What Religions Does Not Drink Coffee? (A Simple Guide for Everyone)

If you have ever wondered which religions don’t drink coffee, here is the short answer: a small number of faith groups advise against or restrict coffee, most commonly members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and many Seventh-day Adventists. Most other religions — Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and the Jehovah’s Witnesses — do not ban coffee. In those faiths it comes down to moderation, personal discipline, or spiritual routine rather than a universal rule.

Because this topic mixes faith, health, and culture, it gets misunderstood easily. Let’s walk through the facts carefully, without exaggerating anyone’s beliefs.

Quick Comparison: Faith Groups and Coffee

The Clearest Example: Latter-day Saints

When most people search for religions that don’t drink coffee, they are thinking of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Members follow a religious health code known as the Word of Wisdom, which advises against “hot drinks” — understood in the faith as coffee and tea. This is a well-established, widely practiced teaching, and it is taken seriously by faithful members.

One point that many articles get wrong: the teaching is not simply “caffeine is bad.” For believers, avoiding coffee is tied to faith, obedience, and treating the body as a gift from God. Reducing it to a diet tip misses the spiritual meaning and can come across as dismissive.

A practical detail worth knowing: decaf coffee is generally still avoided. For most Latter-day Saints, the teaching concerns coffee itself, not just the caffeine level. So if you ever host a Latter-day Saint guest, don’t assume decaf solves it — offer water, juice, or a herbal drink instead.

Seventh-day Adventists and Coffee

Seventh-day Adventists are the second group most often mentioned here, and for good reason. Adventists are widely known for taking health seriously: their lifestyle teaching covers food quality, rest, exercise, and avoiding harmful habits such as smoking and alcohol.

Many Adventists extend that thinking to coffee, avoiding stimulants to protect sleep, reduce dependence, and keep the body and mind in good condition. That said, the Adventist relationship with coffee is usually framed through health and lifestyle rather than a single strict rule — so practice varies from person to person. Some Adventists drink coffee in moderation; many do not.

If you visit an Adventist home, you will often find herbal drinks, grain-based hot beverages, or caffeine-free alternatives on offer. That’s simply what daily life looks like for many in this community.

Islam: Coffee Is Allowed, Not Forbidden

Islam has a very different relationship with coffee — and a long, friendly one. Coffee has centuries of history in Muslim societies, used in settings where people wanted to stay awake for late worship or social gatherings. There were times in history when some leaders questioned coffee, but it never became a lasting, universal prohibition in Islam.

Today coffee is deeply woven into many Muslim cultures:

• Arabic coffee (qahwa) in the Gulf
• Turkish coffee with its own brewing tradition
• Rich coffee cultures in Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen, and beyond

So calling Islam one of the religions that doesn’t drink coffee would be flat-out wrong.

Where does the confusion come from? Usually fasting. During Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink during fasting hours, so coffee is naturally off the table then. That is very different from a religious ban on coffee itself.

Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jehovah’s Witnesses

Hinduism has no universal ban on coffee. Many Hindus drink coffee regularly, especially where it is part of local culture — filter coffee in South India is a beloved tradition. Others may skip coffee during fasting, prayer periods, or spiritual routines. When concern exists, it is usually about overstimulation or attachment, not coffee as a forbidden substance.

Buddhism also has no single global coffee rule. Some practitioners avoid caffeine because they want a calmer mind for meditation. Others drink coffee in moderation. It varies by tradition and by individual.

Jehovah’s Witnesses have no general religious ban on coffee. As with many lifestyle questions in this faith, it comes down to personal judgment, health awareness, and moderation.

Rastafarianism: some Rastafarians avoid coffee as part of Ital living — a preference for natural, simple, unprocessed foods. But this is a lifestyle choice within the movement, not a formal universal ban.

Why Do Some Religious People Avoid Coffee?

Across these groups, the reasons fall into a few patterns: obedience to religious guidance (Latter-day Saints), health and body care (many Adventists), spiritual focus (a calmer mind for prayer or meditation), and self-control (in many traditions the deeper question is dependence, not the drink itself). Notice how different these are — lumping every faith together under “religions that ban coffee” flattens a real, meaningful distinction.

How to Respect Religious Coffee Beliefs

Many readers aren’t asking for themselves — they’re trying to avoid awkward moments with guests, friends, or coworkers. A few simple habits help: offer choices, not assumptions (“Would you like coffee, tea, water, or juice?”); don’t express shock when someone declines; remember that practice varies even within a faith; keep alternatives like herbal tea or juice ready; and never turn someone’s faith-based choice into a debate. Respect matters more than proving a point.

Is Drinking Coffee a Sin?

In most religions, no. Coffee itself is not treated as a sin. Where concern exists, it is usually about moderation, self-control, dependence, or obedience to a specific teaching — not about the drink being morally wrong. A person drinking one balanced cup a day is a very different situation from someone who cannot function without caffeine or is breaking a faith commitment they take seriously.

FAQs

What religion does not drink coffee?

The most well-known example is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are taught to avoid coffee as part of the Word of Wisdom. Many Seventh-day Adventists also avoid it for health and spiritual reasons.

Do Seventh-day Adventists drink coffee?

Many avoid it because of health and lifestyle beliefs, though personal practice varies. It is generally a health-based choice rather than a single strict rule.

Is coffee forbidden in Islam?

No. Coffee is not generally forbidden in Islam and is widely consumed across Muslim cultures. Temporary abstinence during Ramadan fasting hours is not the same as a ban.

Can Mormons drink decaf coffee?

In most cases, no. The teaching is usually understood to concern coffee itself, not only the caffeine content.

Do Hindus and Buddhists avoid coffee?

There is no universal ban in either religion. Some followers avoid coffee during fasting, meditation, or spiritual discipline; others drink it in moderation.

Final Thoughts

If you came here asking which religions don’t drink coffee, the honest answer is a short one: Latter-day Saints are the clearest example of a faith group taught to avoid coffee, and many Seventh-day Adventists also choose to avoid it for health and spiritual reasons. Most other faiths leave it to moderation, personal choice, or the setting.

That is the real answer — and it’s worth giving with care. A cup of coffee is ordinary for one person and something deliberately avoided by another. Understanding that difference, without mocking it or inflating it, is what makes this topic worth writing about well.