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Nutrition Caffeine: Reduction versus elimination

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Some of my idea:
- 1st, I agree with Steve. I work at the coffee shop for a while and the caffeine is more affected by time under tension - I mean time contact with water. So things like cold brew or traditional Vietnamese coffee have more caffeine compare to espresso. You can reduce the caffein volume in you French press by pour the coffee out of the pot.
- I perfer to drink my coffee in the late morning or in the middle of the afternoon. After 9:30 AM and from 1:30 PM. Ideally from 11 AM to 11:15 AM and from 3 PM to 4:30 PM (which based on my current working schedule). I don't rembember where I read this (from LittlebeastM's facebook perhaps, he shared this paper) that if someone wakeup at 6 Am than 9:30 AM is the time for coffee - I don't remember correctly. But that works for me.
- I don't like drinking coffee too early - like after wake up or before 9 AM to be more specific. In the morning I feel fresh and wake up already. And then I have to travel 1 hour on scooter in crowded city - enough cortisol. My barista friends share the pain with me - they have a to check the coffee in the begin of the session (like 6:30 AM and 1 PM) and they don't like the coffee testing in the morning. Usually only very small sip of espresso to check the taste then they throw it away.
- I like coffee break, and that was a part of my rountine in the previous work. I translated some stuff at home, and at 10:30 Am or 11 Am I a break - either went to the nearby coffee shop to have an epresso or create my coffee at home (using Vietnamese filter - which basically the old school French press). Not just the coffee but the act of get out of what I was doing back then help me to relax.
- I remember @Chrisdavisjr is quite light (about 66-67 kg) and on the vegan diet. Some members on the forum are more heavier and have a less strictly diet. So that could be something to consider (of course there are small guys who drink a lot of coffee like Steve or Mark Limbaga - I saw his huge cup of coffee on the Internet). I remember when I was on vegetarian diet my taste of coffee reduce and I perfer something that's light taste.
 
q.Hung said:
I remember @Chrisdavisjr is quite light (about 66-67 kg)
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Well remembered!

I usually only make enough coffee for myself in my French press so it always gets poured out as soon as it's ready. I did used to drink filter coffee but I find the taste lacks a certain 'something' (probably some of what the filter removes).

Since doing a week of just one cup a day I've noticed no real difference one way or another: My sleep seems unaffected and my mood/anxiety levels are as sporadic as ever.

It's possibly not enough time to draw any conclusions and I may have to go completely caffeine free for a week or two to see where I'm at but, at the moment, it looks like my moderate caffeine consumption wasn't really doing me any harm.
 
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Chrisdavisjr said:
Well remembered!

I usually only make enough coffee for myself in my French press so it always gets poured out as soon as it's ready. I did used to drink filter coffee but I find the taste lacks a certain 'something' (probably some of what the filter removes).

Since doing a week of just one cup a day I've noticed no real difference one way or another: My sleep seems unaffected and my mood/anxiety levels are as sporadic as ever.

It's possibly not enough time to draw any conclusions and I may have to go completely caffeine free for a week or two to see where I'm at but, at the moment, it looks like my moderate caffeine consumption wasn't really doing me any harm.
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You mentioned Anxiety so maybe caffeine isn't the cause of poor sleep: the issue is more psychological than chemical?

Talking from personal experience, the cause of the anxiety needs to be addressed.

Here's a good video from the sleep doctor:


Maybe speak to your GP as well. They may advise self referral to CBT treatment. Also, discuss with them the option of sleeping tablets (just 1 or 2 tablets). You might need them for your mind to reset back to sleep mode.
 
Chrisdavisjr said:
Well remembered!

I usually only make enough coffee for myself in my French press so it always gets poured out as soon as it's ready. I did used to drink filter coffee but I find the taste lacks a certain 'something' (probably some of what the filter removes).

Since doing a week of just one cup a day I've noticed no real difference one way or another: My sleep seems unaffected and my mood/anxiety levels are as sporadic as ever.

It's possibly not enough time to draw any conclusions and I may have to go completely caffeine free for a week or two to see where I'm at but, at the moment, it looks like my moderate caffeine consumption wasn't really doing me any harm.
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I feel you man. When I ease up it slow down it doesn’t seem to change much. I’ve had people tell me it could absolutely be adrenal damage taking a while to level out. But I don’t know. I’d give it another week and see.

I was paying close attention this week and I definitely noticed whether I have like 20oz or 40oz (estimate) between waking up and after lunch I don’t feel any better or more alert. Just pee a whole lot more.
@q.Hung might take a page from your book and push back my first cup. I could see naturally waking up (my first cup is usually about 7 seconds after waking up) and then drinking it a little later feeling better.
I’ve read about timing coffee around already high cortisol levels too (about 9am)
 
Mo04 said:
You mentioned Anxiety so maybe caffeine isn't the cause of poor sleep: the issue is more psychological than chemical?
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This is my strong suspicion: There's been a global pandemic ongoing for just over a year now, I haven't done any paid work in that time (I'm a live audio technician - the events industry's still effectively completely shut down and my only other qualification is in fitness instruction/personal training!), I haven't seen any of my friends in ages and I've been made to feel (justifiably) nervous every single time I leave the house because of fear of transmission.

