Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with caffeine

Sleeping through 100mg of caffeine.

brenton — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:12:26 -0800

Why doesn't 100mg of caffeine wake me up in the morning? I have a lot of trouble waking up in the morning. I have multiple alternating alarms, a dawn simulator wake up light... and now crackheads.

Crackheads are these caffeinated dark chocolate covered espresso beans with 600mg of caffeine per box (which works out to 100mg of caffeine for 6 beans.)

I put the beans by my bed and I eat them when my alarm goes off.. I started with 5 beans a few days ago, but I fell back to sleep. I've been increasing the 'dosage' and this morning at 6am I ate 9 or 10 (I may have dropped one) but I then promptly fell back asleep until 10am. I slept 11 hours, having gone to bed at 11pm last night!

Is there something wrong with me? Caffeine normally makes me all awake and alert, sometimes jittery. Is there some secret property to caffeine that requires water, or that doesn't work while you're asleep? What's the deal?

A dark, rich cup of coffee creme, please!

backseatpilot — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:40:31 -0800

What makes European coffee different from American coffee? While in Europe the other week, I was reminded about how much different their coffee is from ours in America - darker, thicker, richer. I often saw it listed as "Kaffee Kreme" on menus, and regular "drip" style coffee seemed to be nonexistent.

I'd like to recreate that style of coffee at home, but I'm not sure how. It seemed almost, but not exactly, like a large espresso - but espressos were also on the menu, so it seems obvious that it's something different. What's the secret?

I have a normal drip coffee maker, a French press, and a stovetop "Tassimo" pot - can I make European coffee with these? Do I need other equipment?

Bonus: the single serve coffee machines I saw there were awesome - pick a coffee drink and the machine grinds beans and gives you a perfect brew, none of this K-cup crap. Is there anywhere I can buy one of those in the States?

The gateway drug.

cmoj — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:33:41 -0800

Help me get my caffeine. I drink a lot of tea that I brew quite strong, but sometimes I like a pretty good dose of caffeine, and I'd rather not drink energy drinks (though that's what I do when such a desire arises). What can I do without drinking gallons of tea?

I'm not really into coffee. I'd prefer an organic solution, though as long as I'm loading my body with caffeine, I'm not going to worry about it if it's better than the chemistry-set-in-a-can energy drinks.

Why don't painkillers or caffeine affect me?

timory — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:10:53 -0800

No matter how much ibuprofen, acetaminophen or naproxen I have, it does absolutely nothing for me. No matter how much coffee I drink, I'm just as sleepy as ever. What gives? This isn't just drugs in general. Melatonin puts me to sleep. Alcohol gets me drunk. Cigarettes make me jittery sometimes (although I've never, ever been addicted no matter how hard I "tried"... even a pack a day in college for a few months had no effect on me when I abruptly stopped).

I should point out a few things:

1) I do drink coffee a lot, but it's the same as with cigarettes. I can stop drinking it for weeks or months at a time, and I never feel any kind of withdrawal. When I start up again, it doesn't give me the intended effect at all.

2) Don't worry, I'm not popping entire bottles of Tylenol. I rarely take painkillers at all because they don't have an effect on me, so I don't think I have built up a resistance. Occasionally, when I get a truly horrible, brainsplitting headache, I try to take a painkiller in the hopes that something will happen. At that point, even when I take several times the recommended dosage, nothing happens to me at all.

3) I saw this post, but I don't think it answers my question.

To Tea or Not to Tea

softsantear — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 15:03:25 -0800

I'm anxiety-prone and so have eschewed caffeine for a long time. However, I miss drinking tea for the experience of it (not the stimulation). How can I re-acclimatize myself, and should I? Preamble: Speaking broadly, I am fairly predisposed towards anxiety in a non-specific sense -- maybe more like hypertension, with a constant underlying echo of quickened pulse, shortness of breath, etc.; kind of like the opposite of mindfulness.

In any case, I am working on that on a range of fronts.

I noticed some time ago that having tea (and, god forbid, the rare coffee) exacerbated these symptoms, so I stopped my tea-drinking habits (as part of a more general elimination-diet) and noticed it took some of the edge off.

Recently I've been missing the experience of having tea, though, for the calming aspect of the experience, the aroma, flavor, etc. I've tried on isolated occasions to have a cup, but it makes me instantly crazy (psychosomatic?). I was thinking this has something to do with the consistent lack of exposure to caffeine.

