Coffee and Caffeine FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about Coffee and Caffeine
****************************************************
URL: http://daisy.uwaterloo.ca/~alopez-o/caffaq.html
Alejandro Lopez-Ortiz
alopez-o@daisy.uwaterloo.ca
_________________________________________________________________
This FAQ is dedicated to all beverages and products that contain
caffeine; including tea, coffee, chocolate, mate, caffeinated soft
drinks, caffeinated pills, coffee beans, etc.
There are several newsgroups in which these topics may be of relevance, including
alt.drugs.caffeine
rec.food.drink.coffee
rec.food.drink.tea
alt.food.chocolate
Rec.food.drink.coffee is preferred over alt.coffee and alt.food.coffee.
1. The Chemistry of Caffeine and related products
1. How much caffeine is there in [drink/food/pill]?
2. How much caffeine there is in blend X?
3. Chemically speaking, what is caffeine?
4. Is it true that tea has no caffeine/What is theine,
theobromine, etc?
5. Where can I find an image of the caffeine molecule? (well, here)
6. Is it true that espresso has less caffeine than regular
coffee?
7. How does caffeine taste?
8. How much theobromine/theophylline there is in ...?
2. How to brew the ultimate caffeine drink?
1. What is the best temperature for drip coffee?
2. Quality of coffee
3. Why you should never use percolators
3. Peripherals and Secondary Storage
1. Proper care of Coffee makers...
2. How to store coffee?
3. Equipment reviews?
4. What is a French Press/Cafetiere/Bodum?
4. Caffeine and your Health
1. Caffeine Withdrawal
2. What happens when you overdose?
3. Effects of caffeine on pregnant women.
4. Caffeine and Osteoporosis (Calcium loss)
5. Studies on the side-effects of caffeine...
6. Caffeine and depression.
7. Caffeine and your metabolism.
Miscellaneous
1. How do you pronounce mate?
2. How do you spell Colombia/Colombian?
3. How do you spell Espresso?
Coffee Recipes and other beverages.
1. Espresso
2. Chocolate covered espresso beans
3. Cappuccino
4. Frappe
5. How to make your own chocolate
6. How to make the best cup of coffee
7. Turkish Coffee
8. Irish Coffee
9. Thai Iced Coffee
10. Vietnamese Iced Coffee
11. Melya Administrivia
1. List of Contributors
2. Copyright
1.
The Chemistry of Caffeine and related products
1.
HOW MUCH CAFFEINE IS THERE IN [DRINK/FOOD/PILL]?
According to the National Soft Drink Association, the following
is the caffeine content in mgs per 12 oz can of soda:
Afri-Cola 100.0 (?)
Jolt 71.2
Sugar-Free Mr. Pibb 58.8
Mountain Dew 55.0 (no caffeine in Canada)
Diet Mountain Dew 55.0
Mello Yellow 52.8
Tab 46.8
Coca-Cola 45.6
Diet Cola 45.6
Shasta Cola 44.4
Shasta Cherry Cola 44.4
Shasta Diet Cola 44.4
Mr. Pibb 40.8
OK Soda 40.5
Dr. Pepper 39.6
Pepsi Cola 37.2
Aspen 36.0
Diet Pepsi 35.4
RC Cola 36.0
Diet RC 36.0
Diet Rite 36.0
Canada Dry Cola 30.0
Canada Dry Diet Cola 1.2
7 Up 0
By means of comparison, a 7 oz cup of coffee has the
following caffeine (mg) amounts, according to Bunker and
McWilliams in J. Am. Diet. 74:28-32, 1979:
Drip 115-175
Espresso 100mg of caffeine
1 serving (1.5-2oz)
Brewed 80-135
Instant 65-100
Decaf, brewed 3-4
Decaf, instant 2-3
Tea, iced (12 ozs.) 70
Tea, brewed, imported 60
Tea, brewed, U.S. 40
Tea, instant 30
Mate 25-150mg
The variability in the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee
or tea is relatively large even if prepared by the same
person using the same equipment and ingredients day after
day. Reference Variability in caffeine consumption from
coffee and tea: Possible significance for epidemiological
studies by B. Stavric, R. Klassen, B. Watkinson, K.
Karpinski, R. Stapley, and P. Fried in "Foundations of
Chemical Toxicology", Volume 26, number 2, pp. 111-118, 1988
and an easy to read overview, Looking for the Perfect Brew by
S. Eisenberg, "Science News", Volume 133, April 16, 1988, pp.
252-253.
According to Maxwell House at 1-800-432-6333 (USA only), the
cappio caffeine content per 8oz bottle is as follows:
Coffee 100mg
Mocha 90mg
Cinnamon 85mg
Vanilla 90mg
Quote from the lab manual:
Caffeine is present in tea leaves and in coffee to the extent of
about 4%. Tea also contains two other alkaloids, theobromine and
theophylline. These last two relax the smooth muscles where
caffeine stimulates the heart and respiratory systems.
The effects of theobromine are, compared to caffeine and
theophylline, relatively moderate. However, cocoa contains
eight times more theophylline than caffeine. As well,
caffeine has been shown to combine with other substances for
added potency. Thus the effects of theobromine might be
enhanced by the caffeine in chocolate.
Theobromine is highly toxic to dogs and kills many
canids/year via chocolate poisoning. It takes quite a dose to
reach fatal levels (more than 200 mg/kg bodyweight) but some
dogs have a bad habit of eating out of garbage cans and some
owners have a bad habit of feeding dogs candy. A few oreos
won't hurt a dog, but a pound of chocolate can do
considerable damage.
Clinical signs of theobromine toxicity in canids usually
manifest 8 hours after ingestion and can include: thirst,
vomiting, diarrhea, urinary incontinence, nervousness, clonic
muscle spasms, seizures and coma. Any dog thought to have
ingested a large quantity of chocolate should be brought to
an emergency clinic asap, where treatment usually includes
the use of emetics and activated charcoal. The dog will thus
need to be monitored to maintain proper fluid and electrolyte
balance.
Pathogenesis of theobromine toxicity: evidently large
quantities of theobromine have a diuretic effect, relax
smooth muscles, and stimulate the heart and cns.
Reference:
Fraser, Clarence M., et al, eds. The Merck Veterinary Manual,
7th ed. Rahway, NJ: Merck & Co., Inc. 1991. pp. 1643-44.
On humans caffeine acts particularly on the brain and
skeletal muscles while theophylline targets heart, bronchia,
and kidneys.
Other data on caffeine:
Cup of coffee 90-150mg
Instant coffee 60-80mg
Tea 30-70mg
Mate 25-150mg
Cola 30-45mg
Chocolate bar 30mg
Stay-awake pill 100mg
Vivarin 200mg
Cold relief tablet 30mg
The following information is from Bowes and Church's Food values
of portions commonly used, by Anna De Planter Bowes. Lippincott,
Phila. 1989. Pages 261-2: Caffeine.
Candy:
Chocolate mg caffeine
baking choc, unsweetened, Bakers--1 oz(28 g) 25
german sweet, Bakers -- 1 oz (28 g) 8
semi-sweet, Bakers -- 1 oz (28 g) 13
Choc chips
Bakers -- 1/4 cup (43 g) 13
german sweet, Bakers -- 1/4 cup (43 g) 15
Chocolate bar, Cadbury -- 1 oz (28 g) 15
Chocolate milk 8oz 8
Desserts:
Jello Pudding Pops, Choc (47 g) 2
Choc mousse from Jell-O mix (95 g) 6
Jello choc fudge mousse (86 g) 12
Beverages
3 heaping teaspoons of choc powder mix 8
2 tablespoons choc syrup 5
1 envelope hot cocoa mix 5
Dietary formulas
ensure, plus, choc, Ross Labs -- 8 oz (259 g) 10
Cadbury Milk Chocolate Bar
More stuff:
Guarana "Magic Power" (quite common in Germany),
15 ml alcohol with
5g Guarana Seeds 250.0 mg
Guarana capsules with
500 mg G. seeds 25.0 mg / capsule
(assuming 5% caffeine in seeds as stated in literature)
Guarana soda pop is ubiquitous in Brazil and often available at
tropical groceries here. It's really tasty and packs a wallop.
