Caffeine Schmaffeine
This blog has been sluggish lately. Updating once a month is better than nothing, but it could use a pick-me-up for more frequent posts. I have discovered something that’ll give the blog just the jolt it needs: a lack of caffeine.
See, I’ve been doing a full time job lately, and that takes up time. Specifically, it takes up mornings, which is when I tend to drink coffee. I can’t exactly be pouring gravy into the office coffee machine, so work really puts a limit on my experimentation. I can’t pick up slack during my evenings either, because the caffeine would keep me up all night and make those gravy-free mornings even more miserable.
But wait, what about caffeine-free coffee?
I’ve never drank coffee for the caffeine. Other than keeping me from sleeping, I don’t feel any effects of the stuff; my body seems immune to perkiness enhancement. I might as well remove the caffeine and add the possibility of late-night experimentation.
It limits which kinds of coffee I can have, but have you seen this blog? It’s more about what goes into the coffee than the coffee itself. I think I’ll find enough variety.
Hey, what about you? Do you drink coffee for the caffeine, the flavour, or both?
Putting Weird Things in Coffee 
I only drink coffee for the flavor. And I can stop anytime I want!
I think drinking only decaf is a great idea. I used to drink decaf exclusively, but, as you said, the choices are limited. Look at expiration dates! Decaf tends to linger on the shelves, even in coffee shops. But fresh regular and fresh decaf should taste the same.
Both! It doesn’t make me perky either, but it can mess with my sleep if I drink too much. It’s just so delicious and comforting… Maybe it’s more those things than the caffeine that makes coffee in the morning so necessary.
Definitely both, I’ve also never tried a decaf coffee that I’ve liked very much, they never taste rich enough for my liking.
Both. Always both.
Decaf is an option in the evenings, but I need some caffeine in the morning, and coffee is delicious.
Flavour only. And I go for months without the stuff. 🙂 Only for the health reasons though – I still miss the flavour and will succumb to something sugary like the iced coffee from Timmy’s.
My personal favorite weird things to put in coffee at work are sunflower seeds or peanuts. This is easy to make at work and it adds some crunchy variation to the morning routine. Plus the oil makes crappy work coffee taste really rich and dynamic. You can use salted or unsalted depending on your mood. I thoroughly enjoy reading your blog. Keep it up even with the 9to5!!!
Started drinking coffee for the caffeine kick (which STILL hits me to this day, just not as hard) but I drink it for the flavour now (I buy lots of different beans at HasBeans).
I don’t know about anyone else, but decaffeinated coffee suffers in the flavour department. I’d suggest using the beans if possible, but I find it’s just not the same. The process kills some of the richness and flavour, no matter how gentle.
Sometimes it’s one, and sometimes it’s the other. I prefer to drink coffee at my leisure and enjoy a nice cup of organic brew. However, if it’s 6:15am and I’m not waking up fast enough I’ll brew up even some instant coffee and give it a splash of chocolatey, sugary stuff to mask the taste and get the blood flowing…
Well, first and foremost I drink coffee for the taste. The second reason is the kick I get from drinking it. So my answer would be both. I love the different flavors of coffee. I hate decaf!
Decaf tastes like dirt.
I like to drink it for the flavour but I think it really boils down to my comfort food. Decaf does still hav some caffeine but not nearly as much as regular. I seem to have become immune to the affects as I have no issues drinking a coffee before bed and falling asleep. This may have something to do with my 13 month old though. Either way, keep up the experimentation.
Both. I need it to stay awake some days, but I also enjoy the taste of it. Today is more of the latter, though I was forced to do a little experimentation with mine by adding chocolate almond milk as I’m out of regular milk. Verdict? Pretty good, like a really cheap, kind of nutty mocha.
I drink coffee mostly for the flavor, but do realize that the caffeine does affect me. I’m not a regular decaf coffee drinker, but I have tried different decafs for family members or for a late-night espresso session where I do want to be able to get to sleep afterwards. I keep jars of decaf coffee I’ve roasted up in the freezer ready for company if someone drops by and can’t drink the regular stuff.
Just as coffee is better freshly roasted (I roast my own so no problem there), the same goes for decaf and many of the craft coffee roasters also have their single origin beans and blends sent out to be water process decaffeinated to be roasted up and sold. I recommend not getting just any decaf but getting a good decaf bean to drink… though if your putting weird things in it, maybe just an inoffensive decaf is called for.
BTW, great blog, been reading a long time and coming back from a hiatus.
-Chris
Sometimes I get tired of eating ice cream on its own, so I get some coffee – it’s always so tempting to play the Titanic scene “Iceberg right ahead!” LOL 🙂
I am not by nature a morning person. I’m normally like a bear coming out of hibernation in the morning. When everybody else conks out and goes to sleep, then I’m at my best. But I’ve found a way to actually wake up and be alert in the morning. I dope my coffee with an eighth of a teaspoon of Piracetam and a drop of Lugol’s 5% Iodine solution. Both items have a slightly nasty taste in water, but can’t be tasted in the coffee. That gets me going until my my natural genius, fast metabolism, and hyperactivity kick in. I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, the preceding medical advice may not be right for you. It works like a charm for me, and I believe it to be health enhancing too.