What coffee is the best? In our opinion: the one that "puts on the legs", tastes good and is in the amount that we can drink during a 10-15 minute break at work. In addition, it would be nice if it was not complicated to prepare. Despite many alternative methods of making coffee (aeropress, drip, siphon, etc.), which have recently appeared in the coffee industry, it turns out that the methods from 600 years ago are still one of the most effective in achieving our dream of simple, stimulating and tasty coffee.
Why is the world crazy about coffee?
We have been fighting fatigue for centuries. We want to reach further and faster. We are looking for ways to cross our own borders. It's hard to find more natural and safe and safe stimulant, than coffee. In addition, the coffee beans have the most aromatic substances from all food products in the world. Thanks to the richness of aromas and flavors, coffee can be prepared in thousands of ways.
How our entry about coffee was made
We love coffee. In every form. Knowing the "depth: of the coffee theme", we would like to point out that the following entry has been developed for one purpose: share the knowledge that coffee has the best stimulant action in one serving, depending on how you cook it, and how this stimulation is felt or why you stopped feeling it. This is a certain simplification of the whole complex subject (more information on the complexity can be found below). If you are interested in a deeper knowledge of coffee, we refer to great blogs devoted only to this subject, which, fortunately, do not lack on the Polish Internet. We bow our forehead in true admiration for all the fascinates of coffee.
Let's start with three myths
First of all: coffee is not just caffeine. There are several hundred substances in coffee that affect our body in different ways. Only about 3% of these substances are caffeine. In coffee we can also find polyphenols, serotonin precursors, antioxidants, and B group vitamins.
Of the more interesting substances, we can mention the trigonella alkaloid, which has a dual effect on our body. First of all: it increases our sensitivity to insulin, and second: it decomposes to nicotinic acidthat frees us from feeling tired and improves concentration because it affects our nervous system.
The word "little black" is a good combo of different stimulants, not just caffeine.
Second: espresso is not the richest caffeine type of coffee brewing at all. This myth probably came from the intensity of the taste in a fairly small amount of infusion. For example: an espresso at a gas station usually has as much caffeine as a can of Coca-Cola (32 mg in a whole can).
Thirdly: most combinations that can be found on the Internet, shows the content of milligrams of caffeine per 1 liter of infusion. And as the classic wrote:
“Not bad thing, but is there any practical application? "As the young Cerro said to King Vridank on their first tryst.
Andrzej Sapkowski from the book "Pani Jeziora"
Te porównania są z pewnością bardzo naukowe ale do życia ma to się nijak. Pokażcie mi zdrowego człowieka, który wypije litr espresso 🙂 . Dlatego pora obalić mit stężenia kofeiny w jednym litrze a zastosować miarę bardziej życiową: mini filiżaneczki (ok. 35 ml), średnie kubki (ok. 300 ml), duże kubki (ok 500 ml).
Although coffee is not only caffeine, for the sake of simplifying the picture, we assumed that caffeine will be the substance on which we will focus in the comparison below.
How much caffeine we need to feel its effect
To zależy ile ważymy 🙂 .
Most of us know that everyone has a different tolerance for caffeine. There is some truth in it. It depends on our metabolism and overall health. However, it should be assumed that the perception of the effects of caffeine will certainly It starts from 3 milligrams per kilogram of body mass. At 6 milligrams, per kilogram of body weight, we begin to feel excessive stimulation.
The lethal dose is about 150 milligrams, per kilogram of body weight. A man brewing 50 kg would have to drink about 4 liters of espresso (at 65 mg of caffeine per 35 ml and assuming that all caffeine was absorbed). Death usually occurs as a result of the flutter of the heart chambers. Caffeine overdose is treated primarily symptomatically.
Unfortunately, the body "Gets used to" caffeine stimulation. After some time, the current portion of coffee will be too small to feel the "tap" of extra energy. We will start to reach for larger portions of coffee, we will add energy drinks and tobacco, and we have a small problem. It all stops working. Why?
First of all: the psyche. The same level of stimulation is not enough for us. With regular stimulation, the psyche sets itself a "new base level" from which we look for reflection. And so begins the creation of a destructive habit, being constantly on "rocket fuel." About the mechanism creating habits you can read here.