Guarana wakes you up like crazy, but it doesn't cause coffee
jitters.
It is possible that in addition to caffeine, there is some other
substance in guarana that also produces an effect, since it
'feels' different than coffee. Same goes for mate.
2.
HOW MUCH CAFFEINE THERE IS IN BLEND X?
Caffeine Content in beans and blends
(Source: Newsletter--Mountanos Bros. Coffee Co., San Francisco)
VARIETALS/STRAIGHTS
Brazil Bourbons 1.20%
Celebes Kalossi 1.22
Colombia Excelso 1.37
Colombia Supremo 1.37
Costa Rica Tarrazu 1.35
Ethiopian Harrar-Moka 1.13
Guatemala Antigua 1.32
Indian Mysore 1.37
Jamaican Blue Mtn/Wallensford Estate 1.24
Java Estate Kuyumas 1.20
Kenya AA 1.36
Kona Extra Prime 1.32
Mexico Pluma Altura 1.17
Mocha Mattari (Yemen) 1.01
New Guinea 1.30
Panama Organic 1.34
Sumatra Mandheling-Lintong 1.30
Tanzania Peaberry 1.42
Zimbabwe 1.10
BLENDS & DARK ROASTS
Colombia Supremo Dark 1.37%
Espresso Roast 1.32
French Roast 1.22
Vienna Roast 1.27
Mocha-Java 1.17
DECAFS--all @ .02% with Swiss Water Process
3.
CHEMICALLY SPEAKING, WHAT IS CAFFEINE?
Caffeine is an alkaloid. There are numerous compounds called
alkaloids, among them we have the methylxanthines, with three
distinguished compounds: caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine,
found in cola nuts, coffee, tea, cacao beans, mate and other
plants. These compounds have different biochemical effects, and
are present in different ratios in the different plant sources.
These compounds are very similar and differ only by the presence
of methyl groups in two positions of the chemical structure. They
are easily oxidized to uric acid and other methyluric acids which
are also similar in chemical structure.
Caffeine:
Sources: Coffee, tea, cola nuts, mate, guarana.
Effects: Stimulant of central nervous system, cardiac muscle, and
respiratory system, diuretic Delays fatigue.
Theophylline:
Sources: Tea
Effects: Cariac stimulant, smooth muscle relaxant, diuretic,
vasodilator
Theobromine:
Sources: Principle alkaloid of the cocoa bean (1.5-3%) Cola nuts
and tea
Effects: Diuretic, smooth muscle relaxant, cardiac stimulant,
vasodilator.
(Info from Merck Index)
The presence of the other alkaloids in colas and tea may explain
why these sometimes have a stronger kick than coffee. Colas, which
have lower caffeine contents than coffee are, reportedly,
sometimes more active. Tea seems the strongest for some. Coffee
seems more lasting for mental alertness and offers fewer jitters
than the others.
A search in CAS and produced these names and synonyms:
RN 58-08-2 REGISTRY
CN 1H-Purine-2,6-dione, 3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl- (9CI) (CA INDEX NAME)
OTHER CA INDEX NAMES:
CN Caffeine (8CI)
OTHER NAMES:
CN 1,3,7-Trimethyl-2,6-dioxopurine
CN 1,3,7-Trimethylxanthine
CN 7-Methyltheophylline
CN Alert-Pep
CN Cafeina
CN Caffein
CN Cafipel
CN Guaranine
CN KoffeinCN Mateina
CN Methyltheobromine
CN No-Doz
CN Refresh'n
CN Stim
CN Thein
CN Theine
CN Tri-Aqua
MF C8 H10 N4 O2
The correct name is the first one,
1H-Purine-2,6-diione,3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl- (This is the
"inverted name") The "uninverted name" is
3,7-Dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione
Merck Index excerpt...
Caffeine: 3,7-dihydro- 1,3,7-trimethyl- 1H-purine- 2,6-dione;
1,3,7-trimethylxanthine; 1,3,7-trimethyl- 2,6-dioxopurine;
coffeine; thein; guaranine; methyltheobromine; No-Doz.
C8H10N4O2; mol wt 194.19. C 49.48%, H 5.19%, N 28.85%, O 16.48%.
Occurs in tea, coffee, mate leaves; also in guarana paste and cola
nuts: Shuman, U.S. pat. 2,508,545 (1950 to General Foods). Obtained
as a by-product from the manuf of caffeine-free coffee: Barch, U.S.
pat. 2,817,588 (1957 to Standard Brands); Nutting, U.S. pat.
2,802,739 (1957 to Hill Bros. Coffee); Adler, Earle, U.S. pat.
2,933,395 (1960 to General Foods).
Crystal structure: Sutor, Acta Cryst. 11, 453, (1958). Synthesis:
Fischer, Ach, Ber. 28, 2473, 3135 (1895); Gepner, Kreps, J. Gen.
Chem. USSR 16, 179 (1946); Bredereck et al., Ber. 83, 201 (1950);
Crippa, Crippa, Farmaco Ed. Sci. 10, 616 (1955); Swidinsky, Baizer,
U.S. pats. 2,785,162 and 2,785,163 (1957 to Quinine Chem. Works);
Bredereck, Gotsmann, Ber. 95, 1902 (1962).
Hexagonal prisms by sublimation, mp 238 C. Sublimes 178 C. Fast
sublimation is obtained at 160-165 C under 1mm press. at 5 mm
distance. d 1.23. Kb at 19 C: 0.7 x 10^(-14). Ka at 25 C:
Monohydrate, felted needles, contg 8.5% H2O. Efflorescent in air;
complete dehydration takes place at 80 C. LD50 orally in rats: 200
mg/kg.
Acetate, C8H10N4O2.(CH3COOH)2, granules or powder; acetic acid
odor; acid reaction. Loses acetic acid on exposure to air. Soluble
in water or alcohol with hydrolysis into caffeine and acetic acid.
Keep well stoppered.
Hydrochloride dihydrate, C8H10N4O2.HCl.2H2O, crystals, dec 80-100 C
with loss of water and HCl. Sol in water and in alcohol with dec.
Therap Cat: Central stimulant.
Therap Cat (Vet): Has been used as a cardiac and respiratory
stimulant and as a diuretic.
4.
IS IT TRUE THAT TEA HAS NO CAFFEINE/WHAT IS THEINE, THEOBROMINE, ETC?
From "Principles of biochemistry", Horton and al, 1993.
Caffeine is sometimes called "theine" when it's in tea. This is
probably due to an ancient misconception that the active
constituent is different. Theophylline is present only in trace
amounts. It is more diuretic, more toxic and less speedy.
Caffeine
1,3,7-trimethylxanthine
Theophylline
1,3-dimethylxanthine
Theobromine
3,7-dimethylxanthine
Coffee and tea contain caffeine and theophylline, respectively,
which are methylated purine derivatives that inhibit cAMP
phosphodiesterase. In the presence of these inhibitors, the effects
of cAMP, and thus the stimulatory effects of the hormones that lead
to its production, are prolonged and intensified.
Theobromine and theophylline are two dimethylxanthines that have
two rather than three methyl groups. Theobromine is considerably
weaker than caffeine and theophylline, having about one tenth the
stimulating effect of either.
Theobromine is found in cocoa products, tea (only in very small
amounts) and kola nuts, but is not found in coffee. In cocoa, its
concentration is generally about 7 times as great as caffeine.
Although, caffeine is relatively scarce in cocoa, its mainly
because of theobromine that cocoa is "stimulating".