So I tried fooling around with non-caffeinated "herbal" teas, but these are almost all uniformly disgusting, hippie stews. Is there a way I could re-introduce tea (let's say sticking to green, and not black, tea) into my diet, gradually building to a tolerance where I can just enjoy it? I would assume this would involve steeping the tea leaves very little in ever-increasing gradations.

Is this even a good idea, though, given the anxiety + caffeine issue? I sort of feel that the tranquilizing aspect of enjoying a cup of tea might play a mitigating, meditative role in my general level of tension, so I would break even vis-a-vis any caffeine intake. But maybe not. OMIGOD GETTING ANXIOUS JUST THINKING ABOUT IT.

How do I made delicious coffee?

InsanePenguin — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 07:58:32 -0800

Coffeenewbfilter: Good, cheap coffeemaker? Instead of drinking Coke in the morning (irritates my acid reflux,) I've taken to drinking coffee (which I sort of had to force myself to like, but now I do.) Instead of spending money at Dunkin Donuts every morning, or god forbid, Starbucks, I've decided to buy a coffeemaker.

Problem is, I don't know anything about coffee or coffee makers. I like black coffee from Dunkin Donuts. That's pretty much the only coffee I've ever had, but I really enjoy it. How can I get this experience at home for less than $50? I don't need fancy, but I'd like a programmable one so I don't have to wake up earlier than I already have to for work.

No Sugar, No Caffeine Nowhere to be found.

Jezztek — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:30:44 -0800

Where can I find sugar and caffeine free fountain drinks? I crave the occasional fountain soda. It is an itch that just can't be scratched by bottled/canned or non-carbonated beverages. The problem is my doctor recently pulled me off caffeine, ending my twenty year love affair with that sweet stimulant, and I hate sugary sodas (ugh, so thick and sticky).

So now it is much harder to find a fountain drink that meets my needs (diet versions of clear sodas, grape/orange flavors or rootbeers tend to be good). The two places I've found are Panera Bread (diet-caffeine free coke) Sonic Drive through (Diet Sprite). Anyone else know of any others I may have missed here this part of the country (I'm in central Ohio) especially a convenience store-gas station chain open late?

Thanks much!

Anyone try the "wake up on time" pill?

bumper314 — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 03:19:57 -0800

Has anyone tried the "wake up on time" pill and can comment on it's effects.

Stop caffeine dependency

dtpollitt — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:43:56 -0800

What's the best way to stop my caffeine addiction? I drink too much caffeinated products--soda, energy drinks, coffee. I am a graduate student and often am up late at night, and usually need (or think I do) one of these drinks late at night to stay awake or early in the morning to wake me up. I'd like to decrease my dependency on caffeine, so if you have any recommendations as to how I can do this, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

Too much coffee makes my stomach cry.

pseudostrabismus — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:03:27 -0800

Caffeinated candy suggestions? Please help me find the Blitz mints I want. I love Blitz mints. They come in a packs of 8, in a blister pack with a reflective silver cardboard sleeve. All I can find is the gum (nasty); I'm looking for the mints (sweet and tasty).

The mints look sort of like Tums: thick, dime-sized, powdery, round tablets. I found them at a 7-11 in Toronto and bought every pack in the store, but they haven't re-stocked, and I can't even find an image of them online. Even the Blitz website makes no mention of the mints, only the gum or the tiny hard mints. I want the big chewable powdery ones.

Anyone know where I can find more?
Or, (sigh) what other caffeinated mints I should try? Bonus points if I can find them in a store in downtown Toronto.

Thanks!

time for another caffeine pill?

zeoslap — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:23:07 -0800

Time for another caffeine pill? So I just popped one (200mg) about an hour ago and can't really feel any difference; I wouldn't think twice about having another cup of coffee but was wondering if it's okay to have another of the pills.

Caffeinated ice cream?

Rash — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 22:42:05 -0800

Is there any caffeine in coffee ice cream? (Wouldn't be anything like one scoop = one cuo of coffee?) How about green tea ice cream?

Why does caffeine give me a paradoxical effect?

the jam — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:00:08 -0800

For the past year, caffeine has had a strange effect on me. I drink soda or coffee -- and within minutes, I feel groggy, fuzzy headed, and almost kind of drunk. I get absolutely no stimulating effects. The more I drink, the more fuzzy-drunk I feel. Caffeine used to make me feel wonderful -- awake, cheerful, on-point. I've never drank an excessive amount (2 coffees a day, max). Can anyone explain what might be going on in my brain chemicals?