Second: increasing weight. Continuous stimulation, additional carbohydrates (mainly sugar - in one energy drink is as many as 5 teaspoons of sugar) causing the formation of inflammatory microstates, makes our body feel threatened. He begins to save energy to "fight" or "run away". In addition, there is a natural slowdown in metabolism, which we experience with age and our weight is slowly growing. The greater our own weight, the more caffeine we have to deliver in one dose of coffee, to feel its effect (see the infographic below).
Third: adenosine. When our cells are tired they produce adenosine. Adenosine provides information about fatigue to the brain. Adenosine receptors await her in the brain. If adenosine reaches the brain and connects with its receptor, the body gets information about the need to stop producing "boosters" such as dopamine. Caffeine, having a structure similar to adenosine, connects to its receptors in the brain, creating effective competition for real adenosine. The brain has blocked receptors but it does not get information about fatigue, so it does not inhibit the production of "boosters". In addition, caffeine expands the blood vessels, increasing our physical capacity and accelerating the "production of glucose", which is a natural fuel for our brain.
Because by supplying caffeine, our body does not slow down, our cells start to produce even more adenosine, and the brain produces more receptors. Therefore, over time, we need to provide more and more caffeine so as not to feel tired.
Na szczęście, po paru dniach od odstawienia kofeiny, wszystko wraca do normy i możemy zacząć od nowa, proces forsowania naszego organizmu 😉 .
How long does the "little black" work?
Caffeine is absorbed mainly in the small intestine and then from the blood in the liver. The absorption process lasts from 15 to 45 minutes. Half-life (ie lowering the absorbed dose to half) lasts up to 4 hours in adults. For women who are taking contraceptives and are pregnant, the half-life lasts up to 9 hours and for children up to 30 hours.
ATTENTION: due to the very poor metabolization of caffeine by children, its administration in any form: energy water, energy drinks or even weak coffee, it should not take place! According to the centile grid, an 8-year-old boy should weigh about 22 kg. If he drinks an energy drink, eg in the morning and in the afternoon, in the evening he will have a limit value of caffeine in his body (about 6mg / kg). Drinking the next energy in the morning has two more in the blood (remember about 30 h half-life). A simple recipe for a disaster.
An adult drinking coffee at 7 am receives about 170 mg of caffeine. Drinking the next coffee at work, say 10, has about 80 mg of caffeine and provides an additional 170 mg. Together, it gives you 250 mg of caffeine. At 50 kg, it has about 5 mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight.
That's why coffee at work is more stimulating than the morning one (additionally there is a natural increase in testosterone secretion - in men between 10 and 12 hours, which is a completely natural mechanism that evolution has given us, - in women, testosterone secretion is greatest in the early hours injured and depends on the phase of the monthly cycle).
"Coffee likes smoke" - just because it does not like
Perhaps when it comes to taste sensations, coffee and smoke go hand in hand. Unfortunately, when it comes to interacting with each other in terms of stimulation, smoke (tobacco) shortens the half-life of caffeine in adults by 50-80% of the time. Czyli pijąc kawę i paląc tytoń po około 2 h nie czujemy skutków stymulacji kofeinowej i sięgamy po następną porcję kawy 🙁
W skrajnej sytuacji kawa + tytoń = relaks 🙂 bez pobudzenia.
Basics - or how caffeine gets into the infusion
Za transport kofeiny do naparu odpowiedzialna jest woda, dwutlenek węgla i tłuszcz zawarty we wnętrzu ziaren. Najprościej ujmując: im dłuższy kontakt gorącej wody z ziarnami, tym więcej tłuszczu i kofeiny można wydobyć. I to prawie cała tajemnica 😉 .
Properly brewed coffee is a resultant of time, pressure and temperature of water and the selection of grains, the degree of their grinding to the type of infusion brewed. If the extraction time is too short, it will be under extraction - we will have the infusion with the least caffeine, but no taste (usually sour) because fats and sugars contained in coffee will not be able to dissolve and "penetrate" into the infusion. With too long extraction, for example, too long contact of water with ground grains (eg Polish sponge) will reach over extraction - caffeine will "close" in tea leaves and not "penetrate" to the brew, and the taste of such coffee will be bitter.
