Coffee · Matters.com — Losing the smell of your morning cup
Digest Newsletter
·
Jun 17, 2026
Coffee · Matters.com — Losing the smell of your morning cup
Welcome to Matters.com™ beta. A new social platform to share what matters. More information? Click here.
Some mornings, coffee is ritual; sometimes it's rescue. This week’s round-up lands where coffee meets the things that actually shape a life — mood, friendships, how you order, and yes, the smell that makes a cup feel like home.
Losing smell can hit like a stroke — your coffee won't smell the same
A University of East Anglia study found that losing your sense of smell can be as debilitating as a stroke, stripping away the tiny pleasures — like the aroma of a morning brew — that anchor daily life. For anyone who builds ritual and comfort around their cup, that loss isn't just sensory, it's emotional; smell and mood are tightly linked, and the report highlights serious wellbeing risks. Read more about the findings and why the scent of coffee matters beyond taste in the full story here.
Friendship brewed over cups
Research shows making friends after 30 often starts with shared activities — grabbing coffee tops the list as an easy, low-risk ritual to connect. See the five science-backed ways to build meaningful friendships here.
How Monster stacks vs. your drip
A caffeine comparison pits Monster Energy directly against an 8‑oz brewed coffee to show which sources pack more kick and which are safer for regular use; a handy check if you're chasing the effect rather than the flavor. Read the breakdown here.
Drive-thru growth that rattles the giants
7 Brew hit a milestone of 777 U.S. locations, marking rapid expansion from one stand in 2017 and signaling pressure on chains like Starbucks and Dutch Bros as convenience-first models scale. Details on the chain's rise are here.
Coffee and antioxidants
Coffee is one of the biggest dietary sources of antioxidants for many people — compounds like chlorogenic acids that can help neutralize free radicals. That doesn't make coffee a cure-all, but it does mean your daily cup is doing more than delivering a jolt: it's contributing to your antioxidant intake in a way that tea and many fruits also do.