Two question have always struck me about decaffeinated coffee: 1)Why? and 2) They can't get all the caffeine out, so how much is there really? A new study from the University of Florida published in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology at least tries to answer my second question. The common wisdom, what I've always heard around the coffeemaker in the office, is that the decaffeinating process takes out only 95% of the caffeine in coffee. The new study actually quantifies that by basing their numbers on 16 ounces of regular coffee: a regular cup for me, but equal to 2 big cups of coffee. Coffeemakers call a coffee cup at 6 ounces. I'm sure I'll be curious enough to find out why at some other time, but there it is. 16 ounces of regular coffee usually has an average of 170 milligrams of caffeine. Since the AP article makes the presentation of the data a little hard to compare, I made the following table, along with my Buzz Factor, to quickly show how much caffeine is in decaf, and where on my scale of caffeine daily intake that particular coffee drink lies.
| Brand or Coffeehouse | Caffeine (mg) | Caffeine (percent) | Buzz Factor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Folgers Crystals (Instant) | 0 | 0% | Drooling |
| Other Instant | 8.6 - 13.9 | 5.1% - 8.2% | One eye open |
| Starbucks Espresso | 3 - 15.8 | 1.8% - 9.3% | One eye open |
| Starbucks Brewed | 12 - 13.4 | 7.1% - 7.9% | One eye open |
| Can of Coca-Cola | 31 | 18.2% | Incoherent thought |
As you can see, what some call decaf, others may beg to differ, especially those who need to be careful of how stimulants affect their metabolism. Now, how is it that only Folgers Instant produces decaf as advertised? I think it's because it's not real coffee, but that's just my opinion. Me, I call them all weaksauce. Which reminds me, I'm on only my second cup of coffee, which puts me at "Mumbling slowly" on the Buzz Factor, so I better pour some more coffee down my gullet.
I get my caffeine via Penguin caffeinated mints.
ReplyDeleteA tin is equal to 25 cups of coffee, which lasts me about a day.
My metabolism allows me to pass through solid objects.
Sulla:
ReplyDeleteHow many pieces come in a tin? And how long is a day for you? I seem to recall that they can be a bit variable.
75 pieces per tin. 3 pieces per "serving," which is equivalent to "one cola beverage."
ReplyDelete