Theophylline is found in very small amounts in tea, but has a
stronger effect on the heart and breathing than caffeine. For this
reason it is often the drug of choice in home remedies for
treating asthma bronchitis and emphysema. The theophylline found
in medicine is made from extracts from coffee or tea.
5.
WHERE CAN I FIND AN IMAGE OF THE CAFFEINE MOLECULE? Well, here.
Caffeine = 1,3,7-Trimethylxanthine
A different view of the caffeine molecule.
The Department of Chemistry at Jamaica of the University of
Western Indies has made available an avi and an mpeg of a rotation
of the caffeine molecule, among other molecules and chemical
processes. The index page contains more information and the links
to the clips.
CH3
|
N
/ \
N----C C==O
|| || |
|| || |
CH C N--CH3
\ / \ /
N C
| ||
CH3 O
There is a gif picture at the wuarchive.wustl.edu ftp site or any of
its mirror sites under
multimedia/images/gif/c
caffeine
Theobromine is also a common component of coffee, tea, chocolate, and
mate (particularly in these last two).
Theobromine
CH3
|
N
/ \
N----C C==O || || |
|| || |
CH C N--H
\ / \ /
N C
| ||
CH3 O
Theophylline was once thought to be a major component of tea. This is
not correct. Tea contains significantly more amounts of caffeine
than of theophylline.
Theophylline
CH3
|
N
/ \
N----C C==O
|| || |
|| || |
CH C N--CH3
\ / \ /
N C
| ||
H O
6.
IS IT TRUE THAT ESPRESSO HAS LESS CAFFEINE THAN REGULAR COFFEE?
Yes and no. An espresso cup has about as much caffeine as a cup of
dark brew. But servings for espresso are much smaller. Which means
that the content of caffeine per millilitre are much higher than
with a regular brew. Moreover, caffeine is more quickly
assimilated when taken in concentrated dosages, such as an
espresso cup.
The myth of lower caffeine espresso comes comes from the fact that
the darker roast beans used for espresso do have less caffeine
than regularly roasted beans as roasting is supposed to break up
or sublimate the caffeine in the beans (I have read this quote on
research articles, but found no scientific studies supporting it.
Anybody out there?). But espresso is prepared using pressurized
water through significant twice as much grounds as regular drip
coffee, resulting in a higher percentage of caffeine per
millilitre.
Here's the caffeine content of Drip/Espresso/Brewed Coffee:
Drip 115-175
Espresso 100 1 serving (1.5-2oz)
Brewed 80-135
7.
HOW DOES CAFFEINE TASTE?
Caffeine is very bitter. Barq's Root Beer contains caffeine and
the company says that it has "12.78mg per 6oz" and that they "add it as a flavouring agent for the sharp bitterness"
8.
HOW MUCH THEOBROMINE/THEOPHYLLINE THERE IS IN ...?
Sources: Physicians Desk Reference and Institute of Food
Technologies from Pafai and Jankiewicz (1991) DRUGS AND HUMAN
BEHAVIOUR
cocoa 250mg theobromine
bittersweet choc. bar 130mg theobromine
5 oz cup brewed coffee no theobromine
tea 5oz cup brewed 3min
with teabag 3-4 mg theophylline
Diet Coke no theobromine or theophylline
How to brew the ultimate caffeine drink?
1.
WHAT IS THE BEST TEMPERATURE FOR DRIP COFFEE?
According to chemical studies, the optimal water temperature for
drip coffee is 95-98C. According to my notes, colder water doesn't
extract enough caffeine/essential oils from the beans, and above
such temperature the acidity increases wildly.
2.
QUALITY OF COFFEE
The quality of a brew depend on the following factors (in no
particular order):
1. Time since grinding the beans.
2. Time since roasting.
3. Cleanliness with brewing equipment.
4. Bean quality (what crop etc).
5. Water quality.
Fact: Unless you are buying some major debris, bean quality is not
very important, as compared to 1-3 and 5.
Fact: A coffee can in the supermarket often contains major debris,
so be careful when you choose. (See note below).
Fact: Once you have freshly roasted and ground coffee, filtered
water and equipment free of oil residues from the last brew,
quality of beans makes a huge difference.
NOTE: A coffee can in the supermarket often contains a blend of
Arabica and robusta beans while most coffee houses sell only
arabica beans. Arabica beans are usually flavour rich, while
robusta beans have more caffeine, less flavour and are cheaper to
produce.
When you buy coffee, whether in a coffee house or in a
supermarket, you want to get 100% arabica, except for espresso
blends, which are a combination of both.
For freshness, in a coffee house it is better to buy popular
blends that move fast, while in a supermarket vacuum packaged
containers with expiry date are your best bet.
3.
WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER USE PERCOLATORS.
Percolators violate most of the natural laws about brewing coffee.
+ Don't overextract the oils and flavour. Percolators work by
taking coffee and reheating it and throwing it over the
grounds over and over and over again.
+ Never reheat/boil coffee. This destroys the flavour. For best
flavour, boil the water, pass it over the grounds and retain
the heat. Don't reheat it.
Violating these rules may not sound like much, but these are about
the only rules there are. The effect of a percolator is to keep
passing boiling water/coffee over the grounds until there is no
flavour left and the flavour in the coffee is so dead that it's a
worthless waste.
Peripherals and Secondary Storage
1.
PROPER CARE OF COFFEE MAKERS...
It is very important that you wash your coffee maker pot and
filter container thoroughly at least once a week. Bitter oils
stick to the glass container and plastic filter holder.
I used to wash the plastic filter container and rinse the glass
pot. Coffee started to taste bad. When I was told to wash both
thoroughly with plenty of soap the flavour improved instantly.
Note: To the naked eye rinsed and soap washed pots look the same
(clean that is).
Some drip coffee makers require periodic cleansing with a solution
of water and vinegar.
If you have a coffee/teapot, the inside of which is stained with
oily brown residues - also plastic/metal coffee filters, tea
strainers, and stainless steel sinks in caffeine-o-phile houses -
they can be restored to a shining, brand-spanking-new state by
washing in hot washing powder (detergent).
Get a large plastic jug, add 2..3 heaped tablespoons of Daz
Automatic or Bold or whatever, and about a pint of hot water -
just off the boil is the best.
Swill the jug around until the detergent is dissolved, and then
pour into tea/coffeepot, and let it stand for 5 minutes, swilling
the pot around occasionally, just to keep the detergent moving.
Put the lid on and shake it a few times (care: slippery + hot)
Repeat as necessary. Keep it hot with a little boiling water if
needed. If you have a cafetiere, dissemble it, and soak the parts
in the mixture for a few minutes, agitating occasionally.
In both cases, the residue just falls off with almost no
scrubbing. It does great things with over-used filter machine
filters, too.
Important: Rinse off all detergent afterwards, use lots of fresh
water.
2.
HOW TO STORE COFFEE?
One should always store coffee beans in a glass, air tight
container. Air is coffee's principle enemy. Glass is best because
it doesn't retain the odors of the beans or the oils, which could
contaminate future beans stored in the same container.
For consumption within:
1 week
room temperature is fine
2 weeks to a month
refridgerate
freeze them
This prevents the chemical reactions that produce stale beans and
lifeless coffee.
3.
EQUIPMENT REVIEWS?
4.
WHAT IS A FRENCH PRESS/CAFETIERE/BODUM
French presses are usually glass containers with a wire mesh attached
to a plunger. To make coffee, you first boil water, then pour
water into the container which should contain one or two spoons of
coffee per cup. You let it rest for 2-3 minutes and then plunge
the wire mesh. This filters the coffee.
Caffeine and your Health
Important: This information was excerpted from several sources, no
claims are made to its accuracy. The FAQ mantainer is not a medical
doctor and cannot vouch for the accuracy of this information.
1.
CAFFEINE WITHDRAWAL: PROCEDURES AND SYMPTOMS.
How to cut caffeine intake?
