7 Things Lorelai Gilmore Taught Us About Coffee

There is a lot to be learned from Gilmore Girls ' 7 seasons. There's the beautiful relationship between mother and daughter, not to mention the complicated relationship between a different mother and daughter; there's the benefits of living a life laced both with literature and every pop of pop culture you can get your hands on; there's the many glorious fashion choices and the many horrific ones (so much zebra print, Lorelai). There's the fact that one should never, ever underestimate having Melissa McCarthy as a member of your cast.

And then there's another through-line of the show: That of Lorelai Gilmore's coffee addiction.

Lorelai's indulges in a number of addictions throughout the run of the show, from talking, to junk food, to her dependence on her daughter. But there's no question about it: Coffee is one of the loves of Lorelai Gilmore's life. She drinks oceans of it onscreen, and I dare you to find an episode that goes by without a coffee cup gracing Lorelai's hand. She references it frequently, laying her dependence bare and holding it as a sort of badge of honor — a tribute, perhaps, to her busy life and all the energy it took to build herself up from impoverished single mother maid to enterprising business owner.

Lorelai's coffee addiction is both a worry and an inspiration. Here are some of the lessons that resulted from it:

Persistence Is Key

Lorelai really committed to her coffee, and that is a beautiful thing. When she couldn't find it one place, she went to another. When people tried to keep it from her, she laughed in their face. This isn't so much a lesson about coffee as it is a lesson about life.

Develop A Close Bond With Your Barista

Who hasn't had a dream in which you're married to your barista and about to have their triplets, am I right?

Use It As A Bonding Tool With Friends & Family

Even if you don't end up falling in love with your barista, the act of loving and consuming coffee can be a common thread between you and another coffee addict.

Spread It To Other People

Sometimes the only thing that can make you feel better about needing something in your life is spreading it to other people. If there aren't already people around you who are obsessed with this thing, make them obsessed with that thing. I do this to my friends re: TV shows. Lorelai did this to her daughter, re: everything — but especially re: coffee.

Pair It With Every Type Of Food

Coffee, man. It's versatile.

No One Can Handle It Like Her

Seriously, do not try. What keeps Lorelai alert and awake will term you into a straight-up tweaker. Lorelai's "normal" coffee setting is an overdose for the rest of the world.

Own Up To Your Addiction

Lorelai did not deny her truly epic dependence on caffeine. She owned it, every day. She didn't ever try to change it, which isn't necessarily a lesson you should take if your personal addiction is more on the serious side (and a Gilmore Girls sequel would surely entail Lorelai and/or Rory developing some kind of diabetes... or, like, scurvy). But if you can wrangle it so whatever you're super into isn't hurting anyone (including yourself), go for it.

(In order for it not to hurt you, though, you should probably not drink quite as much coffee as Lorelai.)

Images: Warner Bros.; tawdrysquid/Tumblr