Steady Hands

candyhammer — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:04:49 -0800

Is there a vocal anti-caffeine group, similar to the Straight Edge movement/ True Love Waits/ AA / truth.com/ Vegans/ er.. Pro-Lifers*?, etc.-- that specifically focuses on caffeine? *(LMAO-- okay, Pro-lifers was a bad example.
"I used to have an abortion every day! couldn't leave the house without one.")

I'm a caffeine junkie through and through; I'm not trying to quit, and I don't suspect that I ever will-- that's not why I'm asking

(I've historically taken the "do it or stop" view when it comes to any sort of chemical, and have never had a problem "trying" to quit anything. but who cares?).

The reason I'm asking is that I saw a band named after a specific kind of tea a while ago, whose myspace profile declared the tea to be

"full of energy but free of caffeine, just as we are,"

and it struck me as unnecessary and unusual to make such a declaration; made me curious as to whether it is a common thing, specifically whether there are organized, named groups that take said apparently hard stance.

I know Straight Edge seems to have various-- well-documented-- stages of strictness (re: caffeine/nicoteine/OTC pain meds like aspirin, etc) just as vegetarianism and veganism in fact do (re: fish or not/"organic" and related distinctions/strict fruitarianism, etc etc), but I have never heard of an Ex-Joe kind of brigade.

I'm genuinely curious, but parody sites and such a la "People for the Ethical Treatment of Vegetables" are also welcome, and the discussion should be thought to eventually include other real-life, arguably 'out-there' anti-groups that you may know of in general as well.

It seems that most groups who base their identity on the fact that they are "anti-" anything are ineffective at best and insane at worst, and they usually make for an interesting study in social science.

Get people caffeine-buzzed off of my cookies

rachaelfaith — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:07:41 -0800

How do I get caffeine into my cookies? Hi there! I'd like to somehow caffeinate the cookies I bake. I know these exist, and if I were a simple person, I would just buy them. But I'm not simple, and I want more variety! I found this as well, but the people I'm baking for are oatmeal-averse.

I'd eventually like to make caffeinated chocolate chip cookies, dark chocolate cookies, and maybe... peanut butter cookies?

Should I take the advice of the second website and just try to replace some of the liquid with coffee or espresso, and add finely ground beans?

Maybe you've done this before [because you have crazy caffeine-junkie friends] and can guide me.

Thanks, Hive!

Does caffeine have any affect on how you taste things?

voltairemodern — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:44:33 -0800

Does caffeine have any affect on how well (or poorly) you can taste things? I'm curious about whether I should seek out or avoid having caffeine on days that I anticipate wanting to taste things well, e.g. wine tastings, tasting new cheeses, going out for a gourmet meal.

Obviously I wouldn't want to drink a coke directly before tasting a wine. But I don't know whether, say, a coffee after lunch would modify my ability to taste that evening. Any studies done on this sort of thing? Personal anecdotes?

Quitting drinking: are the withdrawal symptoms I'm having from giving up alcohol, or caffeine?

Anonymous — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 10:35:08 -0800

Quitting drinking: are the withdrawal symptoms I'm having from giving up alcohol, or caffeine? I'm a female in my early 30s, and I've been drinking heavily for the better part of the past 10 years. Up until about 5 years ago, I would go out with friends around 5 nights a week, and drink a lot (enough to be heavily buzzed/drunk). When I moved to a new city, I still kept up the drinking, but not so much with the going out part, since I didn't know anyone in my new city. My drink of choice was always something mixed with cola (rum, usually).

I'd drink most days (6-7 days a week), skipping a day here or there if I had a really bad hangover. On normal days, I'd go through at least half a liter of rum, and a two liter bottle of cola. If I ever tried to go more than one day without drinking, I'd get a splitting headache that Advil couldn't touch.

I had my last drink this past Wednesday, and sure enough, last night (Friday) and today (Saturday), I had a splitting headache that a full night's sleep, advil, and lots of water didn't help (in fact, it just got worse). I took some Advil again this morning, but it didn't help much. This afternoon, while visiting with a friend, I had a cup of coffee, which I rarely drink - perhaps once a month. Before I was done with the small cup, my headache was gone. (And it still is, about 8 hours later.)

