COFFEE NEWS

I don’t understand drinking decaf coffee. It’s like non-alcoholic beer. Both are crappy, neutered versions of the original. But if you’ve absolutely got to drink decaf, D+caf will make sure it’s the real (fake) deal.

D+caf test strips are simply little strips of paper coated with antibodies that tell if you a beverage is properly decaffeinated, turning up blue lines if it’s got more than 20mg of caffeine per 6oz serving. Even modern decaffeination procedures can’t remove every single trace of caffeine, but between 20 and 30 percent of coffee and tea drinks “contain unacceptably high levels of caffeine” according to the strip’s maker, Silver Lakes Research.

The strips are 98 percent accurate for detecting caffeine, plus you have to use them before you add anything else to your coffee tea, like milk or sugar. And at $10 for a pack of 20, you’re paying 50 cents a strip, instantly propelling even cheap decaf coffee into Starbucks pricing territory. So I’m not sure these are worth the small bit of security that some smartass doesn’t occasionally slip you real coffee instead of decaf.

Besides, how the hell do you decaf people get through the day, anyway?

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5120739/d%252Bcaf-detects-if-youre-drinking-real-coffee-instead-of-decaf

In lieu of a new blend of coffee or another Starbucks item on the market to inform y’all about, I’ve stumbled upon a way to keep you completely caffeinated (and smelling good to boot).

It’s ThinkGeek’s Shower Shock caffeinated soap. Yes, that’s right — soap. With caffeine! This sounds like the perfect item for those of us that are just a little too lazy to get that coffee maker going. The scent of the soap is peppermint, and it’s “infused with caffeine anhydrous.” I don’t know exactly what anhydrous is, but it certainly sounds like it’ll prove to be effective.

I haven’t tried this stuff yet, so you’ll have to let me know if it’s successful. And it better well be for $6.99 a bar!

So, thanks, nerds, for loving caffeine. If the soap isn’t enough, check out their Bawls Mints — high caffeine candy.

Source:

http://www.styledash.com/2006/10/07/nerds-know-caffeine/

Could smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee protect you from Parkinson’s disease?

That’s the startling suggestion of a new U.S. study of families that also found NSAID use has no impact on the disease risk.

Previous studies have reported that consuming caffeine, smoking and taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen may help prevent Parkinson’s disease, according to background information in the study. But there’s been little family-based research done to examine these links.

The new study, led by researcher Dana B. Hancock of Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., included 356 Parkinson’s patients (averaging about 66 years of age) and 317 of their family members (averaging almost 64 years of age).

The people with Parkinson’s disease were 44 percent less likely to report ever smoking and 70 percent less likely to report current smoking compared with unaffected relatives, the study authors found.

“Increasing intensity of coffee drinking was inversely associated with Parkinson’s disease,” they added. “Increasing dosage and intensity of total caffeine consumption were also inversely associated, with high dosage presenting a significant inverse association with Parkinson’s disease.”

The study found no link between NSAID use and Parkinson’s disease.

The findings are published in the April issue of the journal Archives of Neurology.

It’s not known how smoking or caffeine consumption may help reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.

“Given the complexity of Parkinson’s disease, these environmental factors likely do not exert their effects in isolation, thus highlighting the importance of gene-environment interactions in determining Parkinson’s disease susceptibility,” the study authors wrote. “Smoking and caffeine possibly modify genetic effects in families with Parkinson’s disease and should be considered as effect modifiers in candidate gene studies for Parkinson’s disease.”

Source:

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=80349

Mt. Hope High School senior Susanna Jackson, an employee of The Coffee Depot in Warren, said she drinks a cup of coffee almost everyday, a routine she’s had for three years, since she was 14.

“When I first started working here I would drink, like, three [cups],” Ms. Jackson said. “I’d stay up until 3 a.m., doing homework, then after school I would take a nap and come back to work. It was a continuous cycle. I don’t drink a lot anymore.”

Coffee is easily one of the more popular drinks for the adult population, but more recently the caffeinated drink has seen a boost among the younger population. According to a recent National Coffee Association survey, coffee consumption among people 18 to 24 years old rose to 26 percent, up 4 percent from 2004. Locally, the younger java drinkers have been seen filling coffee houses and coffee shop drive-through lanes.

Mt. Hope High School Senior Kayla Murgo said she started drinking coffee about three years ago when she was 14, and said she likes how the drink offers a pick-me-up. She said she enjoys going to the coffee house to socialize and do homework; while she’s there she usually picks up her favorite drink: An iced vanilla latte.

