COFFEE. (Excellent prompt, Barb.)
I’ve written many posts about coffee. I had to decaf back in 2010, and since then pretty much everyone makes a scowling face and asks, “How can you drink that crap?” or “Why bother?” and then I tick a little box next to their name and think, gee, i hope you never have a health condition that prevents you from consuming too much caffeine, for your words will be bitter when swallowed.
I can have some caffeine. A cup of coffee. Maybe two. In the morning only. Really, really only in the morning.
My recent Oops-I-Forgot-To-Say-Decaf experience left me shaking, spinning, and sick — and in a great hurry to braid bread super fast!
Cause here’s the thing: For me, a shot of espresso may as well be speed.
Would you give a shot of espresso to a nervous person?
Would you be like, “Here’s a quad vanilla latte, it’ll help you relax.”
I think not.
Turns out, I’m naturally alert and quick. Naturally ON.
It also turns out I’d been poisoning myself for decades, making a serious contribution to my own anxiety and all its symptoms.
So yes, decaf for me, thanks.
joeyfullystated 
Goodness, Joey. You are right–I’ve never heard anyone say something good about decaf. But, then, I had no idea that for some people, it can be life-saving. Thank you for the very informative posting.
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Yesss, I’m glad you educate you in this matter. Some people might just be fussy, but plenty of us have medical conditions to fuss over.
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At least you drink coffee. I have friends, and a sister in law, who don’t – don’t even own coffee makers. I just don’t get it!
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Oh me neither. Is it even a home without a coffee maker? I’m not sure! 😉
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My normal day I have a cup in the morning, then switch to tea which has less caffeine. When I write on the weekends I’ve been known to drink pots of black coffee.
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I have one or two decaf at home or on my way, then sometimes I have one of those damned K cups at work (that’s what’s available and they’re caffeinated.) The rest of my day is tea, mostly herbal, mostly chamomile 🙂
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Coffee is one of my favorite topics of all times. And, for some medical issues of my own, I went half decaf and half regular several years back. When you enjoy a ‘good’ cup of coffee, you take issues into consideration and drink what you can. We buy ‘good’ coffee and I enjoy two in the morning and two in the afternoon. It’s better than giving it up altogether. 🙂
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We do a little half-caff here too sometimes, although it’s often more de than caff 🙂 I agree, we spend a bit more, but it’s worth it!
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I can’t imagine why anyone would drink a bitter scalding liquid, but that’s just me. Someone brewing it (the husband) makes the whole house stink. He has this ritual he goes through, see, at least three times a day, where he carefully decides how many decaf and how many caffeinated beans will go into THIS particular hand-ground hand-dripped cup. The grinding makes me put in earplugs. But do I say a word? “Enjoy your coffee, dear.”
And do NOT stand between me and the carefully hoarded and sipped 2-3 cans (never after 3PM) of Diet Coke WITH caffeine that I need to write. To each her poison.
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Haha! We do that too! Bean measuring and grinding 🙂
I don’t judge your Diet Coke consumption. You know when I’ve had the most caffeine (via soda) since I decaffed? NaNoWriMo! LOL
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Keep up the writing, if it makes you happy, but it’s not worth losing your mind over (unless you have no choice). I wouldn’t dare try NaNo. Good for you.
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People forget caffeine is a drug and everyone will respond differently to it. As for bread pudding, oh boy, it’s best I don’t go there. So yummy served warm with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream and . . . oops, I went there.
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Yes. I read an article not too long ago about a coffee gene. Twas interesting.
Bread pudding is HEAVENLY!
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You go girl. The Future belongs to the Decaffeinated. I had to Decaf in 2000? I do have a cup of “real” coffee every once in a while. Then I use real sugar instead of sweet and low. You know in for a penny in for a pound. Curious thing though. When I drank coffee with caffeine it was always black. Now it must be with cream and sweetener. I wonder why.
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In for a penny, in for a pound, indeed! I see your point, because I only drink black coffee when it’s super duper strong, or if what’s offered for coffee is not my thing, like powdered stuff or fake sugar. I like half and half, heavy cream, flavored creamers.
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I used to be able to drink coffee at all times of the day. Now with my current anxiety medication, I can have one cup in the morning. Maybe a soda at noon. Any more than that really and my head feels like someone is jabbing a screwdriver in there. I enjoy the act of drinking coffee so much that I’m considering switching to decaf so I can drink it more often.
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You should really try some decafs so you can enjoy it more often. I sometimes brew a decaf in the evening just for pleasure. (There’s a bit of caffeine in decaf 7-10 mg)
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I’m naturally ON too and don’t really require caffeine. I always joke about ‘needing’ my coffee, but it’s more about the ritual and warmness. Plus, my coffee is freaking delicious – I mix an herbal blend in with it which is so much more delicious tasting than regular coffee and it’s caffeine free. 🙂
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You understand! Yes! Ritual! Just because I can’t have all that caffeine doesn’t mean I want to give up morning coffee!