I can't help but wonder if the headaches I get when I don't drink are from alcohol or caffeine withdrawal. Apparently, cola has only around 1/6 the amount of caffeine of coffee, but since I was drinking so much cola every day (mixed with the rum), could this have been the real source of my headaches? And if so, why is quitting caffeine physically harder than quitting liquor? As far as I can tell, if the headaches are from caffeine withdrawal, then the only physical side effects from giving up liquor have been positive - restful sleep, more energy, etc.

(I know that drinking like that is Bad For Me, I know I'm still in the super super early steps of dealing with this (today is day 3), and I'm laying the groundwork to start working on the personal issues that I need to, and that alcohol addiction is more than physical, and that I need to be REALLY careful not to be all "wow, this is easier than I thought!!" BUT STILL...caffeine?? Really??)

(If you'd like to share your experiences, I'm at not.a.social.drinker@gmail.com)

What's the caffeine content of coffee made in an Aeropress?

cheapskatebay — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:12:06 -0800

What's the caffeine content of coffee made in an Aeropress? Based on many glowing MeFite testimonials, I requested and received an Aeropress for Christmas. It makes terrific coffee and I'm grateful for getting the idea here. Perhaps some of you Aeropress junkies can help me with a caffeine-related question.

I only drink decaf. A houseguest I'll be hosting this weekend drinks regular. I'd like to make her coffee using the Aeropress. For decaf, I use 2 scoops of beans are used to make one mug of coffee. Can anyone enlighten me as to the caffeine content if I were to use that formula to make her a mug of regular coffee? I don't want to buzz her into the stratosphere, nor give her too little caffeine to kick off her morning. She's used to drinking 2 cups each morning, and if there's a heightened caffeine content I'll just mix some decaf into the regular to reach the appropriate level.

I saw this thread in a coffee forum, and if I'm reading the comment at the very bottom of the page correctly, it looks like most methods of making coffee, including the Aeropress, give you a similar amount of caffeine, although that particular example focused on a single scoop Americano.

I've made this too complicated! I suppose what I'm looking for is the real-world formula: a person used to 2 cups of regular should get... 2 "shots? made with 4 Aeropress scoops?... of Aeropress coffee.

Many thanks in advance.

"5 hour energy" product does more than keep me awake

Niomi — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:14:59 -0800

Lately I find myself using 5 hour energy product even when I'm not drowsy as it sees to significantly improve my ability to focus and socialize. Are there dietary supplements available that will give me the same effect in a more reliable manner? Is this safe? Will my body build a resistance to it? I started using this product to adjust to third shift serving. Now that my sleep schedule has adjusted to the difficulty that working these hours can create, I find myself using it even more frequently. I am more comfortable socializing and better at it, I'm happier to work and I work harder, I am much less likely to forget that you asked for extra napkins with your meal. The energy drinks at $4 a bottle are a little expensive to use once a work day never mind multiple times a day. Plus, as advertised, they only work for five hours. A page from the website (http://www.5hourenergy.com/ingredients.asp) suggests that a chemical called Citicoline may be responsible for increased mental facilities but some googling (admittedly my google-fu is pretty weak) doesn't turn up any way to take this as a dietary supplement. Caffeine may be part of the answer but using coffee or tea has not been nearly as effective as use of this product.

In a search of previous questions on energy drinks and similar problems with focus I read a lot of people advising that cutting out the drink entirely would result in more energy in the long-term. There are also a lot of people that suggest AD(H)D as a cause of this problem. These aren't the answers I'm looking for. If you want more information on the specific sorts of problems this product helps me with, there's a more detailed question in my profile from several months ago.

Nurze R4tch3t, c4n I h4v3 m1 t34?

sully75 — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 06:53:00 -0800

Can a couple of cups of tea make me totally anxious, and totally unable to sleep? Even two days later? I love, love, love black tea with milk and sugar.

I've pretty much stopped drinking it because I suspect it might make me really anxious and also mess up my sleeping, but I'm not sure.

I tend towards anxiety in the first place. Sleeping isn't usually a problem, although I've had a bit of a rough year emotionally and have had issues. Usually I go to sleep around midnight, exhausted, and then I'm wide awake at 4am. My new thing is that I get music going through my head, over and over, really loud. Usually it's music that I'm working on (I'm a fiddle player). I like fiddle music plenty, but at 2AM having the same tune going over and over in my head is no fun.

