Should You Have To Age In To Coffee?

We love our coffee in Lansing. We have nearly the highest amount of coffee shops per capita in the country. In fact, you can find 10 of the best here. It is a must have, morning wake me up for some and for others, an occasional thing. Who has the best coffee is a personal thing and will probably always be debated. Other people will not pay the hefty price that comes with it. They are completely ok with a cup of gas station house brew and some creamer.

Each coffee shop tends to have a story. I just found out that the apron colors at Starbucks mean something. Green is standard, black is for those designated as coffee master, and purple is rare. The latter go to 26 barista champions annually. I mention Starbucks because they get credit for starting the, "Upscale," coffee trend in the 90s. The fact that coffee became trendy, is part of the problem.

There are some that are just not interested in coffee. These days though, the tasty beverage is reaching a younger audience everyday. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that kids under 12 not consume caffeine at all. Even though parents might keep the kids off the java, they can get it in plenty of other places. The same argument can be made for energy drinks. Let's get back to coffee though. Gas stations, grocery stores, and coffee shops all sell it without an age requirement. There is a growing movement to add an age restriction to those types of drinks. A lot of people might complain and get irritated. They might not be wrong. An age restriction on coffee seems a bit much. Other might think it is long overdue. So where do you stand?