Most people report a very good success ratio by cutting down caffeine
intake at the rate of 1/2 cup of coffee a day. This is known as
Caffeine Fading. Alternatively you might try reducing coffee intake in discrete steps of two-five cups of coffee less per week
(depending on how high is your initial intake). If you are
drinking more than 10 cups of coffee a day, you should seriously
consider cutting down.
The best way to proceed is to consume caffeine regularly for a
week, while keeping a precise log of the times and amounts of
caffeine intake (remember that chocolate, tea, soda beverages and
many headache pills contain caffeine as well as coffee). At the
end of the week proceed to reduce your coffee intake at the rate
recommended above. Remember to have substitutes available for
drinking: if you are not going to have a hot cup of coffee at your
10 minute break, you might consider having hot chocolate or herbal
tea, but NOT decaff, since decaff has been shown to also be
addictive. This should take you through the works without much
problem.
Some other people quit cold turkey. Withdrawal symptoms are quite
nasty this way (see section below) but they can usually be
countered with lots of sleep and exercise. Many people report
being able to stop drinking caffeine almost cold-turkey while on
holidays on the beach. If quitting cold turkey is proving too hard
even in the beach, drinking a coke might help.
What are the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal?
Regular caffeine consumption reduces sensitivity to caffeine. When
caffeine intake is reduced, the body becomes oversensitive to
adenosine. In response to this oversensitiveness, blood pressure
drops dramatically, causing an excess of blood in the head (though
not necessarily on the brain), leading to a headache.
This headache, well known among coffee drinkers, usually lasts
from one to five days, and can be alleviated with analgesics such
as aspirin. It is also alleviated with caffeine intake (in fact
several analgesics contain caffeine dosages).
Often, people which are reducing caffeine intake report being
irritable, unable to work, nervous, restless, amd feeling sleepy,
as well as having a headache. In extreme cases, nausea and
vomiting has also been reported.
References.
Caffeine and Health. J. E. James, Academic Press, 1991. Progress
in Clinical and Biological Research Volume 158. G. A. Spiller, Ed.
Alan R. Liss Inc, 1984.
2.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU OVERDOSE?
From Desk Reference to the Diagnostic Criteria from DSM-3-R
(American Psychiatric Association, 1987):
Caffeine-Induced Organic Mental Disorder 305.90 Caffeine
Intoxication
1. Recent consumption of caffeine, usually in excess of 250 mg.
2. At least five of the following signs:
1. restlessness
2. nervousness
3. excitement
4. insomnia
5. flushed face
6. diuresis
7. gastrointestinal disturbance
8. muscle twitching
9. rambling flow of thought and speech
10. tachycardia or cardiac arrhythmia
11. periods of inexhaustibility
12. psychomotor agitation
3. Not due to any physical or other mental disorder, such as an
Anxiety Disorder.
Basically, overdosing on caffeine will probably be very very
unpleasant but not kill or deliver permanent damage. However,
People do die from it.
Toxic dose
The LD_50 of caffeine (that is the lethal dosage reported
to kill 50% of the population) is estimated at 10 grams
for oral administration. As it is usually the case,
lethal dosage varies from individual to individual
according to weight. Ingestion of 150mg/kg of caffeine
seems to be the LD_50 for all people. That is, people
weighting 50 kilos have an LD_50 of approx. 7.5 grams,
people weighting 80 kilos have an LD_50 of about 12
grams.
In cups of coffee the LD_50 varies from 50 to 200 cups of
coffee or about 50 vivarins (200mg each).
One exceptional case documents survival after ingesting
24 grams. The minimum lethal dose ever reported was 3.2
grams intravenously, this does not represent the oral MLD
(minimum lethal dose).
In small children ingestion of 35 mg/kg can lead to
moderate toxicity. The amount of caffeine in an average
cup of coffee is 50 - 200 mg. Infants metabolize caffeine
very slowly.
Symptoms
o Acute caffeine poisoning gives early symptoms of
anorexia, tremor, and restlessness. Followed by nausea,
vomiting, tachycardia, and confusion. Serious
intoxication may cause delirium, seizures,
supraventricular and ventricular tachyarrhythmias,
hypokalemia, and hyperglycemia.
o Chronic high-dose caffeine intake can lead to
nervousness, irritability, anxiety, tremulousness,
muscle twitching, insomnia, palpitations and
hyperreflexia. For blood testing, cross-reaction with
theophylline assays will detect toxic amounts. (Method
IA) Blood concentration of 1-10 mg/L is normal in coffee
drinkers, while 80 mg/L has been associated with death.
Treatment
o Emergency Measures
# Maintain the airway and assist ventilation. (See
Appendix A)
# Treat seizures & hypotension if they occur.
# Hypokalemia usually goes away by itself.
# Monitor Vital Signs.
#
o Specific drugs & antidotes. Beta blockers effectively
reverse cardiotoxic effects mediated by excessive
beta-adrenergic stimulation. Treat hypotension or
tachyarrhythmias with intravenous propanolol, .01 - .02
mg/kg. , or esmolol, .05 mg/kg , carefully titrated with
low doses. Esmolol is preferred because of its short
half life and low cardioselectivity.
o Decontamination
# Induce vomiting or perform gastric lavage.
# Administer activated charcoal and cathartic.
# Gut emptying is probably not needed if 1 2 are
performed promptly.
Appendix A
Performing airway assistance.
1. If no neck injury is suspected, place in the "Sniffing"
position by tilting the head back and extending the
front of the neck.
2. Apply the "Jaw Thrust" to move the tongue out of the way
without flexing the neck: Place thumb fingers from both
hands under the back of the jaw and thrust the jaw
forward so that the chin sticks out. This should also
hurt the patient, allowing you to judge depth of coma.
:)
3. Tilt the head to the side to allow vomit and snot to
drain out.
From conversations on alt.drugs.caffeine:
The toxic dose is going to vary from person to person, depending
primarily on built-up tolerance. A couple people report swallowing
10 to 13 vivarin and ending up in the hospital with their
stomaches pumped, while a few say they've taken that many and
barely stayed awake.
A symptom lacking in the clinical manual but reported by at least
two people on the net is a loss of motor ability: inability to
move, speak, or even blink. The experience is consistently
described as very unpleasant and not fun at all, even by those
very familiar with caffeine nausea and headaches.
3.
EFFECTS OF CAFFEINE ON PREGNANT WOMEN.
Caffeine has long been suspect of causing mal-formations in
fetus, and that it may reduce fertility rates.
These reports have proved controversial. What is known is that
caffeine does causes malformations in rats, when ingested at rates
comparable to 70 cups a day for humans. Many other species respond
equally to such large amounts of caffeine.
Data is scant, as experimentation on humans is not feasible. In
any case moderation in caffeine ingestion seems to be a prudent
course for pregnant women. Recent references are Pastore and
Savitz, Case-control study of caffeinated beverages and preterm
delivery. American Journal of Epidemiology, Jan 1995.
On men, it has been shown that caffeine reduces rates of sperm
motility which may account for some findings of reduced fertility.
4.
CAFFEINE AND OSTEOPOROSIS (CALCIUM LOSS)
From the Journal of AMA: (JAMA, 26 Jan. 1994, p. 280-3.)
"There was a significant association between (drinking more)
caffeinated coffee and decreasing bone mineral density at both the
hip and the spine, independent of age, obesity, years since
menopause, and the use of tobacco, estrogen, alcohol, thiazides,
and calcium supplements [in women]."
Except when:
"Bone density did not vary [...] in women who reported drinking at
least one glass of milk per day during most of their adult lives."
That is, if you drink a glass of milk a day, there is no need to
worry about the caffeine related loss of calcium.
5.
STUDIES ON THE SIDE-EFFECTS OF CAFFEINE.
OAKLAND, California (UPI) -- Coffee may be good for life. A major
study has found fewer suicides among coffee drinkers than those
who abstained from the hot black brew.
