I like the premise of this and while not convinced of the argument on a intellectual basis, from a whimsical and brainstorming perspective I find it both entertaining and stimulating.

It does remind me a bit of the book I just finished called Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake about fungi and how they coincidently or intelligently change behavior of organisms that come in contact with them. One comes away with the belief it cannot be coincidence.

That got me to thinking about coffee as an intelligent lifeform that deliberately manufactures caffeine for our benefit in order for the plant to survive and prosper. How could that part of our interaction be included in your "Coffee as a Neural Network" diagram? Have fungi been involved in transmitting the information about a human receptor for caffeine to the coffee plant?

Thanks for the article and mental stimulation!

Yours Decently,

- Michael