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Caffeine Nation

by

Futurists writing in the middle of the 20th Century often envisioned a world where privacy had been replaced by consumerism and the people were, with the government's approval, medicated into complacency. Even Aldous Huxley however, did not foresee the rise of Bean Brother.

The press coverage goes to Ecstasy, Heroin and Crack but the most popular drug in the history of civilization is The Big C - Caffeine.

Caffeine Nation
Caffeine Nation

It would seem only a matter of time before the prohibitionists turn their attention to the worldwide obsession with coffee. After all, millions of us are literally addicted to it. The average cup of specialty coffee (using Arabica beans of course) has about 150 milligrams of caffeine. If you consume about 5 cups a day you are a java junkie (go ahead, try to start your day without that large mug of black gold!).

Of course caffeine is found in other foods and beverages, but not in the quantities that coffee possesses. For example tea and some sodas will contain between 50 and 75 milligrams per normal serving.

Thinking you may be overdoing it a bit and would like to decaffeinate yourself? Here are a few more facts that may help.

  1. Know your beans. The darker roasts often -surprise, have far less caffeine than the standard blends. A shot of espresso can have far less caffeine than the donut man's regular blend!
  2. Low caffeine does not mean less bitterness. If the coffee is too bitter, try another bean or blend.
  3. Caffeine does not equate with acidity. A low caffeine coffee could have a very high acidity. Ask your roaster.
  4. Robusta beans - which are not the standard bean used by most specialty roasters, have twice the caffeine as Arabica beans. When a roast master wants to crank up the caffeine, Robusta is often the answer.
  5. Tanzanian Peaberry, followed closely by Colombian are the two Arabica beans with the most caffeine per cup. Beans from Zimbabwe have the lowest caffeine rating.

We won't pretend to offer you advice on what's best for you - in terms of your health. Our expertise, we hope, is in the selection of quality, fresh roasted coffee beans that produce the best tasting coffee you can find.

About the Author

BetterBeans.Com: Our Reason for Be'an
Small coffee roasters are perking up all over the country, recreating styles and blends which were nearly impossible to find just a few years ago. The quality of these blends remains unparalleled by those of the giant coffee companies. However, it is difficult to experience these wonderfully fresh roasted coffees because the roasters are scattered all over the country. Copyright 2001 BetterBeans.com

Published: October 2001, Last Modified: May 2011

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