Oh I don’t know about that. Back in high school I used to take caffeine pills in order to say up and study, they never worked. I would take a dose and be asleep a few minutes later…so much for stimulation. Even today, I can drink a pot of coffee and go to sleep a few minutes later. I like the taste. It’s good stuff. Now I don’t like the fancy stuff or European style coffee. I like the bitter watery American coffee.
Hmmm, what do you mean by American coffee? Probably Folgers or Maxwell House and these are beyond bad. My guess is you may like these coffee's because you were in the military and what they serve is awful. I have been drinking a coffee that is roasted locally here in Upstate New York and it is delicious. I drink coffee for the taste as well as for the psychoactive effect. Ahhh coffee and chocolate, two of my favorite things. Two big cups of coffee and a Hershey bar w/almonds now that will get you where you need to go.
Yep, I mean Folgers and Maxwell House. In Europe they like the thick syrupy coffee. They call it robust.
If drinking coffee is bad for you I'm in trouble. Don't actually think so. My favorite is the Kona and Jamican Blue. All the roasts. I usually don't get into blends but this last year we found two which are awesome. A blend of Edgar's Jamaica Peaberry and a peaberry from New Guinea. And..... a blend of Jamaican Blue mountain regular bean with some delicious regular bean from South America. Unbelievable. With the New Guinea and South American components it's about 5/8 the cost of the $36/pound regular Jamaican Blue Mountain. Both are a step up in unique flavor in my opinion. Never thought I would ever say that.
You should try some Community Coffee from New Orleans. The Community Coffee with Chickory. Add the water you like. Don't let it boil off or you'll wind up with atmospheric residuum. I remember once when I was working on an inshore diving job and got out of the water, after working for over 9 hours, I drank a cup of the risid which had been simmering on the barge stove for hours. Stuck to my ribs. Circumstance means a lot.
There are some interesting replies and opinions in this thread definitely. Thank you to those who went beyond mere opinion and posted facts because often these are overlooked. While it is true that in moderation most things are OK, it will depend firstly on your state of general health and personal Physiology as to how Cafeine will affect each person. We can generalise that it is good, or it is bad, however this would be only that; a generalistic understanding. Studies which have been done claim to have shown in some circumstances that cafeinie can be beneficial, whilst others have claimed to show it can be detrimental to your health and wellbeing. As a Physician first I would say be aware of the potential downsides to any substance, be it cafeinie, or other. As a coffee drinker who uses it to extend my alertness sometimes and as a social instrument, I would say that personally I have a limit on how much I can drink, before I become recognisably 'jittery' and such. I would again reiterate the necesarry understanding of your own individul limits, for this substance, and warn against its use in some circumstances, where health may be at risk, BUT generally speaking as this is what I think people are after here, if you are a healthy person who drinks between 1-4 cups a day, then this is in my opinion fine. If you have some heart problems for instance, I would likely recommend that you lessen your intake of cafeine or at best cut it out. As one poster above said previously, you cannot be entirely sure how much caffeine you are recieving. If we take view of all the coffee houses out there such as Costa Coffee and similar franchises, each different shop will give you a differnt amount. There is actually no legal maximum worryingly, and although I would say be wary of this, I wouldn't suggest you becoming too paranoid either. If you drink expresso you can be doubling or tripling the amount of caffeine you would have in an average cup. Let us assume here we all drink Tesco's Instant granulated coffee (I know, it is awful.) But let us for point sake say that we are. I make you each a coffee using one heaped teaspoon. I cannot be sure of how much each heaps granuels are contained, but I can guestimate by eye and so it would appear we can all average the same. Each coffee house will have a different measurement. Each server will potentially serve up differing amounts too, and who knows how much you have ingested in other foodstuffs. Lets look now to those other types of drinks, Redbull, Cola to name just two. We all know that these two products contain caffeine. I wonder how many knew that caffeine is often listed as merely "flavouring"-but nevertheless these two products contain a dose or two of the good stuff. So we buy chocolate and we have a bottle of cola and then we have throughout our day several cups of coffee. It would be difficult to total the exact amount one has ingested especially when some labels can be misleading, and who really asked the coffeehouse "excuse me please but how much caffeine is in this?" Not many people, I don't expect. So we can consider that caffeine is creeping into and has