“It tastes good and wakes me up,” Ms. Murgo said. “If I’m tired I drink a cup of coffee and I’m awake again.”

They like it sweet

Coffee distributors in town said high school students have become regulars in the morning rush for caffeine. The lone difference from most of the adult consumers: How they take it.

“[High school students] are in here all the time,” Dunkin’ Donuts employee Liz Pereira said. “A lot of them order espressos … medium, extra [sugar], extra [cream] and iced coffees.”

Sara Cobb, an employee at Sip ‘n Dip, said the students come in and order the same thing there.

“They usually drink the iced coffee extra [cream] extra [sugar],” Ms. Cobb said. “Sometimes they come before school and some usually after school.”

Ms. Pereira said students are always in the store in the morning. She added that a middle school bus stop is nearby and sometimes they will come in and order hot chocolates and sometimes even coffee.

“There are not too many [high school students] in the afternoon,” Ms. Pereira said. “Mostly in the morning. A lot [come in] in the morning. Sometimes they’re even younger than high school.”

Ms. Murgo and Ms. Jackson said when they first started to drink coffee they would load the cup with extra cream and extra sugar, because they didn’t like the bitter taste of coffee.

“The iced coffee is like a milkshake,” Ms. Jackson said. “It’s sweet coffee.”

However, now the girls enjoy the taste and sometimes even drink it black.

“I don’t use cream anymore,” Ms. Jackson said.

Ms. Murgo said she also cut back on the cream and sugar, but added most of her friends still use it.

“It’s more like a sugar high than a caffeine high,” Ms. Murgo said. “I don’t use sugar at all anymore. A lot of my friends drink the ice coffee with extra cream and extra sugar.”

Not allowed

Although the kids are stocking up on coffee in the morning before school, they’re guzzling it down before they can go inside, school policy doesn’t allow outside drinks indoors.

According to the Mt. Hope Student handbook on page 39, it states: “Only unflavored water is allowed outside of the cafeteria.” (Mt. Hope High School administration did not return any phone calls made by the Warren Times-Gazette on the subject.)

Ms. Murgo said students are asked to dispose of drinks when they come into the school. She said they are not allowed to bring them in and said there’s a garbage can at the entrance where kids usually throw away their coffee cups.

Ms. Murgo said that before the no drink policy was installed, a class actually began selling coffee as an experiment in the school lunchroom.

“Everyone bought it,” Ms. Murgo said. “They had to shut it down because no one was buying lunch.”

According to school nurse Ellen Estrella there could be adverse affects to students if they drink too much coffee.

“[Effects] would probably be the same as you and me,” Ms. Estrella said. “[They would be] jittery if they had too much, headaches when they don’t have it. Too much caffeine and your heart races. They probably feel caffeine makes them stay awake.”

Ms. Murgo said occasionally a cup of coffee will make her shake.

“I just shake if I don’t eat a lot before [a cup],” Ms. Murgo said.

Ms. Jackson said she quit the habit for a little while and when she began again she could feel the affects of the caffeine.

“I gave up drinking it this summer,” Ms. Jackson said. “Then I had one and I was talking like a mile a minute and shaking.”

The girls said although they may have some reactions to a cup, they don’t plan on quitting the habit anytime soon. They said they will continue going to the coffee houses to pick up one of their favorite drinks and to work on their homework.

“We come here for socializing,” Ms. Murgo said. “We get our homework done here, more so than at home.”

What’s in your cup?

According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, many people are unaware of what’s brewing in their cup o’ joe. Here’s a look at some of the facts according to the CSPI:

* Average brewed 8 oz. cup of coffee: 135mg of caffeine

* Coffee grande (16 oz.) at Starbucks: 550mg of caffeine

* Coffee tall (12 oz.) at Starbucks: 375mg of caffeine

* Maxwell House 8 oz.cup: 110mg of caffeine

* Average instant 8 oz. cup of coffee: 95mg of caffeine

* Decaffeinated 8 oz. cup of coffee: 5mg of caffeine

* Tea 8 oz., leaf or bag: 50mg of caffeine

The CSPI also reported the following:

* “The average American adult consumes about 200 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day … As little as 200 mg of caffeine is enough to make some people feel nervous and anxious.”

* “Coffee accounts for about 3/4 of the caffeine we consume. Tea makes up about 15 percent, soft drinks about 10 percent, and chocolate about two percent.”