Which coffee has the most caffeine
The amount of caffeine in the brew will be influenced by: the type of coffee beans, the intensity of grain burnout, the amount of coffee from which we will brew, and the method of preparing coffee, which is related to the degree of grinding grains.
Approximate amounts of caffeine in one serving of coffee
How to correctly measure the amount of caffeine in coffee. Unfortunately, there is no easy way. To determine the amount of caffeine in the infusion, we must reach for laboratory equipment in the form gas chromatograph. Powyższe zestawienie, jest zestawieniem orientacyjnym, stworzonym na podstawie badań wykonanych przez znajomą panią chemik, która miała dostęp do chromatografu gazowego 🙂 . Kasiu jeszcze raz dziękujemy! Kawa została przyrządzona przy zachowaniu największej staranności i wszystkich prawideł parzenia danego rodzaju kawy, jednak zawodowymi baristami nie jesteśmy, więc mogliśmy popełnić drobne błędy. Przekonani jednak jesteśmy, że sama zasada: “rodzaj sposobu przyrządzania kawy ma wpływ na jej moc”, nie została zachwiana.
Because we write about coffee that we can meet on a daily basis, we chose coffee from the premium segment for tests, not speciality (coffee specialties are much less available, and their price can make you dizzy), where it is easier to repeat the quality of grains.
Tested grains differed in the intensity of grinding (Turkish coffee - powder, overflow, drippy, etc. - thicker grinding, espresso - finely ground).
The above list is to approximate the "power" we can expect, reaching for one portion of coffee, depending on how it was made.
First of all: coffee beans
Despite the fact that the coffee family (rubiacae) is a family rich in species, two of them are used: Arabica and Robusta.
arabica is a 3-5 m long tree. It is cultivated in mountainous areas between 800 and 2,000 meters above sea level, which affects the richness of its varieties and aromas. It contains from 1% to 1.5% of caffeine. It is characterized by a mild sour taste.
Robusta is a 7-15 meter tall tree. It is grown in areas between 200 and 800 m above sea level It contains from 2% to 2.5% of caffeine. It is characterized by a sharp, bitter taste.
70% of the world coffee market is a variety of arabica. Although it dominates, it is a variant more expensive than robusta.
The amount of caffeine in grains of particular species may also vary depending on weather conditions, harvest time, etc.
The process of burning coffee
The general rule is: "the harder the coffee is burnt, the lower the concentration of caffeine in it". This is due to two reasons. During the firing, water is evaporated (from 13% to 1%). Along with the evaporated water, "caffeine" escapes from it. In addition, during the firing occurs carbon dioxide, which penetrates the coffee "takes with you" caffeine (to be accurate, it is over the active form of carbon dioxide).
The process of burning coffee has a huge impact on the release of aromatic substances from it. Coffee has the most substances of all food products in the world. Hence, among other things, the "magic of coffee" and the taste and smell sensation during her drinking.
Coffee making process
Najważniejszy z ważnych 🙂 choć występuje na samym końcu drogi. Trudno przecenić znaczenie tego procesu dla ilości kofeiny i smaku naparu.
We get the most caffeine by boiling coffee. Speaking of "Turkish coffee", it is worth noting that it is not about the "Polish sponge", often called coffee served in Turkish. We are talking about coffee, which is not boiled only three times "lifts" in crucibles during heating and then poured into cups. The degree of grinding coffee beans should resemble powdered sugar, then we get the best results.
Coffee from aeropress and frenchpress also requires a brewing process. After this process, using a plunger, the infusion is forced through a special filter (aeropress) or sieve (frenchpress), which separates the infusion from the dregs, and increases the pressure (aeropress) during extraction of the infusion.
Coffee from overflow is the most popular type of coffee brewing in Poland (from coffee machines to coffee machines with a paper filter). The relatively long contact time of hot water and the right pressure cause that the infusion of this method has a lot of caffeine.
Coffee with dippa. The method of brewing coffee, which guarantees a sufficiently long contact of hot water with coffee beans. However, more pressure is needed for a higher extraction of caffeine, so drippa infusion will be very aromatic (rather mild) but moderately strong when it comes to the amount of caffeine.
