The Importance of Coffee in IETF Meetings

Internet-Draft	Coffee	March 2025
DD	Expires 10 September 2025	[Page]

Abstract

This document highlights the critical role that coffee plays in the productivity, engagement, and overall morale of participants at IETF meetings. This document describes best practices for coffee consumption and suggests recommendations for future IETF meetings.¶

Coffee is a well-known stimulant, therefore the IETF MUST provide unlimited coffee at all events.¶

Discussion Venues

This note is to be removed before publishing as an RFC.¶

Source for this draft and an issue tracker can be found at https://github.com/dhruvdhody/draft-dhody-coffee-at-ietf.¶

Status of This Memo

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This Internet-Draft will expire on 10 September 2025.¶

Copyright Notice

This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal Provisions Relating to IETF Documents (https://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of publication of this document. Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect to this document. Code Components extracted from this document must include Revised BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as described in the Revised BSD License.¶

1. Introduction

Over the years, coffee has become an integral component of the IETF meeting culture. However, there has been no formal specification or standardization regarding the role of coffee in ensuring the smooth functioning of IETF discussions.¶

This document provides an overview of the significance of coffee in the IETF environment and establishes preliminary recommendations for ensuring consistent and sufficient caffeine availability.¶

2. Terminology

This document uses MUST, SHOULD, MAY and other words in capital for emphasis.¶

IETF Coffee: Any caffeinated beverage consumed during an IETF meeting.¶
Caffeine Deficiency Syndrome (CDS): A state of reduced cognitive function due to the absence of coffee.¶
Coffee Availability Protocol (CAP): An informal set of guidelines for ensuring coffee distribution.¶

3. Scope

This document is exclusively concerned with coffee drinkers and their needs during IETF meetings. Individuals who do not consume coffee have no stake in this proposal and, therefore, their input is neither required nor considered relevant.¶

Furthermore, as all meaningful IETF work occurs during in-person meetings, only those physically attending IETF sessions should have a say in coffee-related logistics. Remote participants are encouraged to establish their own independent mechanisms for securing coffee, as their caffeine access is beyond the scope of this document.¶

4. Problem Statement

The IETF is an organization that relies heavily on active discussion and participation. Coffee consumption has been observed to directly impact the ability of individuals to remain engaged during long sessions.¶

Studies have shown that attendees experiencing caffeine deficiency are less likely to contribute effectively.¶

Also, there have been inconsistencies in coffee supply across IETF meetings, which may or may not have led to negative effects on consensus building.¶

5. Proposed Solutions

To address the identified issues, the following recommendations are proposed:¶

Each IETF venue MUST provide coffee stations within 5 meters of every meeting room to prevent cases of Caffeine Deficiency Syndrome (CDS) among attendees.¶
NOT all coffee is equal and thus a mechanism is needed to rate coffee.¶
But individual coffee taste COULD differ, and thus how to rate¶
A man-made live barista coffee SHOULD be provided as some don't consider the bulk made coffee as coffee.¶
Alternative caffeine sources (e.g., energy drinks) MAY be available but SHALL NOT BE considered coffee.¶
The IETF Secretariat MUST ensure that coffee supply logistics are prioritized and develop a Coffee Availability Protocol (CAP) ensuring a fair and distributed allocation of coffee.¶

Coffee is an essential, yet often overlooked, component of a successful IETF meeting. By ensuring its availability and quality, the IETF can enhance productivity and consensus-building efforts.¶

6. Privacy Considerations

Participation in IETF meetings is public, and attendees' names are often listed openly. As a result, being associated with the IETF MAY also lead to an informal association as a coffee enthusiast, which could have unforeseen social implications. If maintaining privacy in this regard is a concern, the most effective approach is to refrain from attending IETF meetings.¶