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You are here: Home / Archives for caffeine

Mate or Yerba Mate Profile

January 2, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

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YERBAL DE LAS MARIAS FOTO SIXTO FARI—A

For a caffeine boost, some people drink a tea made from mate, also known as yerba mate. Mate’s bitter flavor is an acquired taste, especially when brewed alone, without tempering by other flavorings. It’s often a natural ingredient in energy drinks and energy shots.

What is mate or yerba mate? The mate plant, Ilex paraguariensis, is a type of tropical evergreen in the holly family. The word maté refers to the tea, which is traditionally drunk scalding hot through a straw; and also to the richly decorated, hollowed out gourd used by natives as a vessel for brewing and drinking.

Where does mate come from? Maté hails from rainforests in Paraguay, and is also found in Argentina and Brazil. Native tribes discovered its properties by brewing a tea from the smoke-dried leaves and twigs.

How much caffeine does mate yield? As a stimulating beverage, maté’s buzz is fairly low, with caffeine levels comparable to weak or very strong tea: between .7 and 1.7 percent (tea typically contains .4 to .9 percent caffeine). Maté’s caffeine is sometimes called mateine.

What else does mate contain? Maté’s theobromine content ranges from a low .3 to .9 percent; it may contain a tiny amount of theophylline or none at all (depending on the species).

Is mate safe? Studies have indicated that frequent, large consumption over prolonged periods may increase the risk of cancers of the mouth, lungs, and esophagus; but evidence suggests that in the subjects tested, drinking mate at high temperature, heavy consumption, and tobacco smoking are responsible for the carcinogenic results. Like guarana, mate is classified as GRAS, generally recognized as safe, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Most experts also consider it safe in moderate amounts, though research has been sparse.

Caffeine Basics: Table of Contents

Filed Under: Caffeine Basics Tagged With: caffeine, Chapter 02, FDA, health effects, mate, tea, theobromine, yerba mate

Other Natural Caffeine Sources

January 2, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

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cola-nut

More than 63 plants contain caffeine naturally. Coffee, tea, and cacao are the ones we most favor. Before discovering brewing, humans ate the leaves of coffee and tea, sometimes mixed with fat and carried like biscuits on long journeys.

Humans also eat a few other caffeinated plants, mostly ones locally available to them, and these include:

  • Yaupon holly, or cassina, in North America
  • Cola nut of West Africa (also spelled kola; plant pictured above)
  • Yoco plant (the bark) of South America

Evidence of yaupon holly as a pre-Colombian, caffeinated beverage has been found as far north as Illinois, dating to as early as 1250 AD, and some people in South Carolina, as well as South America, still consume it.

Caffeine Basics: Table of Contents

Filed Under: Caffeine Basics Tagged With: caffeine, cassina, Chapter 02, cola nut, kola nut, yaupon, yoco

Soft Drinks vs. Energy Drinks: Big Differences

January 3, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

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big-diffGrocers stock energy drinks and soft drinks in separate aisles because it’s easy for consumers to confuse the two: both are sweet, carbonated, and marketed to teens. But there’s a big difference in allowable caffeine levels, according to FDA rules…

Caffeine in soft drinks:

  • 71 mg per 12 fluid ounces (upper limit)
  • Caffeine does not have to be listed on the “Nutrition Panel”

Caffeine in energy drinks:

  • Any amount the manufacturer considers safe
  • Caffeine must appear on the “Supplement Facts” label, but specifying the quantity of caffeine is voluntary

Soft drinks are conventional foods, while energy drinks and shots are classified as dietary supplements. (Confused? Chapter 5 contains a section on FDA Regulations which details the differences.)

Caffeine Basics: Table of Contents

Filed Under: Caffeine Basics Tagged With: caffeine, Chapter 03, energy drink, osda, soft drink

Profile: Caffeinated Soft Drinks

January 3, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

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dew-4689Did you know that many fruit-flavored sodas – including carbonated lemonade – are caffeinated? Here’s the scoop on caffeine and soft drinks…

How much caffeine may a soft drink contain? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration limits soft drinks to no more than 71 mg of caffeine per 12-ounce serving, or .02 percent. (For comparison, a cup of coffee contains about 100 mg of caffeine.)

Are cola drinks the only soft drinks to contain caffeine? No. Any soft drink may add caffeine. Caffeinated non-colas include Sunkist Orange Soda, Sunkist Sparkling Lemonade, Sun Drop Citrus Soda, A&W Cream Soda, and Mountain Dew. Diet and flavored varieties often contain caffeine, or more of it, than a soda’s regular version.

Are soft drinks required to list caffeine in their ingredients? Soft drinks are not required by the FDA to list caffeine, but many brands now do so voluntarily. For more on caffeine labeling requirements, buzz over to Chapter 5.

Where does the caffeine in soft drinks come from? When coffee and tea are decaffeinated, the extracted caffeine is used in soft drinks, painkillers, and other products. Synthetic caffeine is also used in these products.

Fun Stuff: Jump to the next post to see how much caffeine non-colas contain…

Caffeine Basics: Table of Contents

Filed Under: Caffeine Basics Tagged With: caffeine, Chapter 03, cola, soda, soft drink

Sunkist Orange Soda: More Peppy Than Pepsi

January 3, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

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caffeine-soda-675

Look closely: Sunkist Orange Soda is even more caffeinated than Pepsi Cola, while Pepsi Max and Sun Drop Citrus Soda zoom to the top of the chart – they’re bubbling close to the FDA’s legal limit for caffeine in soft drinks (71 mg per 12 ounces).

And: Ounce for ounce, Pepsi Max and Sun Drop have twice the kick of Coca-Cola.

How do these numbers compare to coffee? Caffeine in coffee and tea varies, but for this book, the rule of thumb is: an average cup of coffee contains about 100 mg of caffeine, and an average cup of tea contains about 50 mg of caffeine. Starbucks lists their Grande brewed coffee at 340 mg caffeine.

What about the sugar content of caffeinated beverages? The next infographic shows how supersize soft drinks compare in caffeine, sugar, and calories…

Caffeine Basics: Table of Contents

Filed Under: Caffeine Basics Tagged With: caffeine, caffeine amount, Chapter 03, cola, infographic, orange, soda, sunkist

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Meet Kate

About Kate Heyhoe

I'm an author and journalist specializing in food and cooking. Caffeine Basics is my ninth book. I've written about the U.S. wine industry, international foods, shrinking your "cookprint," and cooking with kids. Great Bar Food at Home was a James Beard Award finalist, and Cooking Green: Reducing … More

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