crept into a lot of different foodstuffs, and we can conclude that we don't have a definite way to total our intake, so all we are really left with is good old coomon sense, and where this fails, an ability to recognise the effect that it has on us when we exceed our personal maximum. Caffeine is by some, considered a drug. By others it is considered only an aide to remain awake, or used in social environments, or to induce rapid action within some Medicines. It certainly seems to have both benefits and on the other hand cause for some further consideration, especially with respect to amounts we intake, and how often. I believe more studies need to be done and I personally would like there to be an overall caffeine limit recommendation for use in products. People HAVE died by massive attributed caffeine overload, and this includes use of caffeine pills. To the poster who mentioned having taken caffeine pills and not had any effect, this is because caffeine pills are not instantenous. They work on time release, and likely while you were asleep they did affect you in some manner, you just weren't aware. We know that minutes after drinking coffee for example, and shown via MRI there has been evidence that it causes more firing among synapses in the Brain. We also know that the caffeine appears to restrict blood flow -especially within the frontal lobes. Caffeine headache is caused because of the huge flow of blood to that area, and not necesarilly, as we first thought, due to withdrawal. This was also recently televised in a short News Article which was shown as part of a morning news programme in the UK. If any of you saw this, I am sure you will understand why more studies are needed, and of course you will recognise some of the points and issues I have brought up here. I personally love coffee. I enjoy the taste and what it does for me. I do believe in being aware of your limits and of course keeping an ear to the ground for new information and facts -and definitely encourage this of people. The HSE may yet bring out a properly researched limit for franchises or RDA for individual use, but for now all there is, is your own common sense. If you are worried about the affect that caffeine is having on you, or the amount you peronally can take, DO ask for advice from your own GP, and they will be more than happy to assist and ensure you are in good health and in helping you find that balance. Thank you for the posts in this thread.
I should have been clearer here so I add this post; The lack of blood flow (as viewed in the MRI moments after drinking the coffee,) when the MRI was repeated later in the experiment, it showed a significant increase of blood flow to that area, whereas previously there had shown to be restrictive flow. I also used the words "is caused" and after reading that back, I should have said more accurately "Therefore this MIGHT SUGGEST reason as to why headaches are experienced." because although this was promising potential evidence, as I said earlier we do need more research into this to confirm either way whether it "is caused" because at present we can only say that it "might suggest." I apologise for not wording this as I should have initially!
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It quite possibly is the restricted blood flow that causes, in the brain only, an excessive blood flow later. It is well known that brain's blood vessels dilate with increased CO2 concentrations - a very clever way nature has perfected to get more blood flow, glucose Oxygen etc. to the more active parts of the brain that part needs (less flow resistance in the "pipes"). Cells firing are more energy intensive and producers of CO2 more rapidly. If caffeine interferers with this natural automatic blood flow regulation mechanism, then in the more active regions the CO2 build up will be greater and eventually win the struggle for control as the caffeine fades. I.e. an abnormal dilation of the blood vessels occurs. This needs not only to clear out the exceesive CO2 in the local blood, but also that which has accumulated in the tissue and that takes longer. Ironically, the injury to the brain, where the sensation of all pain is produced, can not cause pain. - You can cut on it while talking with the patient undergoing brain surgery (as if often done, to try to avoid causing significant permanent obvious functional damage and patient experiences no pain). Surgeon can shove parts of the brain out of the way with little or no pain produced, but if he stretches some blood vessels, then pain will be experienced. It is believed by many that it is the stretching of blood vessels, say by excessive dilation, that causes headache. Because I was asked to help with technical tools,* I have been in the OR looking over the shoulder of the surgeons at JHU hospital. In the one where brain surgery was done, about 35 years ago there was a very funny blue sign with white text on one door. It read: Brain surgery while your wait! * APL/JHU where I worked owns patents on two.
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I didn't realize zombies enjoyed coffee. And obviously they do enjoy it bcause I've never seen zombies looking happier. So what's the problem?
