beverage | Caffeine and You

Iced Coffee Syrup, for Sparkling Coffee Spritzer

June 14, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

Coffee Spritzers, here we come!

Think coffee with cool, bubbly carbonation. These babies go down way too easy… Sweet, concentrated coffee syrup pops with iced sparkling water. Velvety vanilla undertones smooth out the drink. Are you thirsty yet?

Then let’s make coffee syrup. With the syrup and cans of carbonated water on hand, you can mix sparkling iced coffee spritzers in a snap. Tweak the flavors: add some ground cardamom, cinnamon, or cocoa powder before boiling. Serve with a twist of lemon or orange rind for an elegant mocktail, or add alcohol of choice for an iced coffee cocktail. And, if you’re not already drooling…

Iced Coffee Float: vanilla ice cream + whipped cream put this drink over the top, in all the right ways.

Tips:

Turbinado sugar adds hints of molasses and honey, similar to a mild brown sugar. But you can substitute with white sugar.
I prefer fine white sugar; the crystals are smaller and dissolve more easily in beverages than regular sugar, but either is fine as long as the sugar completely dissolves.
Sea salt in a syrup? Yup. It makes the other flavors shine (it’s why sea salted-caramels taste outrageously good). Use just a pinch.
You’ll need a paper coffee filter and a strainer of some kind. A damp filter works best: just wet with water, squeeze out excess, and place in sieve over a quart measuring cup or other large container.

Katie Caffeine’s Iced Coffee Syrup

By Kate Heyhoe

1/2 cup turbinado sugar (4 oz/112 gr)
1 cup granulated white sugar (7 oz/198 gr)
1/2 cup ground coffee (1.3 oz/38 gr)
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Combine both sugars, the coffee, vanilla, and salt with 1-1/2 cups water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat and boil gently for 1 minute (WARNING: Don’t stop watching the mixture: it can boil over in a flash). Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Strain through a dampened coffee filter set in a sieve; this may take as long as 30 minutes. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Makes about 1-3/4 cups syrup.

Sparkling Iced Coffee Spritzer:

Combine 1 part syrup to 3 parts carbonated water, or to taste. Serve over ice. Slurp it down and make another.

Modern Rush: Ready-to-Drink Tea

May 27, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

Ready-to-Drink Tea: A $3.5 billion market

Cold, Instant, and On-the-Go: How We Like Our Tea

More Americans go inside convenience stores to buy caffeinated beverages than for any other reason.

The tripod of modern living stands on three legs: Convenience, time-saving, and mobility. Just look at digital devices, fast food, and caffeine. Seattle became famous for its drive-through coffee spots. Coffee is a cash cow for McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts. And now tea is beating out coffee and soda at some cash registers.

Caffeinated drinks – including coffee, iced tea, sodas and energy drinks – are what keep the local mini-mart in business, and what keeps their mobile customers on the go-go-go. Coffee’s hot all year, but in summer, iced tea sales soar.

Instant iced tea was the big 20th century boost for tea. It first entered the consumer market in 1953, and when Lipton Instant Iced Tea arrived in 1958, iced tea really took off.

When Snapple introduced bottled iced tea almost thirty years later, it created a whole new beverage category: Ready-to-Drink tea is now led by brands like AriZona, Fuze, Honest Tea, Sweet Leaf, and the giants Lipton and Nestea.

Bottom line: When tea became instant, sales took off. When it became cold, instant and ready-to-drink, tea joined the ranks of coffee and colas as a powerful caffeinated player – at least in the U.S. In Asia and other substantial portions of the globe, hot tea remains the main caffeinated beverage, but iced tea increasingly appeals to a young, cosmopolitan market.

U.S. Tea Sales Catching Up

Overall, tea is second only to water as the most widely consumed beverage worldwide, a fact often mentioned.

But did you know: More tea is consumed worldwide than coffee, chocolate, alcohol and soft drinks combined. After the American Revolution, tea’s popularity declined severely in the U.S. A hundred and fifty years later, specialty blends gave tea a big boost, especially Constant Comment in 1945 and more recent upscale brands like Republic of Tea and Tazo (now owned by Starbucks). Reports of the health benefits from tea’s antioxidants also kicked up consumption.

