Skipping the unnecessary history and geography lesson — here’s the practical stuff.
Coffee is the healthiest of the caffeinated drinks, generally speaking. There are two main bean varieties: Arabica and Robusta (people mention others, but those are the two I’ve actually encountered). Robusta has more caffeine and a more bitter taste. Arabica is oilier, generally considered more flavorful, and more expensive.
The most reasonable brewing method is probably a French press. If you’re short on time, instant coffee works — but never the kind that comes pre-mixed with creamer and sugar all in one packet. If you see that, throw it straight in the trash; nobody should be drinking that. Moving on.
For enjoyment, coffee pairs well with dessert — I personally like it with a lighter cake, since anything too heavy competes with the coffee. If caffeine’s effectiveness matters to you, try pairing it with a mandarin — the vitamin C may help improve how efficiently your body processes caffeine. Worth trying.
If you want the caffeine effect to last longer instead of hitting fast and fading quickly, you can add fat (this is the idea behind so-called “bulletproof coffee”). But if you just dump the fat straight in, you’ll get an ugly oil layer floating on top, and it can even burn your lips slightly since fat conducts heat better. That’s why people blend it — to get a foamy texture — but then you’ve got a blender to clean afterward, which is its own hassle if you’re not up for it. Alternative: use finely powdered instant coffee, pour coconut oil over it, and let the coffee absorb the oil (you’ll need a decent amount of coffee relative to a small amount of oil for this to work). Then pour hot water in and stir. It won’t distribute quite as evenly as with a blender, but the oil will mix in reasonably well. Coconut oil, specifically, contains a fat your brain can actually use productively. If you want to boost caffeine’s effect while reducing its jittery downside, try taking 100mg of L-theanine alongside your coffee — it’s an amino acid, and as far as I know, harmless.
Last tip: if you’re at a café and want maximum caffeine, go with filter coffee.
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