She clearly needs help, but how much coffee does Lorelai actually drink in Gilmore Girls?

If you’re familiar with the popular early 2000s American comedy-drama television series Gilmore Girls, you are probably also pretty familiar with Lorelai Gilmore’s coffee drinking habits. Her caffeine addiction could rival even that of the most sleep deprived student in the midst of studying for their exams – and that’s saying something. 

It would truly be easier to count all the episodes where Lorelai doesn’t consume any coffee – she’s got a cup in her hand in 99 per cent of all episodes. Which poses a question, how much coffee does Lorelai Gilmore actually drink in a day? 

Lorelai drinks anywhere between two and six cups of coffee a day

via Netflix

It is in the pilot episode of Gilmore Girls that we are first introduced to Lorelai’s undisputed coffee addiction, and whilst her heavy caffeine consumption might seem like a bit of a plot hole, it becomes her key character trait pretty quickly.

During her first on-screen interaction with Luke, the town’s diner owner and the Gilmore girls’ main coffee supplier, she begs him for a cup of coffee even though, when probed by Luke, she reluctantly admits that she’s already had five cups that morning.

Her worrying coffee patterns continue through the rest of season one, and by the end of it and its 21 episodes she’s had approximately 52 cups of coffee. And the number only grows as the series progresses. 

Most Read

Exposed: The six MAFS UK 2024 cast members who already have new partners since the show

Another MAFS UK 2024 groom has posted a new girlfriend since the show and I can’t keep up

Inside the raunchy MAFS UK watch party that hints there’s been yet another couple swap

In episode 11 of season two she says that she’s already had six cups of the caffeinated beverage by 4:30pm and in season four, episode 20, she comes to Luke’s explaining that she’s managed to already go through all of her own coffee supply before 5am.

Although it’s never been confirmed, it’s suggested that Lorelai drinks anywhere from two to six cups of coffee every day – with most days being on the higher end of the scale.

She’s also very self-aware of her addiction, famously stating  “I need coffee, in an IV” and that she likes coffee “only with her oxygen”. Relatable queen.

via Netflix

By the end of season seven she’s drunk roughly 248 cups of coffee that we know of– and that’s a number, alright. It could probably even give some baristas a run for their money. And that’s also only the coffee that we are shown on screen. Who knows how many more refills she could have had throughout her days outside of that? Lorelai drinks her coffee at home, in to-go cups to support her on her escapades throughout the day, gets countless refills at Luke’s and sneaks some from the Inn’s kitchen. 

Other theories differ, with one user on Reddit suggesting a middle ground amount at five cups per day. They explained: “My generous estimate is five – one at home in the morning, one at Luke’s, one mid-morning/lunchtime at work, one during/after class in Hartford, one at dinner time (at Luke’s or before Friday night dinner).”

Another aimed higher, guessing that Lorelai’s average coffee intake is around seven cups. They wrote: “I’d actually say seven on an average day. That one episode where Richard comes to Stars Hollow she says she’s had three cups of coffee in the morning. I think that was pre-Luke’s breakfast coffee.”

But honestly, who could blame her? 

As she’s expressed many times, she needs coffee to function as a human being, and if anyone truly needs it, it’s her. She’s not perfect, as many fans of the series are surely aware of, but she is also a single mother attempting to raise a very ambitious and headstrong kid with a penchant for going to very expensive schools while trying to manage her own inn, deal with her parents and function as a human being, so we need to cut her some slack. 

Featured image via Netflix