Coffee's Rise in Popularity

One main event in the history of the rise in popularity of coffee in the United States was the advent of instant coffee.  In 1938, a scientist by the name of Max Mortgethaler of the Nestle Company formulated a technique of freeze-dried instant coffee in order to expand consumption of coffee throughout the world.  At this time, Brazil, the major exporter of coffee, experienced the dilemma of a coffee surplus.  Instant coffee needed to be invented in order to help aid the Brazilian government with this surplus problem by making coffee more accessible.  This would allow the exportation of a greater quantity of coffee beans distributed throughout the world, following with an increase in consumption within various countries.  Specifically in the United States, this invention significantly effected the consumption and popularity of coffee among the citizens.  In 1940, the U.S military used instant coffee as a staple beverage during World War II because it was simple to make.  During this time, the producers of the coffee plant in the United States reserved the one million cases per year of coffee for military purposes.  After the war, Nestle decided to introduce their product of instant coffee to the general United States consumer population.  Instant coffee's presence in the military of the United States caused a greater exposure of this new way of making coffee to more American citizens and therefore caused consumption of this beverage to rise.  Individuals learned that this technique made coffee soluble in hot water while still retaining flavor, two aspects that appealed to the coffee consumer.  Not only did the advent of instant coffee make coffee easier to make and more accessible, but its presence in the United States military also invoked a sense of nationalism, further increasing its popularity and consumption.  Instant coffee directly caused a rise in the intake of coffee by the citizens of the United States and therefore factors into the present social problem surrounding coffee.  Large amounts of coffee consumption prove to cause harmful health effects.  Due to an increase in popularity of coffee throughout its history in the United States, coffee consumption rates increased, leading to the current social matter of a heightened number of individuals in American society at risk to major health problems.