The study of nearly 130,000 Northern California residents and the
records of 4,500 who have died looked at the effects of coffee and
tea on mortality.
Cardiologist Arthur Klatsky said of the surprising results, ``This
is not a fluke finding because our study was very large, involved
a multiracial population, men, women, and examined closely
numerous factors related to mortality such as alcohol consumption
and smoking.''
The unique survey also found no link between coffee consumption
and death risk. And it confirmed a ``weak'' connection of coffee
or tea to heart attack risk -- but not to other cardiovascular
conditions such as stroke.
The study was conducted by the health maintenance organization
Kaiser Permanente and was reported Wednesday in the Annals of
Epidemiology.
6.
CAFFEINE AND DEPRESSION.
7.
CAFFEINE AND YOUR METABOLISM.
Caffeine increases the level of circulating fatty acids. This has
been shown to increase the oxidation of these fuels, hence
enhancing fat oxidation. Caffeine has been used for years by
runners and endurance people to enhance fatty acid metabolism.
It's particularly effective in those who are not habitual users.
Caffeine is not an appetite suppressant. It does affect
metabolism, though it is a good question whether its use truly
makes any difference during a diet. The questionable rationale for
its original inclusion in diet pills was to make a poor man's
amphetamine-like preparation from the non-stimulant
sympathomimetic phenylpropanolamine and the stimulant caffeine.
(That you end up with something very non-amphetamine like is
neither here nor there.) The combination drugs were called
"Dexatrim" or Dexa-whosis (as in Dexedrine) for a reason, namely,
to assert its similarity in the minds of prospective buyers.
However, caffeine has not been in OTC diet pills for many years
per order of the FDA, which stated that there was no evidence of
efficacy for such a combination.
From Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of
Therapeutics:
Caffeine in combination with an analgesic, such as aspirin, is
widely used in the treatment of ordinary types of headache. There
are few data to substantiate its efficacy for this purpose.
Caffeine is also used in combination with an ergot alkaloid in the
treatment of migrane (Chapter 39).
Ergotamine is usually administered orally (in combination with
caffeine) or sublingually [...] If a patient cannot tolerate
ergotamine orally, rectal administration of a mixture of caffeine
and ergotamine tartarate may be attempted.
The bioavailability [of ergotamine] after sublingual administration
is also poor and is often inadequate for therapeutic purposes [...]
the concurrent administration of caffeine (50-100 mg per mg of
ergotamine) improves both the rate and extent of absorption [...]
However, there is little correspondence between the concentration
of ergotamine in plasma and the intensity or duration of
therapeutic or toxic effects.
Caffeine enhances the action of the ergot alkaloids in the
treatment of migrane, a discovery that must be credited to the
sufferers from the disease who observed that strong coffee gave
symptomatic relief, especially when combined with the ergot
alkaloids. As mentioned, caffeine increases the oral and rectal
absorption of ergotamine, and it is widely believed that this
accounts for its enhancement of therapeutic effects.
Nowadays most of researchers believe that the stimulatory actions
are attributable to the antagonism of the adenosine. Agonists at
the adenosine receptors produce sedation while antagonists at
these sites, like caffeine and theophylline induce stimulation,
and what is even more important, the latter substance also reverse
agonists-induced symptoms of sedation, thus indicating that this
effects go through these receptors.
Another possibility, however, is that methylxanthines enhance
release of excitatory aminoacids, like glutamate and aspartate,
which are the main stimulatory neurotransmitters in the brain.
As to the side effects: methylxanthines inhibit protective
activity of common antiepileptic drugs in exptl. animals in doses
comparable to those used in humans when correction to the surface
area is made. It should be underlined, that although tolerance
develop to the stimulatory effects of theo or caffeine when
administered on a chronic base, we found no tolerance to the above
effects . This hazardous influence was even enhanced over time.
Therefore, it should be emphasized that individuals suffering from
epilepsy should avoid, or at least reduce consumption of coffee
and other caffeine-containing beverages.
8.
Miscellaneous
1.
HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE MATE?
MAH-teh. MAH like in malt, and -teh like in Gral. Patten.
2.
HOW DO YOU SPELL COLOMBIA/COLOMBIAN?
3.
HOW DO YOU SPELL ESPRESSO?
By far, the most common spelling used throughout the world
today is "espresso". This is a shortened form of the original
Italian name for the drink "caffe espresso" (accent marks
omitted). This spelling is considered to be the correct
spelling by the vast majority of of coffee consumers,
vendors, retailers, and producers.
Some English language dictionaries also list "expresso" as a
variant spelling. However, this does not mean the spelling is
'equally valid'. (see the post by Jesse Sheidlower included
below)
It was pointed out during the great "espresso vs. expresso"
debate (spring 94) that the Italian alphabet does not even
contain the letter "X", which is incorrect.
Further, it was discovered that at least three dictionaries
contained incorrect definitions of the word "espresso". The
American Heritage Dictionary gave the following definition:
"A strong coffee brewed by forcing steam under pressure through
darkly roasted, powdered coffee beans."
The Oxford English Dictionary said:
"Coffee brewed by forcing steam through powdered coffee beans"
The Webster New World Dictionary gives:
"coffee prepared in a special machine from finely ground coffee
beans, through which steam under high pressure is forced."
All three of these are wrong. In fact, espresso is a strong
coffee brewed by quickly forcing hot water through darkly
roasted, finely ground coffee beans.
(Some espresso makers do use steam, but only to force the hot
water through the ground coffee. The steam NEVER touches the
coffee. Many espresso makers use no steam at all. Instead,
they use either a pump or a piston to quickly force hot water
through the ground coffee.)
Once these errors and the origins of the word "espresso" had
been pointed out, the argument "but expresso is in the
dictionary" quickly began to crumble. The final death blow to
this position came in a post by dictionary editor Jesse
Sheidlower. This post is reproduced in its entirety below:
Jesse Sheidlower writes
I find this thread fascinating. I regret that it demonstrates an
unfamiliarity with dictionaries and how to use them, but no matter.
I believe that I am the only dictionary editor to participate in
this discussion, so let me waste a bit more bandwidth addressing
some of the points made so far, and introducing a few others:
o The OED, Second Edition, does include _espresso_ and
_expresso_, the latter being a variant of the former.
It correctly derives it from Italian _caffe espresso_.
[Accents left off here.] Whoever claimed it derives the
term from a would-be Italian _caffe expresso_ was in
error.
o There _is_ an "x" in Latin and Italian.
o There are four major American dictionaries (published
by Merriam Webster, Webster's New World, Random House,
and American Heritage). The most recent edition of each
gives _espresso_ as the main form, and _expresso_ as a
variant only. The fact that _expresso_ is listed in the
dictionary does not mean that it is equally common: the
front matter for each dictionary explains this. The
person who claimed that three dictionaries including
OED give _expresso_ as "equally valid" was in error.
o Dictionaries, in general, do not dictate usage: they
reflect the usage that exists in the language. If a
dictionary says that _espresso_ is the main spelling,
it means that in the experience of its editors (based
on an examination of the language), _espresso_ is
notably more common. It does not mean that the editors
have a vendetta against _expresso_.
o To the linguist who rejects the authority of
dictionaries: I agree that language is constantly
changing; I'm sure that every dictionary editor in the
country does as well. Dictionaries are outdated before
they go to press. But I think they remain accurate to a
large extent. Also, if you are going to disagree with
the conclusions of a dictionary, you should be prepared
to back yourself up. I can defend, with extensive
written evidence, our decision to give _espresso_ as
the preferred form.
o The spelling _espresso_ is the form used by the copy
desks of the _New York Times,_ _Gourmet,_ _Bon
Appetit,_ The _Wine Spectator,_ the _Wall St. Journal,_
the _L.A. Times,_ _Time,_ _Newsweek,_ and to my
knowledge every other major or minor newspaper or
magazine, general or food-related, in the
English-speaking world. The fact that a handwritten
menu on an Italian restaurant door spells it "expresso"
is trivial by comparison.
o In sum: though both _espresso_ and _expresso_ are
found, the former is by far the more common. It is also
to be favored on immediate etymological evidence, since
the Italian word from which it is directly borrowed is
spelled _espresso_. The form _espresso_ is clearly
preferred by all mainstream sources.