* “Smokers remove caffeine from their blood twice as fast as nonsmokers. That may be why smokers tend to drink more coffee.”

* “Within 30 to 60 minutes of drinking a cup of coffee, caffeine reaches peak concentrations in the bloodstream. It typically takes four to six hours for its effects to wear off.”

* “Caffeine can delay the onset of sleep. It can also interfere with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the stage when people dream.”

Source:

http://www.eastbayri.com/story/291367634622438.php

Need for caffeine won out over intense, searing pain Tuesday, as Escondido-area coffee drinker Stephanie Cutler continued to drink her morning cup after sustaining third-degree burns on her tongue, lips and esophagus. “Must have coffee,” said Cutler, pausing to scream between sips of the deadly 150-degree beverage. “Must have coffee.”

Source:

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/31994

You grind your coffee beans in your mouth.
You sleep with your eyes open.
You have to watch videos in fast-forward.
The only time you’re standing still is during an earthquake.
You can take a picture of yourself from ten feet away without using the timer.
You’ve worn out your third pair of tennis shoes this week.
Your eyes stay open when you sneeze.
You chew on other people’s fingernails.
The nurse needs a scientific calculator to take your pulse.
You’re so jittery that people use your hands to blend their margaritas.
You can type sixty words per minute with your feet.
You can jump-start your car without cables.
You don’t sweat, you percolate.
You walk twenty miles on your treadmill before you realize it’s not plugged in.
You forget to unwrap candy bars before eating them.
You’ve built a miniature city out of little plastic stirrers.
People get dizzy just watching you.
Instant coffee takes too long.
You channel surf faster without a remote.
You have a picture of your coffee mug on your coffee mug.
You can outlast the Energizer bunny.
You short out motion detectors.
You don’t even wait for the water to boil anymore.
Your nervous twitch registers on the Richter scale.
You help your dog chase its tail.
You soak your dentures in coffee overnight.
Your first-aid kit contains two pints of coffee with an I.V. hookup.
You ski uphill.
You get a speeding ticket even when you’re parked.
You answer the door before people knock.
You haven’t blinked since the last lunar eclipse.

Soft Drinks
12-ounce beverage milligrams

Red Bull (8.2 oz) 80.0
Jolt 71.2
Pepsi One 55.5
Mountain Dew 55.0
Mountain Dew Code Red 55.0
Diet Mountain Dew 55.0
Kick Citrus 54.0
Mellow Yellow 52.8
Surge 51.0
Tab 46.8
Diet Coke 45.6
Diet Coke with Lemon 45.6
Diet Coke with Lime 45.6
Diet Vanilla Coke 45.6
Shasta Cola 44.4
Shasta Cherry Cola 44.4
Shasta Diet Cola 44.4
RC Cola 43.0
Diet RC 43.0
Dr. Pepper 41.0
Diet Dr. Pepper 41.0
Diet Sunkist Orange 41.0
Mr. Pibb 40.0
Sugar-Free Mr. Pibb 40.0
Red Flash 40.0
Sunkist Orange 40.0
Slim-Fast Cappuccino Delight Shake 40.0
Ruby Red 39.0
Storm 38.0
Big Red 38.0
Pepsi-Cola 37.5
Pepsi Twist 37.5
Diet Pepsi 36.0
Wild Cherry Pepsi 38.0
Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi 36.0
Diet Pepsi Twist 36.0
Aspen 36.0
Coca-Cola Classic 34.0
Coke C2 34.0
Cherry Coke 34.0
Lemon Coke 34.0
Vanilla Coke 34.0
Diet Cherry Coke 34.0
Snapple Flavored Teas (Reg. or Diet) 31.5
Canada Dry Cola 30.0
A&W Creme Soda 29.0
Nestea Sweet Iced Tea 26.5
Nestea Unsweetened Iced Tea 26.0
Barq’s Root Beer 23.0
A&W Diet Creme Soda 22.0
Slim-Fast Chocolate Flavors 20.0
Snapple Sweet Tea 12.0
Lipton Brisk, All Varieties 9
Canada Dry Diet Cola 1.2
Diet Rite Cola 0
Sprite 0
7-Up 0
Mug Root Beer 0
Diet Barq’s Root Beer 0
Sundrop Orange 0
Minute Maid Orange 0
A&W Root Beer 0
Slice 0
Sierra Mist 0
Fresca 0

Other Beverages
8-ounce Beverage milligrams

Coffee, Drip 115-175
Coffee, Brewed 80-135
Coffee, Espresso (2 ounces) 100
Coffee, Instant 65-100
Tea, iced 47
Tea, brewed, imported brands (avg.) 60
Tea, brewed, U.S. brands (avg.) 40
Tea, instant 30
Tea, green 15
Hot cocoa 14
Coffee, Decaf, brewed 3-4
Coffee, Decaf, instant 2-3

For those who love the full flavor of real coffee but can’t handle the kick, the genetics revolution may have a solution.

