The Detroit News has this story today: Coffee drinking blues.

A snippet:

Like their counterparts nationwide, Michigan coffee franchises and independent retailers here are worried that the penny-pinching cliché to “knock off those $4-a-day lattes” will dry up their business. …

Coffee industry representatives said their beverage is unfairly targeted as a symbol of excess, and that for most, foregoing coffee for a 401k isn’t practical.

“For people who drink coffee on a daily basis, it’s not an optional thing,” said Ric Rhinehart, executive director of the Specialty Coffee Association of America. “You don’t suddenly quit coffee because the economy is bad. Coffee is one of those wonderful pleasures in life that’s relatively inexpensive and guilt-free.”

There is another option: I’m drinking French vanilla flavored coffee that I ground and perked at home while reading this headline during breakfast. And depending on where you want to direct your coffee spending power, you can buy really good coffee beans at a grocery store, coffee shop or at area churches that sell fair trade products.

By the way, check out the statistics on the sidebar – 55 percent of Americans drink coffee daily!