9.
Coffee Recipes and other beverages.
1.
ESPRESSO
After living in Italy (Rome) for two years and living off
espresso, Mr. X have found American espresso doesn't cut it.
Heres how to do it.
o Get good dark roasted espresso beans, imported Italian
brand if you can find it.
o Pack your strainer real full. Pack it hard. your
instructions will say NOT to pack it, but don't listen.
o Don't use too much water. Espresso in Italy is as thick
as syrup. Very thick.
o Add two spoons of sugar, it's a sweet, thick liquid in
Italy.
Drink fast.
Enjoy.
If using a stove top espresso machine, clean after each use,
paying attention to the seal and strainer.
1. For best results, get arabica beans that have been
roasted dark ("Italian Roast" is darkest) and are
oily-looking. Other roasts are for other types of
brewing: espresso machines won't draw the earthy flavour
of Sumatran out, for example. A small amount of other
beans might add a nice note to the flavour, though (I've
had surprising success adding a few of Thanksgiving
Coffee's "High-Caffeine Pony Express" beans, which are
actually robusta beans from Thailand).
2. Grind those beans until they're very fine, but not quite
a powder. Put them into the appropriate piece of your
machine and tamp it down (but don't pack all the grounds
in tight).
3. Watch the espresso as it drips down. Does a nice layer
of foam form on the top? If it does, all is well; that
foam is made from the flavourful oils, and it is called
crema. If not, go to the coffee roaster and demand
quadruple your money back.
4. Never make more than 2oz at a time. If you're making two
cups of espresso, make two separate shots. This is
important. The idea is that the water rushes through and
draws out only the most flavourful part of the grounds.
More than 2oz and you're drawing out less flavourful
stuff and diluting your espresso. If you're really
hardcore, make only 1oz at a time; this is called caffe
ristretto.
2.
CHOCOLATE COVERED ESPRESSO BEANS
You won't get single, glossy beans, but the taste is there!
1. Put dark roast coffee beans on a waxpaper-covered baking
sheet.
2. Melt some chocolate by puting a container with the
chocolate in a pan of boiling water, stir the chocolate
when it is getting hot. Some experimentation regarding
what chocolate to use is in place. I used chocolate
chips of from Girardelli. One should probably aim for
dark and not too sweet chocolate.
3. Pour the chocolate over the beans and smear it so that
each bean is covered - you should have a single layer of
covered beans not too far apart.
4. When the beans have cooled off a little bit, put the
sheet in the fridge/freezer.
5. When solid, break off a piece and enjoy.
3.
CAPPUCCINO
Disclaimer: People prepare cappuccino in many different ways,
and in their very own way each one of them is correct. The
following recipe, which is commonly used in Latin countries,
has been tasted by several of my North-American friends and
they unanimously agreed that cappuccino prepared using this
recipe tastes much better than the standard fare in
USA/Canada.
Start with cold milk (it doesn't really need to be ice-cold),
use homo milk or carnation. 2% or skim is just not thick
enough (admittedly, it is easier to produce foam with skim
milk).
Place the milk on a special cappuccino glass with a
cappuccino basket. (Cappuccino glasses have a thinner
bottom).
Aerate the milk near the top, within 2cm (1 in) of the top.
Move the glass down as the milk aerates. It is a good idea to
have an oscillating motion while aerating the milk.
Aerating the milk in another container, then pouring in a
glass and adding the foam with a spoon is sacrilege.
Anybody who has done so should make a pilgrimage to San
Francisco's Girardelli's. Otherwise entry to heaven will be
denied (god, is after all, Italian. At least the catholic
one).
If you need to aerate the milk on a separate container,
aerate exactly the amount of milk required for one cup, so no
need to add foam with a spoon.
Once the milk has been aerated, promptly clean the aerator
with a wet rag. Failure to do so will quickly result in
rotten milk flavour coming from the aerator.
Another warning on similar lines applies to restaurant type
coffee machines: leave the aerator valve open when powering
the machine up and down. When the machine is off a partial
vacuum is formed in the boiler that will suck milk residue into the boiler. This then coats the inside of the boiler and
can cause bad smelling steam until the boiler is flushed.
Some machines have a vacuum bleed valve to prevent this
problem but many don't.
Wait for the steam pressure to build up again (for some
cappuccino makers wait time is near zero, for others it maybe
as long as 60 secs).
Prepare the espresso coffee, you may add it directly on to
the glass if possible or use a cup and then pour it from the
cup on the milk.
According to Jym Dyer: In Italy, the milk is added TO the
espresso, not the other way around, that way the milk is
floating; on top, where you then add the sugar, and stir it
up.
Cappuccino tastes better when is really hot, and has two
teaspoons of sugar. (small teaspoons, like the ones in
expensive silverware).
Then accompany said cappuccino with a warm tea bisquet or
english muffin with marmalade, or alternatively with a
baguette sandwich or panini.
4.
FRAPPE
Frappe coffee is widely consumed in parts of Europe and
LatinAmerica especially in summer. Originally was made with
cold espresso. Nowadays is prepared in most places by shaking
into a shaker 1-2 teaspoons of instant coffee with sugar,
water and ice-cubes and it is served in a long glass with
ice, milk to taste and a straw. The important thing is the
thick froth on top of the glass.
5.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN CHOCOLATE
Here's the recipe for making a real chocolate beverage.
Important steps are in boldface.
Ingredients
o 1-2kg (2-4pounds) of cocoa beans.
o A manually operated grinder.
Instructions
o Sift through the beans removing any impurities (pieces
of grass, leaves, etc).
o Place the beans in a pan (no teflon) and roast them.
Stir frequently. As the beans roast they start making
"pop" sounds like popcorn. Beans are ready when you
estimate that approx 50-75% of the beans have popped. Do
not let the beans burn, though a bit of black on each
bean is ok.
o Peel the beans. Peeling roasted cocoa beans is like
peeling baked potatoes: The hotter they are the easier
it is to peel the darn things, at the expense of third
degree burns on your fingers. (Tip: Use kitchen mittens
and brush the beans in your hands). If the beans are too
hard to peel roast them a bit longer.
o Grind the beans into a pan. They produce a dark oily
paste called "cocoa paste".
o The oil in the cocoa has a bitter taste that you have to
get used to. I like it this way, but not all people do.
Here are the alternatives:
With oil, which gives you a richer flavour:
Spread aluminum foil on a table and make small pies of
chocolate, about 1/4 of an inch high, and 6 inches in
diameter. Let them rest overnight. The morning after
they are hard tablets. Remove them from the aluminum
foil and rap them in it. Store in the freezer.
Without oil, some flavour is gone, less bitter, weaker
(whimper) chocolate:
Put the paste inside a thin cloth (like linen), close
the cloth and squeeze until the oil comes out. If you
manage to get most of the oil out, what is left is high
quality cocoa powder, like Droste's.
What is left now is either bitter tablets or bitter
cocoa powder.
