I personally love the taste of coffee. If decaffeinated were able to achieve the same flavors, I'd be quite happy with it. Unfortunately, it doesn't taste at all the same.

Most of the world is also deeply addicted to the internet, and we have rapidly normalized it to at least the same degree as caffeine.

I see it all the time: people go out to restaurants, talk for a few minutes, then silently drift into their phones. The connection just evaporates. It feels like we've traded presence for stimulation.

And I'm not saying this as a Luddite. I used to be incredibly excited about technology. I still am, in some ways. But it's hard not to feel like we're losing something important.

I am often reminded of /The Game/ (S05E06) episode from TNG[0]

Are we in it?

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_(Star_Trek:_The_Next_...

Some people just like the flavor, personally I drink a cup of decaf every evening. Of course, a LOT are addicted to caffeine. The most normalized addiction in the world ahead of alcohol and nicotine, although those are becoming more stigmatized over time.