Very smart, Jewels, infusion 🙂
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I love the taste and smell of coffee, and yet my Tibetan doctor says to give it up since it messes with my health. Since it helps my breathing–genuinely, it’s a bronchodilator and I don’t take other drugs–I have been slow to switch to decaf but will after the huge bags of coffee I bought on sale recently run out…the tl;dr version of this is I should stop and am wimping out about switching soon, but will…really!
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When you do, just adjust your intake slowly, like 90/10, 80/20, and so forth, so you don’t get the headaches or troll about like a zombie 🙂 Maybe if you stay at 60/40 you’ll be able to glean more benefits? I wonder.
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That’s a good idea. The water-processed decaf is good these days, both in using few-no chemcials which mess me up, and in tasting better. I’ll buy some good stuff and switch when I can…after this cup! (wink)
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But of course 🙂
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I’ve often said “Why bother” about drinking decaf but of course if it affects you that much then by all means! I never notice any speedy affects from coffee and I drink at least 3 large cups every morning. Maybe that’s why I don’t understand decaf.
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Well it’s not just me, but also people with cardiovascular issues and other things. I read an article about how it’s a gene, the coffee gene, and it determines how well you process caffeine. My husband can throw back espresso and fall right to sleep! lol
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I can’t do espresso. I like a mild coffee, not too strong.
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I like strong coffee, but decaf espresso.
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I drink half-caff at home and when I can mix my own somewhere with urns of each. I don’t get the hate for decaf. Guess I lack the delicacy of taste to tell the difference. You stuck to your cup, gurll.
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Funny, but I can’t taste the difference in hot coffee, or even cold brewed, but I sure can tell when I order iced espresso drinks at Starbucks. I’ll hand it back to them and be like, “This tastes too good. Need decaf. Medical. Important. Remake.”
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At one point, I used to drink coffee all day long. 10-15 cups a day. I tend to have 2-4 now.
One thing blogging has taught / is teaching me, is to be more sensitive to the choices people seem to have made. I realize that many aren’t choices at all.
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Right? I just thank tacos I’m not allergic to cheese or rice or somethin I can’t live without! LOL
I used to drink coffee all day and night, too. Two to four cups a day is very reasonable, and some would argue — downright healthy 🙂
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Mmmmm, tacos. Now I want tacos…
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I’ve been off coffee for many years now – but last October on a trip to Washington for some reason I had to have a Iced Mocha Grande which set my stomach into quite a tizzy. It’s definitely a drug! But it smells sooooo good.
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A drug indeed! I’m sorry your treat did not go as planned, Jan
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I take the same crap about drinking decaf. In my case, I don’t want to bring on another stroke. That could end up being expensive.
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I support your decision to avoid drinking coffee into a stroke, John! 🙂
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I like a good cup of coffee whether it’s high-octane or not. I like the morning recital of welcoming the world with a good cup of hot coffee, but on those extremely rare days I have a 2nd cup … it will always be decaf. Like you, Joey, I have a low tolerance level for caffeine.
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I’m in SUCH good company here today! I love the morning ritual as well. ❤
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I drink tea almost every day, so much less caffeine than coffee. I love the smell of coffee, but don’t love the taste, so when I do have coffee, I have a mocha (preferably with dark chocolate) or a cappuccino. I like those. You’re wise to stay away from what’s bad for you, even if you like it. 🙂
janet
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Thanks for your support, Janet. I haven’t had a mocha in a long while. I like a raspberry mocha now and again — very dessert! much delish!
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Thanks! I’m glad you liked the prompt word, ‘coffee’! Sorry the regular kind gives you problems, but I’d be the same if the caffeine made me feel awful. At least there is decaf to enjoy, no matter what people say about it. Kinda the same for me with beer. I love the taste, but can’t deal with the dizzy feeling I get from it, so I have the non-alcohol kind. People say what’s the point. Well, the point is, I like the beer taste, and don’t want to feel awful! We enjoy what we enjoy, right! 🙂
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That’s exactly it! I drank non-alcoholic beer several times when I was pregnant, I wanted beer flavor, especially cold and I was glad to have it 🙂 I want coffee in the morning, I just wanna stay on the ground 🙂
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I’ve been known to make snide comments about decaf at times. It comes from my personal belief that if I couldn’t drink the “real” stuff, then I’d rather not drink it at all, but it obviously doesn’t take into account other people’s situations or choices.
As Dan said above, blogging is teaching me about that….
I do find that caffeine affects me more as I get older, or perhaps it always did and now I just notice it more. Either way on weekdays 1 cup of the real stuff in the morning is my limit for the day. On weekends I’ll let my hair down and have 2 or even 3!!!