Researchers say they have genetically engineered coffee plants that have 70 percent less caffeine than usual in their leaves. The crucial question for brewing coffee — whether beans from those plants will have less caffeine — won’t be known for three to four years when the plants mature, said study author Shinjiro Ogita.

However, the results indicate it should be possible, according to the researcher’s report in Thursday’s issue of the journal Nature.

The researchers at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology in Japan used RNA interference — an increasingly popular genetic tool — to manipulate the plant, interfering with the gene responsible for an enzyme used to make caffeine.

Experts contend a caffeine-free bean would be an improvement over current decaffeination processes, which use water or organic solvents to remove the stimulant from the beans before they are roasted, taking out some flavor and aroma as well.

Alan Crozier, a University of Glasgow researcher who has worked on genetically modifying coffee, said the Japanese group is the first to engineer the plants to produce less caffeine.

However, concerns about genetically modified foods and a lack of interest by the coffee industry could slow development, Crozier said.

“I suspect it will come in first at the boutique end of the market and grow from there,” Crozier said. “If it were to take over, clearly it’s a much cheaper way to produce decaffeinated coffee.”

Pablo Dubois of the London-based International Coffee Organization, which includes coffee-producing and consuming nations, said genetically modified foods “are regarded with wide suspicion in Europe” and current decaffeination processes are well established.

John Stiles, a scientist working to develop a caffeine-free coffee plant for Waialua, Hawaii-based Integrated Coffee Technologies, said the Japanese researchers have not yet reached the commercial decaffeination level of 97 percent.

Stiles said the Hawaiian company hopes to have plants ready for field use in a year. While the Japanese researchers used the robusta variety of coffee plant, Stiles said the Hawaiian work uses the more commercial arabica variety.

Ogita said the Japanese researchers are also working on arabica plants and should be able to eventually remove all caffeine.

Coffee plants make caffeine in a three-step process. The targeted gene in the modified plant normally prompts the plant to produce an enzyme that carries out the second step, said Hiroshi Sano, one of the paper’s authors.

RNA interference eliminates the chemical messenger the targeted gene sends to the cell’s protein-making machinery.

The researchers are also working to induce plants other than coffee to produce caffeine, which would act as a pest repellant, Sano said.

At the Daily Grind in Baltimore, some welcomed the news of the genetically modified coffee plant and others were as lukewarm as a half-finished cappuccino.

Marcia Sternbergh, 52, of Baltimore said she prefers regular coffee for the taste, “and the jolt.”

At night, though, she would drink the non-caffeine kind.

Harold Cones, 60, of Newport News, Virginia, who has to drink decaf because of an irregular heartbeat, said he would welcome the new coffee because he could avoid caffeine and get the flavor.

“Oh, that would be good. There’s a difference,” Cones said, sipping a decaf. “Every now and then I have a cup of real coffee and it’s really nice.”

While some decaf is good, Cones said it tends to get stale because it’s not ordered as much. The real thing is still the best, however.

“Sometimes, you get that cup of coffee,” Cones said, “and you think you’re high in the mountains, in an old hotel, and the aroma goes up into your sinuses and you say, ‘That’s a good cup of coffee.’”

Source:

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2003/06/59302

You’ve got a big, expensive game and you want to squeeze every last yen out of it. What do you do? Hit up the nicotine and caffeine fiends! And thus, we bring you the limited-edition Blue Dragon Zippo lighter, the Blue Dragon coffee mugs and the Blue Dragon t-shirt were born. The titanium-coated lighter has been etched with a laser and is priced at 10,500 yen (US $87). The mug set features the main characters and goes for 3,360 yen ($28). And the silhouette shirt goes for 4,200 yen ($35). Goodies drop this Spring, but pre-orders at being taken now at online retailer LaLaBit Market. So hurry. Oh, did I mention it’s Japan only? Well, it’s Japan only.

Source:

http://kotaku.com/gaming/microsoft/the-blue-dragon-lighter-234218.php