According to the Tea Association of the USA:

Approximately 85% of tea consumed in America is iced.
Over the last ten years, Ready-To-Drink Tea has grown by more than 17.5 times. In 2011, Ready-To-Drink sales were conservatively estimated at $3.50 billion
In 2011, over 65% of the tea brewed in the United States was prepared using tea bags. Ready-to-Drink and iced tea mix comprises about one fourth of all tea prepared in the U.S., with instant and loose tea accounting for the balance. Instant tea is declining and loose tea is gaining in popularity, especially in Specialty Tea and coffee outlets.
On any given day, about one half of the American population drinks tea. On a regional basis, the South and Northeast have the greatest concentration of tea drinkers.

As with coffee in the 20th century, the perception of “premium” quality gave tea traction. During the last fifty years, tea has been marketed as a special treat, bringing caffeine, pleasure, and reward to the tea-drinking brain.

So next time you pop into a mini-mart to pay for your gas, take a look at the 53 or so brands of tea in the cooler. Since ready-to-drink iced tea has brought a new level of passion to consumers, you’d be right to say it’s a really “hot” product.

3. Added Caffeine: Pumped Up Sodas, Energy Drinks and Shots

January 3, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

For centuries, people self-regulated their caffeine consumption naturally, by taking it in traditional ways. Coffee, tea, chocolate and other botanicals were primary sources. Then came cola drinks, and those led to energy drinks. Our caffeine rush went from bicycle power to fuel-injected engines.

Some energy drinks are no more caffeinated than coffee; others are off the charts. Sodas are as tame as tea. But with all drinks, size matters: sodas and coffeehouse coffees come supersized, and an energy drink may contain more than “one serving” of caffeine. This chapter covers the ups and downs of energy drinks; their powerful little cousins, energy shots; and the beverages that gave birth to the whole energy-craze, caffeinated soft drinks.

Caffeine Basics: Table of Contents

Calculate Your Caffeine

January 3, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

The infographic above shows caffeine concentration: it reflects the amount of caffeine per ounce – you can use these numbers to determine how much caffeine you’re consuming. Simply multiply the milligrams per ounce (in the graphic) by the ounces in a beverage.

*Note: Caffeine in coffee and tea varies; amounts listed are average.

Examples:

Mountain Dew: (40 oz fountain drink) x (4.5 mg caffeine per oz) = 180 mg total caffeine

Monster M3 Energy Drink: (5 oz bottle) x (32 mg caffeine/oz) = 160 mg total caffeine

Starbucks Roast Coffee Venti: (20 oz) x (20.7 mg caffeine/oz) = 414 mg total caffeine

Caffeine Basics: Table of Contents

The New Buzz of Niche Markets

January 4, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

New caffeinated products are surfacing faster than I can type – and some of them are disappearing just as fast. Most are more trendy than game changing, but collectively they’re part of a fast-growing industry.

Caffeine Without That Pesky Coffee or Tea

Their biggest appeal is delivering caffeine to people and age groups that choose not to drink coffee or tea. These niche products are portable and easy to consume anywhere; some aren’t even liquid, and most avoid tasting anything close to coffee or tea. Here’s a roundup of these big and little buzzers.

Liquid caffeine

These products range from ultra-extreme to moderately potent. Mio Energy, made by Kraft foods, comes in a cute, droplet-shaped container that fits in your pocket. It’s a “liquid water enhancer” and half a teaspoon adds 60 mg of fruit-flavored caffeine to water, or whatever you’re drinking. “It’s so wild it could get you arrested on a plane, but it’s worth the lawyer fees,” says the website. Hip, edgy ads promote it as an alternative to ready-made energy drinks. It’s sold in supermarkets, minimarts, and gas stations. It’s a lot like self-medicating – add as much as you like, but it’s easy to accidentally add more than you intend.

Extreme liquid caffeine

You won’t see these products in 7-Eleven stores or Safeway; they’re way too concentrated to be let loose on the casual consumer. But you can find them online. Mix them into water, other liquid, or food for a nuclear-level caffeine trip. One brand delivers 500 mg of caffeine per ounce – but here’s the real shocker: it’s sold in gallon jugs or larger, and comes with a handy measuring syringe. Definitely pay attention to the warning labels, as this stuff really can be lethal.

