Caffeine and Coffee

Benefits of Drinking Coffee

On this page…
1. Coffee Benefits
2. Caffeine Content
3. Addiction &     Withdrawal
4. Side-Effects
5. Decaffeination

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Apart from the alluring aroma and relaxing ritual of a morning coffee, it's the caffeine that brings us back time and time again. An addiction coffee lovers freely confess to, caffeine is well known for its abilities to:

1. Kickstart the body, increase alertness, reduce fatigue and stimulate the senses.
2. Helps increase stamina and burn fat - read more here.
3. Relieve vascular headache by reducing and constricting the dilation of arteries that cause vascular headache.
4. Add antioxidants to your diet - read more here.
5. Reduce the risk of Type II Diabetes - read more here.
6. Reduce the risk of Parkinson's Disease - read more here.
7. Reduce the risk of developing gallstones - read more here.

Caffeine Content

The caffeine content of coffee depends on:

1. The Degree of the Roast - darker roasts have less caffeine
2. The Brewing Method
3. The Species (Arabica vs. Robusta)

Keeping the above factors in mind, caffeine content will be approximately as follows:

Drip, regular 106-164 mg/5 oz.
Percolated, regular 93-134 mg/5 oz.
Instant, regular 4 7-68 mg/5 oz.
Decaffeinated 2-5 mg/5 oz.

Source: http://www.chinamist.com/knowledge/health/caffeine/content.htm (archived page - previously contained caffeine content comparisons with other beverages and products).

Decaffeinated coffee is coffee that has had most of the caffeine removed. When first picked, Arabica beans contain about 1% caffeine by weight and Robusta beans contain about 2% caffeine by weight. Decaf coffee has been through a decaffeination process that generally removes 90-to-99% of that 1-2%.

Caffeine Addiction and Withdrawal

Even people who drink only one cup of coffee will experience caffeine withdrawal symptoms if they miss their morning wakeup cup. Some of the symptoms that might be experienced include headaches, sleepiness, irritability and nausea. The degree of the withdrawal symptoms will depend on your general physical well-being at the time, the amount of caffeine you are missing out on, and your sensitivity.

To speed up the withdrawal process, drink lots of water to flush the caffeine from your system and take extra sleep.

Side-Effects of Too Much Caffeine

Some noted side-effects of drinking too much caffeine include:

1. Disturbed sleep
2. Dehydration - caffeine is a known diuretic and can result in frequent urination and dehydrated skin.
3. Jitters - caffeine has the ability to increase the adrenaline hormone which can cause jittery hands.
4. Caffeine has been linked to osteoporosis - read more here.

Note that these side-effects are a result of drinking too much caffeine. If you are experiencing these symptoms, consult your doctor. You might not need to quit your coffee completely - just cut down. Also, consider other sources of caffeine and that it might not be just your coffee.

Decaffeination Methods

The two most common commercial methods of decaffeinating coffee are:

1. Swiss Water Process - involves using hot water and steam to remove the caffeine. Water is used to absorb much of the beans' caffeine, oils and flavors. This water is then passed through charcoal filters to remove the caffeine. The beans are then put back into the water solution to re-absorb the oils and flavors, before being dried and sent to be roasted. Although this non-chemical process may be better for us, much of the coffee flavor that is lost to the water cannot be returned to the bean.
   
2. European Chemical Process - involves soaking the beans in water and then using a chemical (methylene chloride) "wash" that absorbs the caffeine from the bean. The chemcals are then rinsed from the beans before they are dried and sent to be roasted. Most coffee drinkers prefer the more natural Swiss water method to this chemical method - even though there are virtually no chemicals left in the coffee by the time the beans are roasted. The main advantage of this method is that the coffee retains more flavor than in the water process.

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