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LOL Let your hair down! Woot! 😛
I remember the first of my friends to go decaf — he’d been a big Pepsi drinker and then he got into iced coffee and the next thing I knew, he was drinking uncola cola, tellin me caffeine made him shaky and unfocused. I was maybe 21-22, I thought, “Gee, what a pussy!” but I didn’t say it. Bet we could talk about it for an hour now!
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I typically drink two cups in the morning. If I have too much extra, I tend to get heart racing and panicky. I don’t know if it affects my sleeping. I sometimes have regular tea in the afternoon, but not coffee. I’m not a coffee connoisseur. I’m not sure if I could tell the difference between decaf or not.
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That panicky feeling is not worth the ‘energy’ for me.
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Me either. I learned my limit the hard way!
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I’m right there with you! Years ago, when I drank coffee regularly it caused sharp pain in my bladder and breasts (caffeine makes fibrocystic breast tissue and PMS worse.) Rarely drinking coffee makes it a powerful drug for me. If I drink a whole cup of regular, I’m bouncing off the walls. A half a cup makes me VERY happy and full of energy. It’s a fact (I researched) that “decaf” has small amounts of caffeine I can feel. A cup of decaf or green tea feels great. But if I drink any caffeine after 2pm I can’t sleep.
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Yep, yep, yep! I know all that. I’ve got one friend who completely eliminated her breast pain by giving up caffeine.
I’m glad I have so much decaf support on WP!
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That bread pudding looks scrumptious, Joey! 🎉
I have had family members who drink 4-5 ☕cups a day and a couple who drink decaf herbal tea or just juice. 🍵 It is good to have a coffee maker for guests like the former and I try to keep good variety of alternatives.
I went off the grid and got behind. Hope you have a safe, but fun, healthy but a teeny bit crazy New Year, Joey +family!
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Thanks for stopping by, Robin ❤
I started a new job and I'm WAY behind in my visits. Best wishes to you and yours as well! xo
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Well, so glad you have a new job, hope you like it, Joey. Life is more important than blogging and friends pick up whenever and wherever they can. ❤ Randy is doing much better. He was still overwhelmed at Christmas.
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Oh I bet! Whole lotta love and history he walked into 🙂
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Admitted coffee snob, but I drink decaf after 3 PM, lest my party go till 3 AM. Went years without caffeine, but rediscovered that it gave me energy and stamina. Now, it is part of who I am.
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Well good! I hope the same thing happens to me, I hate having to fuss over it, I really do.
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Is it just coffee? I don’t get jittery with tea.
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It isn’t just coffee, but the levels of caffeine vary considerably. Green and black tea have about the same amount of caffeine as a can of soda. Coffee has 3-4x that. Espresso has about 10x what’s in soda. Even decaf has a bit of caf, but it’s no more than a chocolate bar.
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I’m glad I am soda free. I haven’t had any for a long time, like years. Weird. I didn’t purposely stop just spend money elsewhere. So its the large amount of caffeine at once. At least in this theory. I’ve read so many on this topic I finally gave up. If I feel better with it and there are not bad results, its for me!
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I go by the chart at the Mayo Clinic. (It’s online, but my therapist gave me that chart a long time ago.)
I was sad tonight, cause we went to our Mexican place, and I had to drive home, (no margarita) and I have to sleep well (no soda) — So I had water, and it was cold and my tummy hurt and I got a brain freeze! lol
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That IS sad! I think you are owed a better trip to the Mexican place! I’m sure the food was worth it!
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It really was. Rice and tortillas and quesoeverything.
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The trick is to find good decaf. A lot of the stuff out there is awful and people think that it’s all horrible. I love my caffeine but I’ve found times when decaf was necessary and I didn’t die…to my knowledge. 😉
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TRUE! I proclaim you write the truth! It does matter, it’s true. I like a good strong decaf 🙂 If you have died of decaf, might I say, you look magnificent! 😛
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Which decaf do you prefer? I’m always open to a little coffee experimentation.
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Love Starbucks — decaf Christmas Blend, decaf Sumatra, Verona…
But also, like Gevalia’s yellow, forget which name, and Caribou has a robust decaf I like. I think those are tops. What do you like?
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I’m a Starbucks Sumatra girl, mainly caf, but decaf when necessary. Only recently did I realize that Starbucks makes decaf bearable. If I only drank decaf it would be fine. Sumatra is my go-to origin of choice for either. I just this week discovered Caribou Mahogany in caf. I have to see if decaf is available, but that is one nice blend. I hate the idea that decaf is sometimes necessary, but here it is, 3AM and I’m just thinking about bed. Yeah, I should probably expand my decaf repertoire. 😉
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I’ve tried so hard with the coffee, but meh, and I guess that’s just as well with all the caffeine. No one needs a hyped up E.
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