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# Here's When You Should Really Be Drinking Your Coffee

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/5AkCMa26.m3u8" -->
## Video: The 50 Pound Cup of Coffee

[Watch (HLS stream): The 50 Pound Cup of Coffee](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/5AkCMa26.m3u8) (2:01)

![The 50 Pound Cup of Coffee](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/5AkCMa26/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2008-04-21. Perceived wisdom has it that we're entering a worldwide recession. So, how can a London department store get away with selling a cup of Joe at this kind of price?_


by 

[Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/)


## Samantha Grossman


May 29, 2015 4:17 PM UTC

by 

[Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/)


## Samantha Grossman


May 29, 2015 4:17 PM UTC

Many coffee drinkers probably reach for their morning cup of joe immediately after waking up, but this video from AsapSCIENCE reveals that that’s not really the best idea if you want to maximize your levels of energy and alertness.

The main factors at play are your body’s circadian rhythm and the times when your body produces the hormone cortisol, which affects your level of alertness throughout the day.

The video’s narrator explains that 9 a.m. is probably the ideal time for most people to drink their coffee, because it’s right after your body’s peak cortisol production. Watch up top to learn more.


## Transcript

[00:01] >>This is Glen Levy with time. com. Recently on the
[00:04] sites, our office coffee aficionado, James Poniewozik,
[00:08] sampled Starbucks' new Pike Place Roast. But as the
[00:11] saying doesn't exactly go: " Anything New York can do,
[00:14] London can do ." Well, more expensively. Want proof?
[00:18] How about the Caffé Raro Beans sold at the Peter
[00:20] Jones Department Store in Chelsea.
[00:22] >>It
[00:24] is what we believe is the rarest coffee, able to be
[00:28] available worldwide. It's a blend
[00:30] >>of two of the most exclusive coffee beans and
[00:34] Jamaican Blue Mountain and the Kopi Luwak bean
[00:38] found in Indonesia. A cup is £ 50 and this reflects
[00:42] how much it actually does cost for us to get hold of the
[00:46] beans. Every £ 50 from each cup sold goes directly to
[00:50] Macmillan Cancer Support and so our customers don't
[00:54] seem to found, sort of the price, a problem. They say
[00:57] it's amazingly smooth, absolutely no bitterness
[01:01] >>and really earthy. Seems to be sort of a recurring
[01:04] theme. I understand we've sold, I think it's
[01:07] approaching 40 now. I don't know if Starbucks have
[01:10] faced by this, I mean, I think it probably is, sort
[01:15] of, a one of a missed occasion but you know, we
[01:17] decide to roll it out again and who knows, it may well
[01:19] become a nationwide trend.
[01:21] >>Crucially then, what does it actually taste like? It's
[01:24] certainly the smoothest cup of coffee I've ever drunk.
[01:27] But frankly, for £ 50 I'd be expecting the greatest taste
[01:30] sensation known to man which is going leave me
[01:32] feeling elated for the rest of the year. What we're left
[01:35] with-- and I'm not making this up-- is the world's
[01:37] most expensive coffee bean which gets digested by a
[01:40] Palm cat resulting in a process that gives this espresso
[01:44] its unique flavor. I don't think it's likely to give
[01:47] Starbucks too much cause for concern. In fact, next
[01:50] time I'm in the neighborhood, I think I'll stick to one of
[01:53] these.

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