You can now make a nice beverage as follows:
o Boil a liter of milk (or water, like in ancient Mexican
style. Like water for chocolate, "Como agua para
chocolate": you know).
o When the milk is warm (not hot) add a chocolate pie in
pieces. Stir with a blender (but be careful! the
blender's electric cord should NOT touch the pot or any
other hot thing around it).
o When the chocolate has dissolved add 1/2-3/4 cups of
sugar (depending how sweet you like your chocolate) and
blend in fast. Make sure the sugar is completely
dissolved in the chocolate otherwise it would be bitter
no matter how much sugar you may add afterwards.
o Add a teaspoon of cinnamon or natural vanilla flavour
(artificial vanilla flavour with chocolate results in an
awful medicine like flavour) if you like, and blend
again.
o Let the mixture boil, when it starts to get bubbly
quickly remove the pan from the stove top, and rest the
bottom against a soaked cloth. Put again on stove top,
it should get bubbly almost immediately, remove once
again and repeat one last time. This aerates the
chocolate which enhances flavour.
o In a mug, put about 1/2-3/4 of the chocolate mixture,
and add cold milk, until the temperature and/or the
concentration of the flavour is right for your tastes.
Accompany with French Pastries. Yum Yum!!
Enjoy!
6.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST CUP OF COFFEE?
The best coffee I ever tasted was while in the coffee growing
regions of Mexico, in the state of Veracruz, in the town of
Coatepec. The quality of the coffee was mostly due to the
method of preparation than to the quality of the grains
(which is at about the same level as an average colombian
coffee). Here's how to make it:
o Grind the coffee grains from coarse to very coarse.
o Boil in a pan a litre of water (four cups).
o When the water is boiling, turn off the stove and add
8-12 table spoons of coffee (2-3 spoons per each cup).
o Add two-three teaspoons of sugar per cup (for a total of
8-12 spoons of sugar).
o Stir very slowly (the water is so hot that the sugar
dissolves mostly on its own).
o Let the coffee rest for about 5 minutes.
o Strain the coffee using a metal strainer! Like the ones
used for cooking. The strainer should be like the ones
used by granny for making tea. The diameter is a bit
smaller that a cup, with a semi-sphere shape.
o This coffee has grit in the bottom, even after being
strained. Therefore do not stir the pot or the cup. If
the coffee is shaked, let it rest for about five
minutes. Needless to say, do not drink the last sip of
coffee from the cup: it's all grit. If you want to add
milk, add carnation.
Warning: This coffee may fool you 'cause it has a very smooth
taste but is extremely strong. Caffeine content per
millilitre is right there with espresso, but you can't tell!
Note: For some strange reason, when preparing this coffee I
tend to have a success ratio of about one out of two
attempts. I still don't know what I'm doing wrong, since, as
far as I can tell, always repeat the same steps. Perhaps
sometimes I don't let the coffee rest long enough.
This type of coffee is similar in nature to the French press.
And in principle, you could possibly add sugar to the ground
coffee, then pour water, and lastly press with the strainer.
7.
TURKISH COFFEE
Turkish coffee is prepared using a little copper pot called
briki.
Use a heaping teaspoon of very finely ground coffee and,
optionally, one heaping teaspoon of sugar (to taste). Use
about 3oz of coffee.
[Add the sugar only just before boiling point.] Turkish coffee without
sugar is called sade, with a little sugar is "orta s,ekerli" and
with lots of sugar is "c,ok s,ekerli".
The trick of it is to heat it until it froths pour the froth into
the coffee dup and heat it a second time. When it froths again,
pour the rest into the cup.
The grounds will settle to the bottom of the cup as you drink the
coffee and towards the end, it'll start to taste bitter and the
texture will be more like wet coffee grounds than a drink. As soon
as this happens stop or your next sip will taste really, really
bitter. Instead, turn your cup upside down on the saucer, and let
someone read your fortune!
10.
IRISH COFFEE
Ingredients
+ Sturdy wine glass or glass with stem
+ 1 teaspoon sugar
+ 1 or 2 tablespoon Irish whiskey
+ black coffee
+ cream, lightly whipped
Instructions
1. Place spoon in glass. Heat glass by pouring in warm water.
When glass is warm, pour out the water. Leave spoon in glass.
2. Put sugar, whiskey and coffee in glass. Stir to dissolve
sugar. Still leave spoon in glass.
3. Now for the tricky bit: Put dollop of cream on top, allow the
cream to slide down the back of spoon (the spoon which was in
the coffee), the tip of the spoon should remain in the
coffee.
Be careful not to stir after the cream has been added. The cream
should form a foamy layer about 1 cm (or half an inch) thick on
top of the black coffee.
11.
THAI ICED COFFEE
Make very strong coffee (50-100% more coffee to water than usual),
use something like Cafe Du Monde which has chicory in it. Pour 6-8
oz into cup and add about 1 Tbs sweetened condensed milk. Stir,
then pour over ice.
You'll have to experiment with the strength and milk so you get
lots of taste after the ice/water dilutes it.
Alternatively, this version which comes from a newspaper article
of many years ago simply calls for grinding two or three fresh
cardamom pods and putting them in with the coffee grounds. Make a
strong coffee with a fresh dark roast, chill it, sweeten and add
half-and-half to taste.
Lastly, we have the following recipe:
Makes 1 8-cup pot of coffee
+ 6 tablespoons whole rich coffee beans, ground fine
+ 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander powder
+ 4 or 5 whole green cardamom pods, ground
+ Place the coffee and spices in the filter cone of your coffee
maker. Brew coffee as usual; let it cool.
+ In a tall glass, dissolve 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar in an
ounce of the coffee (it's easier to dissolve than if you put
it right over ice). Add 5-6 ice cubes and pour coffee to
within about 1" of the top of the glass.
+ Rest a spoon on top of the coffee and slowly pour whipping
cream into the spoon. This will make the cream float on top
of the coffee rather than dispersing into it right away.
+ To be totally cool, serve with Flexi-Straws and paper
umbrellas...
One other fun note: I got a fresh vanilla bean recently and put it
to good use by sealing it in an airtight container with my sugar.
The sugar gets the faintest vanilla aroma and is incredible in
Real Chocolate Milk (TM) and iced coffee.
One final note: this would probably be even better with iced
espresso, because the espresso is so much more powerful and loses
its taste less when it's cold.
Another recipe:
+ Strong, black ground coffee
+ Sugar
+ Evaporated (not condensed) milk
+ Cardamom pods
Prepare a pot of coffee at a good European strength (Miriam Nadel
suggests 2 tablespoons per cup, which I'd say is about right). In
the ground coffee, add 2 or 3 freshly ground cardamom pods. (I've
used green ones, I imagine the brown ones would give a slightly
different flavour.) Sweeten while hot, then cool quickly.
Serve over ice, with unsweetened evaporated milk (or heavy cream
if you're feeling extra indulgent). To get the layered effect,
place a spoon atop the coffee and pour the milk carefully into the
spoon so that it floats on the top of the coffee.
The recipe I have calls for:
+ 1/4 cup strong French roasted coffee
+ 1/2 cup boiling water
+ 2 tsp sweetened condensed milk
+ Mix the above and pour over ice.
I'd probably use less water and more coffee and milk.
There is also a stronger version of Thai coffee called "Oleng"
which is very strong to me and to a lot of coffee lovers.
6 to 8 tablespoons ground espresso or French roast coffee 4 to 6
green cardamom pods, crushed Sugar to taste Half-and-half or cream
Ice cubes
Put the cardamom pods and the ground dark-roast coffee into a
coffee press, espresso maker, or the filter of a drip coffee maker
(if using a drip-style coffee maker, use half the water). Brew
coffee as for espresso, stir in sugar.
Fill a large glass with ice and pour coffee over ice, leaving
about 1/2 inch at the top. Place a spoon at the surface of the
coffee and slowly pour half-and-half or cream into the spoon, so
that it spreads across the top of the coffee rather than sinking
in. (You'll stir it in yourself anyway, but this is a much
prettier presentation and it's as used in most Thai restaurants.)
As with Vietnamese coffee, the struggle here is to keep from
downing this all in ten seconds.
12.
VIETNAMESE ICED COFFEE
Same coffee as above. Sweetened condensed (not evaporated) milk
Ice
Make even stronger coffee, preferably in a Vietnamese coffee
maker. (This is a metal cylinder with tiny holes in the bottom and
a perforated disc that fits into it; you put coffee in the bottom
of the cylinder, place the disc atop it, then fill with boiling
water and a very rich infusion of coffee drips slowly from the
bottom.)