On reflection, it's probably not the coffee.
 
My rule is never more than three cups (90% of the time, it's 2) and never after 11 am for sleep.

I am the type of guy who can have 1/2 cup at 2pm and not sleep until 2am

PS I am a lover of coffee, note at the aficionado level but enjoy fresh ground beans, french press etc. I like to buy beans from local roasters.
My question for the pros in here - what's the best process for turkish coffee?
 
wespom9 said:
My question for the pros in here - what's the best process for turkish coffee?
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I use dark-roasted robusta from Lam Dong, Vietnam and have some sugar in the turkish coffee. Usually I don't drink coffee with sugar but this one is an exception.

Sometime I use light-roasted Ethiopia beans. It takes ...strange, but I like it.
 
wespom9 said:
My rule is never more than three cups (90% of the time, it's 2) and never after 11 am for sleep.

I am the type of guy who can have 1/2 cup at 2pm and not sleep until 2am

PS I am a lover of coffee, note at the aficionado level but enjoy fresh ground beans, french press etc. I like to buy beans from local roasters.
My question for the pros in here - what's the best process for turkish coffee?
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The best results will come from a traditional copper Turkish pot. The bigger challenge comes in having a grinder that can provide a fine enough grind for Turkish coffee. We are talking really, really fine. Almost like powdered sugar....
 
offwidth said:
We are talking really, really fine. Almost like powdered sugar....
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Yes! It's almost like brown flour. Most domestic grinders and even commercial grinders aren't designed to produce a grind that fine.

There are a few specialist grocers in my area that sell decent Turkish/Greek coffee in sealed bags. Probably not quite as good as getting it fresh but still perfectly drinkable.

I usually add the grounds to the pot, pour the liquid over (I have a dedicated scoop and special cups so it's 1 scoop of grounds to 1 cup of water - I couldn't tell you what the actual measurements are) and give it a quick stir before I apply the heat and then let it brew unstirred. It should start to foam on top. Once the foam starts to 'part'/open up in the middle, then I pour into cups (again without any stirring). I take mine unsweetened. I've been told that sugar should be added to the pot prior to brewing but I can't remember where I heard this and I don't take sugar anyway so it doesn't make any difference to me.
 
Chrisdavisjr said:
Yes! It's almost like brown flour. Most domestic grinders and even commercial grinders aren't designed to produce a grind that fine.

There are a few specialist grocers in my area that sell decent Turkish/Greek coffee in sealed bags. Probably not quite as good as getting it fresh but still perfectly drinkable.

I usually add the grounds to the pot, pour the liquid over (I have a dedicated scoop and special cups so it's 1 scoop of grounds to 1 cup of water - I couldn't tell you what the actual measurements are) and give it a quick stir before I apply the heat and then let it brew unstirred. It should start to foam on top. Once the foam starts to 'part'/open up in the middle, then I pour into cups (again without any stirring). I take mine unsweetened. I've been told that sugar should be added to the pot prior to brewing but I can't remember where I heard this and I don't take sugar anyway so it doesn't make any difference to me.
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Yes. Usually brewed with the sugar...
 
Interesting chat, where does caffeinated tea slot in? is it more or less the same as coffee or a bit different?
 
Just an aside... I used to use a hario burr grinder and make French presses every morning. I drank way less volume then when I actually enjoyed it.
 
SMalishev said:
Interesting chat, where does caffeinated tea slot in? is it more or less the same as coffee or a bit different?
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Generally speaking a regular cup o tea contains less caffeine than a regular cup of joe. But there are a lot of variables to consider...
Some heavy duty teas and similar things like matte might contain a fair bit more than a single shot americano.
 
@wespom9 as far as Turkish coffee goes, there's a lot of methods out there for making it. The typical, most accessible method is to buy on of the traditional (and tiny) copper pots with a handle. From there all you need is the water, appropriately ground coffee and a small enough cup. You're supposed to bury the pot in hot sand but most people use a tiny gas burner or a hot plate.

Most brew methods revolve around whether or not you should boil or keep the water under 200 degrees F (don't trust anyone who tells you to boil coffee :)), whether you should put the coffee in the hot water or mix it while it's still cold, whether or when you should add sugar... it really just takes experimentation. I'm also a fan of spice mixtures, cardamom being the classic additive, but I've gone so far as to add ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cocoa powder, and cayenne pepper. Different areas of the Mediterranean have their favorite spice mix to add. I also believe in Turkish they have various words for the level of sweetness in the coffee, can't remember them.

Personally, I would boil the water, let it settle, then add sugar (.5 tsp) and coffee (about 1 tbsp), then stir. Put it on low-ish heat, wait for it to foam properly, then pour it in the cup. If I want spice I'd add that with the coffee

The hardest thing, by far, is the grind. If it's espresso-size, it won't brew properly. I was lucky enough to find that my favorite coffee roaster/coffee shop can grind it fine enough - nothing beats 1-week roasted coffee. You can always find a grinder online or just buy pre-ground stuff; the brand "Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi" I found pretty easily in Middle Eastern grocery stores.

I am also of the opinion that Turkish coffee is by far the most aromatic brew method, so long as you get it right. Writing this makes me want to get back into it - I haven't had it in awhile because I don't have a gas stove.
 
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