Blind to Bounds

Coffee

On the eighth day God created coffee.

Legend of coffee discovery :

Kaldi, a goatherd, lived in Abyssinia around AD 850. One day he observed his goats behaving in abnormally exuberant manner, skipping, rearing on their hindlegs and bleating loudly. He noticed they were eating the bright red berries that grew on the green bushes nearby.

Kaldi tried a few himself, and soon felt a novel sense of elation. He filled his pockets with the berries and ran home to announce his discovery to his wife.

“They are heaven-sent,” she declared. “You must take them to the Monks in the monastery.”

Kaldi presented the chief Monk with a handful of berries and related his discovery of their miraculous effect.
“Devil’s work!” exclaimed the monk, and hurled the berries in the fire.

Within minutes the monastery filled with the heavenly aroma of roasting beans, and the other monks gathered to investigate. The beans were raked from the fire and crushed to extinguish the embers. The Monk ordered the grains to be placed in the ewer and covered with hot water to preserve their goodness. That night the monks sat up drinking the rich and fragrant brew, and from that day vowed they would drink it daily to keep them awake during their long, nocturnal devotions.

Another account suggests that coffee was brought to Arabia from Ethiopia, by Sudanese slaves who chewed the berries en route to help them survive the journey.

“As soon as coffee is in your stomach, there is a general commotion. Ideas begin to move…similes arise, the paper is covered. Coffee is your ally and writing ceases to be a struggle.”
~Honore de Balzac (1799-1859)

Common adverse effects: Insomnia, headaches, irritability and nervousness.

Daily recommendations( by Health Canada):

The daily dose of 2.5 mg/kg body weight would not cause adverse health effects in the majority of adolescent caffeine consumers.
For women of childbearing age, the recommendation is a maximum daily caffeine intake of no more than 300 mg, or a little over two 8-oz (237 ml) cups of coffee.
For the rest of the general population of healthy adults, a daily intake of no more than 400 mg.

Source: http://www.selamta.net/Ethiopian%20Coffee.htm
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/food-aliment/caffeine-eng.php