The Absolute Best Time To Drink Coffee To Get The Most Benefits, According To Science

Coffee is great any time of day, from a morning latte to an afternoon espresso to an Italian coffee dessert like affogato (ice cream topped with espresso and it's fantastic). That being said, drinking your coffee at the right time of day — in the morning — may have some positive effects on your health. Observational research from the European Heart Journal published in 2025 found people who drank coffee in the morning may have a lower risk of all-cause death than people who preferred to drink coffee later. 

The study compared data from over 40,000 U.S. adults for all-cause mortality risk over a follow-up of about 10 years between two groups: morning coffee drinkers and those who sipped on coffee all day. The morning drinkers came out on top — even when compared with a group of non-coffee drinkers — after accounting for other factors like total coffee intake and lifestyle habits. The research held for both moderate (one to two cups) and heavy (more than two cups) coffee drinkers in the morning group.

Researchers have a few possible explanations as to why those who enjoy coffee mostly in the morning might have lower rates of mortality than those who sip from morning to evening. They hypothesize limiting coffee consumption to the morning might support higher melatonin production at night, based on prior studies showing afternoon or evening caffeine can disrupt sleep hormones, making it harder to fall asleep. The study suggests the body might utilize coffee's potential health benefits better in the morning due to natural sleep-wake cycles. People who drink coffee all day long might primarily get these benefits in the morning, but later coffee consumption may counteract those positive effects.

It's clear morning is probably the best time to fill up your cup but is there a sweet spot to enjoy your java, according to research? The European Heart Journal study suggested it's best to drink coffee between 4 a.m. and 12 p.m. While this is a good guideline to start, it's still a pretty broad window. Nailing down the exact time of morning to indulge in your cup (or moka pot) of coffee — and reap the benefits — depends a bit on your morning habits.

Some social media influencers have said it makes sense to wait 90 minutes up to two hours after waking up to reach for your first cup of coffee, as holding off on introducing caffeine to your system can help support healthy sleep rhythms. Fortunately (for some of us, at least), health experts say research doesn't back that up and it's probably okay to enjoy your first cup of coffee whenever you want. Caffeine works by blocking the body's ability to receive a naturally occurring chemical called adenosine, which is responsible for making you sleepy. For most of us, there's not a ton of adenosine in the brain the moment we get out of bed. So while that early-morning cup may taste great, it may not be doing a lot to actually wake you up. If you prefer to have coffee the moment your eyes open, go for it — you just might not get quite as much of a jolt as you would if you wait a bit before taking that first sweet sip.