[Thenamir]

Consider the possibility that coffee, like the good leaf from the Shire, was being intercepted by Saruman for his own uses, but not for himself to drink personally. Why not? One of Saruman's powers that he uses to great effect is the power of that oily-smooth voice. If he was wired, talking too fast, perhaps stumbling or stuttering over words (come on, don't pretend like you don't know the type), the effect on the hearers would be greatly diminishedm as you might well imagine.

That leaves open the question of why Saruman would require all the coffee that he apparantly intercepted or co-opted fromt he trade routes. I have a theory to propound which might hold water. I submit it for the cross-examination of the forum.

Consider the Uruk-Hai. They needed to have exceptional strength, superhuman speed, and long endurance for the tasks for which Saruman planned to use them. What better than massive amounts of caffeine, extracted directly from the coffee beans? You thought that was white paint they were slapping on each other in the movie? I say it was pure white caffeine powder in a base which would allow it not only to stick to the skin, but to be absorbed thru the skin slowly, a sort of timed-release caffeine. Remember how they reacted in a sort of ecstatic frenzy when it was slapped onto them? Transcutaneous caffeine infusions would explain that behavior quite nicely.

It is also well known that caffeine is a pain-reliever (significant amounts of caffeine are components of Excedrine, BC Powders, and the "migraine" formulas of many common over-the-counter pain relievers) excessive amounts of caffeine might render a person (or an orc, for that matter) almost impervious to pain. Witness the Uruk-hai Lurtz who was impaled by Aragorn's sword thru the midsection, but merely sneered at Aragorn and pulled the sword deeper to show his indifference to the injury.

The decaffeinated beans left over from Saruman's uses were then distributed back thru the trade channels leading to places that Saruman planned to invade, such as Rohan and Minas Tirith -- the depression and despondency of King Theoden can probably be traced directly to the fact that he was unwittingly being served decaf until Hama retrieved some *real* coffee from Wormtongue's chest (along with Theoden's sword). If Denethor had had some of the better arabica beans instead of Saruman's brew, he might have been able to overcome his suicidal depression and lead his people again.

I leave the further study of this topic to clearer heads than my own...I need to go make me a good cup o' joe...