Coffee Beans as Currency

Millions of Americans consume it daily if not multiple times a day. Obviously already viewed as being semi-valuable, could coffee ever become the new currency of America? Maybe not particularly in the instance of today's American society, but in an American society where debit/credit cards and cash do not exist coffee beans could be the currency. Think about it! Coffee beans are not readily available in America, they're non-perishable, easy to count, and people are already addicted to them.

There is already a great demand for coffee in today's society. If something were to happen which made coffee more of a rarity in America the demand would stay the same, high, but the supply would be low enough that people would be willing to trade for the more rare coffee beans. The question of are people really that addicted to coffee that they would be willing to trade in order to get it may come up, but people are already willing to pay five dollars for a cup of coffee from Starbucks. They are already trading something that they believe to be valuable for the coffee, granted they are paying for a caramel macchiato and everything that goes into it, but the idea is still the same. If coffee beans were no longer as readily available then their value would increase and people would trade what they could in attempt to make their drink of choice. Not only would they be of high value because of their rarity but also because of the demand for the drink. Also, coffee comes in different varieties. Each species of coffee would be worth a different amount, depending on how rare the bean is. Coffee beans also are all pretty much shaped the same as well as about the same size, making them easy to count and carry around. The only variable that would change is the specie of coffee. More ordinary species could be used as change and the more rare, valuable ones as higher bills. The coffee bean is not frequently grown in America (other than in Hawaii), making it more esteemed, but also more difficult to get a hold of. If made into the everyday currency then there would have to be an increase in the amount grown in the United States for convenience as well as to allow there to be enough in circulation to even consider it populous enough to be the currency for all.

All in all coffee beans posses the qualities to become a sufficient form of currency in America, if necessary. Someday that morning cup of Joe could be a luxury rather than part of the daily routine.