, drinking caffeine, which blocks adenosine, will be more effective a bit later in the morning and help people stay alert further into the afternoon.
Other experts say it depends and that consuming caffeine before exercise is a notable exception. On average, the caffeine in a cup of coffee kicks in about thirty minutes to an hour after consumption. However, it depends on the individual, their genetic.