Coffee from the coke oven. It is characterized by good water pressure (about 15 bar), but there is no long contact of water (from a dozen seconds to a half minute) with coffee beans. We obtain an aromatic infusion but with an average caffeine content.
Automatic machines. Unfortunately, very short (about 10 seconds) contact time of water with grains. We get an infusion with an acceptable taste (due to the right pressure), but caffeine will be little in it. For example, the amount of caffeine in espresso from a coffeepot machine will be 65 mg per 35 ml of brew (mini cup) and the same amount of coffee in an automatic machine will get 30 mg of caffeine in 35 ml of beverage.
If the coffee does not work
Often looking for an additional "tap" of energy, we start looking for coffee substitutes. Following this lead, we find the first order energy drinks and Yerba Mate.
Energy drinks, in addition to caffeine, usually contain additional substances that have a stimulating effect on our body or cause such sensations. The main additives in addition to caffeine are high amounts of glucose and taurine.
"Magic" taurine
Taurine is synthesized naturally by our bodies from meat. The largest amounts of it can be found in turkey meat. The effect of taurine on our body is to improve the functioning of the nervous system responsible for muscular coordination.
You can find reports that too high a concentration of taurine in the human body can affect the micro-infants in the brain. However, these reports are not confirmed in clinical trials.
Taurine supplementation is recommended for people who avoid meat in their diet, which is still niche in Poland, although this year more than 63% of the Polish community declared limiting the consumption of meat in their daily diet.
There is also a very narrow group of people who do not synthesize taurine correctly.
Proposal: most of us I do not need extra taurine. Its excess is excreted through the kidneys. The effects of taurine overdose are not yet sufficiently well understood, although it is assumed that they do not have too much significance for the human body.
On the Polish market, virtually every energy drink has taurine in it. However, there is one glorious exception. Our native Herbapol is a producer of Green-Up energy drink. In its composition there is no taurine and there is quite a large dose of caffeine.
How much caffeine in energetics?
On average, for 100 ml of energy, we find 32 mg of caffeine. It's easy to count: in a 250 ml box we have 80 mg of caffeine. To replace the strongest boiled coffee (350 mg of caffeine per 220 ml) we need to drink 2 liters of energy drink.
How much caffeine in Yerba Mate?
The caffeine content in Yerba Mate is classified only slightly above energy drinks, and below the coffee from overflow (360 mg per liter - in the case of yerba it is worth talking about 1 liter - we often drink 2 liters a day). However, the operation of Yerba Mate depends on the complexity of the xanthines in its composition. You can read about it in our other entry: Yerba for beginners.
Conclusions
Kawy nie da się zastąpić 🙂 w łatwy sposób. If it stopped working, you need a few days detox. Only in this way will we reset the number of adenosine receptors in our brain.
Of course, supplementation of caffeine in tablets, and other more or less legal "accelerators" in Poland, will probably give us extra energy, but it will still be "borrowing happiness and energy from tomorrow". We will have to take a break or "drive our engine" with rocket fuel.
Coffee nap or power nap or energy naps
Is it worth drinking coffee before a nap? Of course! Coffee before a 20-minute nap, is more effective than a 20-minute nap and then coffee. Why? Because our brain naturally "cleans" the adenosine receptors during sleep. In the cleared receptors, immediately caffeine jumps in and does not allow adenosine molecules to inform the brain of fatigue. A bit on a "first come first served" basis. The effectiveness of this mechanism was confirmed experimentally in 1997 (Reyner & Horne).
The most important in the application of energy naps is shorten the time between drinking coffee and going to bed to a minimum. Czyli najlepsze będzie espresso lub kawa mrożona. Wypijamy i natychmiast się kładziemy 🙂 .
At the end
Dziękujemy za dotarcie, aż tutaj 🙂 . Powodzenia w testowaniu najmocniejszych sposobów przyrządzania kawy.
We should also remember that coffee is not the only source of caffeine with which we meet in our lives. Many painkillers and anti-inflammatories contain caffeine in its composition. For example: the very popular Gripex, has 50 mg of caffeine in one tablet.
It is always worth paying attention to the maximum daily dose of caffeine we take.