So to be clear, this definitely happens when I'm not drinking black tea.

I'm not sure if this is confirmation bias or whatever you call it. For instance, I'm housesitting at a friends house right now. We hung out till late, I had a couple cups of tea. That night I slept poorly on his futon. I didn't have any yesterday but I slept miserably.

I have a similar suspicion that it pushes my anxiety past comfortable limits, but it's hard to see a direct causation because I'm pretty anxious in general. And have been particularly anxious this fall, and have had maybe 4 cups of black tea.

Really the issue is that I'd like to drink black tea all the time, because I love it so much. But I'm afraid my head might explode. But don't want to deny myself the pleasure if I'm just a normal head case and it's not really doing much.

Any way I can figure this out?

Oh and btw I never ever drink coffee and never have. No caffeinated soft drinks (well, the occasional gourmet root beer).

Please don't suggest booger sugar

piedmont — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 18:28:55 -0800

What will help me stay awake without having to see a man about a horse every 20 minutes? I know sleep is the obvious answer, but I've got a moderate haul to make to get to the event, and will likely not be getting much sleep the night before. Most energy drinks and coffees run right through me. I'll be keeping alcohol intake on the low side in general and avoiding beer entirely.
It's been a while since I consumed caffeine in any form save for my morning coffee or the occasional energy drink. Will caffeine pills or those "5 Hour Energy Now" majobbers have less of a diuretic effect than a drink?
Most nights it's not a concern, but this is one of the few nights a year when I will actually want to stay up late. All legal options welcome, and all non-stimulant tricks are also welcome.

Learning How to Like Coffee, and How to Like Beer

WCityMike — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 10:34:41 -0800

There are two beverages that nearly every American adult seems to like, but I dislike both: coffee and beer. I would like to develop a taste for both of them. For morning caffeine, coffee's free at most workplaces whereas pop isn't; and beer is a cheap mood alterer; but more importantly, both are social lubricants, one that isn't achieved by drinking a soda while others get either awake, buzzed or drunk. It's been a while since I had either, but remembering the tastes, I think it's that I dislike the bitterness in each drink. This isn't anything I'm torn up over, but I can see how acclimating myself to these would be helpful to things I'd like to develop socially. Anyhow, tips on how to change my tastes so that I can become a jittery, coffee-addicted beerhound would be appreciated. :-)

Why do my eyes burn when drinking soda?

drezdn — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:21:32 -0800

Why do my eyes sometimes feel like they're burning when I drink sodas high in caffeine?

Is Dr. Drew a friggin' quack?

Bathtub Bobsled — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 05:24:04 -0800

Is Dr. Drew a dumbass, or am I? In this article he claims caffeine "is not actually a stimulant". I understand his reasoning: caffeine is an adenosine antagonist and this results in the brain increasing the levels of other neurotransmitters and turning up the adrenal glands in response, or something to that effect. Basically, its initial action depresses one part of the CNS.

But my understanding is that a drug is classified not by its initial action, but rather on what effect the drug has on the entire system. Thus, caffeine is a fucking stimulant.

Or am I waaaayyy off?

Cheap Beans, Rich Flavor.

mccarty.tim — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 18:29:13 -0800

What's a good whole bean coffee I can buy in bulk online on a college student budget? I'm a college student with limited money. However, I do like good coffee and keep a coffee grinder and an aeropress in my dorm. What brands should I go for? I'm a big fan of pacific coffees and blends of them. I would say the two best varieties that I've sampled would be Dean's Beans Moka Summatra and the Summatra blend from Starbucks. Starbucks is widely available, but it is, of course, really expensive, about $11 a bag here, for a bag that isn't even a whole lb. Dean's Beans is more reasonably priced, but the shipping makes small amounts not worth paying for if I'm not also ordering something else, which I only do around other coffee-lover's birthdays.

Is there any supermarket brand or internet brand that ship affordably? I'd like to be able to pay about $4-6 a lb after shipping, in quantities that vary from 2-5 lbs. I know ordering that much at once risks the coffee going stale, but I can deal with slightly stale coffee on my budget. Fair trade, organic, and shade grown would be nice touches, but I know it's a bit much to ask on my budget.

Also, my school is near Trenton, NJ. I'm a bit scared to go into the city, but it's worth it if there's a cheap wholesaler of beans in there.