I was never much of a coffee drinker until my early 20s. Work had something to do with that — when I joined the staff at The Bradford Era I had to transition to working nights and, well, you get it.

But what really turned me to coffee — to really enjoy a hot, rich cup of joe — were those early morning get-togethers with Dad in the coffee shop in Mount Jewett.

Dad was a creature of habit. When he was home — he worked part of the week as an engineering consultant — he woke up everyday at 5 a.m., showered and then went “uptown” to get his newspaper and, of course, coffee.

I would endure the early wake-up for myself and drive to Mount Jewett just to meet him and enjoy that time over coffee‚ and maybe some eggs and toast. Then we would either go fishing or hunting, depending on the season. If it was deep winter we adjourned back to The Camp — for more coffee and conversation.

Dad’s been gone for many years — taken much too soon — but for me a nice cup of coffee in the morning is as much part of my routine as it was for him. And I often think of him when I sit down to eggs and toast in a little diner somewhere.

I also fill a large travel mug for myself on my way out the door, and I carry the mug around most of the day.

But as much as I enjoy it, all that coffee has sometimes made me wonder if it’s such a good thing. There’s been mixed messages from science and doctors over the years, with some suggestions that high-caffeine intake can lead to hypertension, mess with healthy sleep patterns, stimulate unnecessary eating that leads to weight gain, and so on.

Earlier this year, a judge in California ruled that coffee would have to come with warning labels that it may cause cancer because of trace levels of a naturally occurring carcinogen, acrylamide — the chemical is produced as a byproduct of roasting coffee beans.

The ruling fell under California’s disclosure law regarding the presence — however slight — of potentially toxic or carcinogenic chemicals in food and beverages.

But never fear. California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment stated last month that consuming acrylamide contained in coffee poses “no significant cancer risk,” citing a recent study from the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Meanwhile, according to an Associated Press story that I ran across this past week (I put it in Tuesday’s edition of the Times Herald), new research shows coffee may boost chances for a longer life, even for those who down at least eight cups daily. In a study of nearly half-a-million British adults, coffee drinkers had a slightly lower risk of death over 10 years than abstainers.

“The apparent longevity boost was seen with instant, ground and decaffeinated, results that echo U.S. research,” the AP reported. “It’s the first large study to suggest a benefit even in people with genetic glitches affecting how their bodies use caffeine.

“Overall, coffee drinkers were about 10 percent to 15 percent less likely to die than abstainers during a decade of follow-up. Differences by amount of coffee consumed and genetic variations were minimal.”

It’s not exactly clear how drinking coffee might affect longevity. The lead author of the study, a researcher at the U.S. National Cancer Institute, said coffee contains more than 1,000 chemical compounds including antioxidants, which help protect cells from damage.

Other studies have suggested that substances in coffee may reduce inflammation and improve how the body uses insulin, which can reduce chances for developing diabetes. Researchers say efforts to explain the potential longevity benefit are still in the works.

In the meantime, I’ll take my java with the relish that it deserves. It’s often suggested that anything that tastes really good and that we really enjoy, unfortunately, can’t be good for us.

Maybe, in the case of our beloved coffee, it really is.

(Jim Eckstrom is executive editor Bradford Publishing Co. His email is jeckstrom@oleantimesherald.com.)