If you are using a Vietnamese coffee maker, put two tablespoons of
sweetened condensed milk in the bottom of a cup and put the coffee
maker on top of the cup. If you are making espresso or cafe filter
(the infusion method where you press the plunger down through the
grounds after several minutes of infusion), mix the sweetened
condensed milk and the coffee any way you like.
When the milk is dissolved in the coffee (yes, dissolved *is* the
right word here!), pour the combination over ice and sip.
Thai and Vietnamese coffees are very different.
Ca phe sua da (Vietnamese style iced coffee)
+ 2 to 4 tablespoons finely ground dark roast coffee
(preferably with chicory)
+ 2 to 4 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk (e.g., Borden
Eagle Brand, not evaporated milk!)
+ Boiling water
+ Vietnamese coffee press [see notes]
+ Ice cubes
Place ground coffee in Vietnamese coffee press and screw lid down
on the grounds. Put the sweetened condensed milk in the bottom of
a coffee cup and set the coffee maker on the rim. Pour boiling
water over the screw lid of the press; adjust the tension on the
screw lid just till bubbles appear through the water, and the
coffee drips slowly out the bottom of the press.
When all water has dripped through, stir the milk and coffee
together. You can drink them like this, just warm, as ca phe sua
neng, but I prefer it over ice, as ca phe sua da. To serve it that
way, pour the milk-coffee mixture over ice, stir, and drink as
slowly as you can manage. I always gulp mine too fast. :-)
Notes
A Vietnamese coffee press looks like a stainless steel top hat.
There's a "brim" that rests on the coffee cup; in the middle of
that is a cylinder with tiny perforations in the bottom. Above
that rises a threaded rod, to which you screw the top of the
press, which is a disc with similar tiny perforations. Water
trickles through these, extracts flavour from the coffee, and then
trickles through the bottom perforations. It is excruciatingly
slow. Loosening the top disc speeds the process, but also weakens
the resulting coffee and adds sediment to the brew.
If you can't find a Vietnamese coffee press, regular-strength
espresso is an adequate substitute, particularly if made with
French-roast beans or with a dark coffee with chicory. I've seen
the commonly available Medaglia d'Oro brand coffee cans in
Vietnamese restaurants, and it works, though you'll lose some of
the subtle bitterness that the chicory offers. I think Luzianne
brand coffee comes with chicory and is usable in Vietnamese
coffee, though at home I generally get French roast from my normal
coffee provider.
Of these two coffees, Vietnamese coffee should taste more or less
like melted Haagen-Dasz coffee ice cream, while Thai iced coffee
has a more fragrant and lighter flavour from the cardamom and
half-and-half rather than the condensed milk. Both are exquisite,
and not difficult to make once you've got the equipment.
As a final tip, I often use my old-fashioned on-the-stove espresso
maker (the one shaped like an hourglass, where you put water in
the bottom, coffee in the middle, and as it boils the coffee comes
out in the top) for Thai iced coffee. The simplest way is merely
to put the cardamom and sugar right in with the coffee, so that
what comes out the top is ready to pour over ice and add half and
half. It makes a delicious and very passable version of
restaurant-style Thai iced coffee.
13.
MELYA
+ Espresso
+ Honey
+ Unsweetened cocoa
Brew espresso; for this purpose, a Bialetti-style stovetop will
work. In a coffee mug, place 1 teaspoon of unsweetened powdered
cocoa; then cover a teaspoon with honey and drizzle it into the
cup. Stir while the coffee brews; this is the fun part. The cocoa
seems to coat the honey without mixing, so you get a dusty, sticky
mass that looks as though it will never mix. Then all at once,
presto! It looks like dark chocolate sauce. Pour hot espresso over
the honey, stirring to dissolve. Serve with cream (optional). I
have never served this cold but I imagine it would be interesting;
I use it as a great hot drink for cold days, though, so all my
memories are of grey skies, heavy sweaters, damp feet and big
smiles.
Administrivia
1.
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
This FAQ is a collective effort. Here's a list of most (all?) of
the contributors.
+ Oktay Ahiska (oktay@rga.com)
+ Marc Aurel (4-tea-2@bong.saar.de)
+ Scott Austin (scotta@cnt.com)
+ Tom Benjamin (tomb@panix.com)
+ Jennifer Beyer (jennifer@joltcola.com)
+ Steve Bliss (steveb@pcdocs.com)
+ David Alan Bozak (dab@moxie)
+ Rajiv (w94_bhatnaga@wums.wustl.edu)
+ Jack Carter (scjack@ausvm1.ibm.com)
+ Richard Drapeau
(Richard.Drapeau@p1.f92.n282.z1.tdkt.kksys.com)
+ Jym Dyer (jym@remarque.berkeley.edu)
+ Steve Dyer (dyer@spdcc.com)
+ Stefan Engstrom (stefan@helios.UCSC.EDU)
+ Lemieux Francois (lemieuxf@ERE.UMontreal.CA)
+ Scott Fisher (sfisher@megatest.com)
+ Dave Huddle (jdh64@cas.org)
+ Tom F Karlsson (tomk@mamba.csd.uu.se)
+ Bob Kummerfeld (bob@basser.cs.su.OZ.AU)
+ Dr. Robert Lancashire (rjlanc@uwimona.edu.JM)
+ John Levine (johnl@iecc.com)
+ Alex Lopez-Ortiz (alopez-o@daisy.uwaterloo.ca)
+ Steven Miale (smiale@cs.indiana.edu)
+ Alec Muffett (alecm@uk.sun.com)
+ Dana Myers (myers@cypress.West.Sun.COM)
+ Tim Nemec (tim@netins.net)
+ Jim Pailin (pailinje@ctrvx1.vanderbilt.edu)
+ Dave Palmer (arxt@quads.uchicago.edu)
+ Stuart Phillips (phillips@healthy.uwaterloo.ca)
+ Siobhan Purcell (PURCELLS@IRLEARN.UCD.IE)
+ Cary A. Sandvig (sandvig@rhea.cray.com)
+ Jesse T Sheidlower (jester@panix.com)
+ Stepahine da Silva (arielle@taronga.com)
+ Michael A Smith (msmith@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu)
+ Mari J. Stoddard (stoddard@gas.uug.arizona.edu)
+ Thom (thomd@atm.com)
+ Deanna K. Tobin T.E. (yakityak@dolphin.upenn.edu) Nick
Tsoukas (japetus@orfeas.chemeng.ntua.gr)
+ Adam Turoff (ziggy@panix.com)
+ Ganesh Uttam (g.uttam@ic.ac.uk)
+ David R. B. Walker (drbw@mail.che.utexas.edu) Orion Wilson
(moria@cats.ucsc.edu)
+ Piotr Wlaz (wlaz@plumcs11.umcs.lublin.ed)
+ Ted Young (theodric@MIT.EDU)
+ Steven Zikopoulos (szikopou@superior.carleton.ca)
2.
COPYRIGHT
This FAQ is Copyright (C) 1994,1995 by Alex Lopez-Ortiz. This
text, in whole or in part, may not be sold in any medium,
including, but not limited to, electronic, CD-ROM, or published in
print, without the explicit, written permission of Alex
Lopez-Ortiz.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alex Lopez-Ortiz alopez-o@daisy.UWaterloo.ca
http://daisy.uwaterloo.ca/~alopez-o Research Scientist
Open Text Corp. 185 Columbia St W Waterloo, Ont N2L 3L3 Canada
--
Alex Lopez-Ortiz alopez-o@daisy.UWaterloo.ca
http://daisy.uwaterloo.ca/~alopez-o Research Scientist
Open Text Corp. 185 Columbia St W Waterloo, Ont N2L 3L3 Canada
--
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