Powdered caffeine

Anhydrous caffeine powder is white, concentrated, and comes in natural (from tea or coffee) or synthetic forms. It’s easy to buy online, easy to use, and even easier to overdose on. The story of a young man’s accidental death from powdered caffeine is recounted in the next section, Death By Caffeine Powder.

Inhalable caffeine

Put the end of a lipstick-size canister in your mouth, and get a puff of caffeinated air. Each Aeroshot canister contains six doses, a total of 100 mg of powdered caffeine (comparable to a cup of coffee), mixed with B vitamins and flavoring. You draw the powder into your mouth and swallow. The powder dissolves in your mouth on impact, so it’s not entering your lungs. But the FDA is questioning the product’s safety and status as a dietary supplement. A less publicized product, Primer Energy Breath Spray, works similarly, but is more potent: it delivers 33 mg of caffeine per spray; it comes in a larger container with a total of 1400 mg caffeine (about 14 cups of coffee).

Caffeinated water

It’s exactly as the name implies: water with caffeine in it. Though not easy to find, most brands may be ordered online. They typically contain about as much caffeine as coffee or tea, or an average energy drink but without the sugar or calories. Some taste like spring water, others have added flavors. If you’re sensitive to bitterness, you may be able to detect the caffeine, but only slightly.

Energy gels and chews

Athletes squeeze energy gel packets into the mouth or pop an energy chew during exercise – as when running a marathon or racing a bike. Energy chews are small, soft candy-like cubes. Most gels and chews contain 25-50 mg of caffeine per serving, plus assorted nutrients. Powerbar, Clif, and Hammer are some of the bigger brands. Not all gels contain caffeine; some simply deliver nutritional ingredients. Caffeinated flavors range from coffee and mocha to lemon-lime, grape, and green apple. Use these as directed for a safe, mild caffeinated bump. But some of the products warn of gastrointestinal distress, so test them at home before setting off on a 10K.

Caffeinated gum, mints, and strips

These are handy for a mild to moderate caffeine bump, especially when liquids are inconvenient (as when driving or traveling). Energy gums range from 35 to 100 mg of caffeine per piece, while mints average about 5 to 7 mg each. Energy strips are like mouthwash strips that dissolve on the tongue (and even taste like mouthwash; yum!), and range from 20-40 mg caffeine.

Caffeinated foods and snacks

You can find caffeine in Perky Jerky, maple syrup, waffles, potato chips, marshmallows, oatmeal and other victuals. Yes, the caffeine craze buzzes up traditional foods. Caffeine varies by product, so check the websites or labels for amounts.

Caffeinated candy, sweets, and ice cream

It may not say caffeine on the label, but any food with natural coffee, chocolate or tea contains caffeine. This includes candy, ice cream, pudding, yogurt, cookies, cake, brownies, and even your kid’s cereal.

Anti-Sleeping and alertness aids

Drugstores stock No-Doz, Vivarin, Jet-Alert and generic brands of caffeine pills. These pills have one purpose: to stay awake. Check the label; most doses deliver 100 or 200 mg of caffeine, about the caffeine in one or two cups of coffee. They make no nutritional claims.

Painkillers, medicines, and vitamins

Both over-the-counter and prescription painkillers add caffeine for its pain-relieving properties. Common brands include: Extra-Strength Excedrin, Excedrin Migraine, Extra-Strength Anacin, Alka-Seltzer Wake-Up Call, Midol Complete, and others. One-a-Day Energy, a multi-vitamin, adds caffeine and guarana seed as energy-boosters.

Weight-loss products and diet pills

Some people take caffeine pills for weight loss, due to caffeine’s appetite-suppression and metabolism boosting effects. Diet pills containing caffeine are available over-the-counter and by prescription. Research is all over the map on caffeine’s ability to produce long-term weight loss. But plenty of weight-loss products feature it, including such brands as Dexatrim, Twin Labs, Hydroxycut, and various green tea supplements and green coffee extracts. Caffeine per serving in these products ranges from 50 to 400 mg.

Next up: See how caffeinated gum is being used by soldiers and pilots around the globe…

Caffeine Basics: Table of Contents