Caffeine in coffee varies wildly!
There's a lot of talk about caffeine levels in coffee at the moment. We've been banging on about this for almost 8 years now, and it's great to finally see the media picking it up!
Yes - caffeine in coffee varies wildly!
Why does the caffeine level vary so much in coffee?
Loads of variables impact the caffeine level in coffee - everything from the brew method to the species of bean (Robusta, Arabica or a blend) to the altitude and even the rainfall on that particular crop. We're talking about a natural product after all, so there is a lot of intrinsic variation.
There was a BBC study a few years ago of high street coffee shops which found a crazy variation from 50mg to 700mg per cup - and if you add another espresso shot because you're feeling extra tired that morning, then you can easily be drinking 600mg caffeine in one coffee without realising.
That explains why you can feel so different after drinking one cup of coffee versus another; sometimes you may feel jittery, other times you may not have much of any feeling at all!
You wouldn’t be happy with such a massive variation with alcohol. Imagine buying a bottle of wine and not knowing whether it was 4% or 40%!
This variation is why we created TrueStart - to have a clean, reliably caffeinated coffee that makes you feel great every time. It was the first coffee in the world with a regulated, stable level of caffeine, because we couldn’t believe that the norm was so varied and unpredictable.
So how much caffeine should we be drinking?
300mg of caffeine per day is the safe limit suggested by most health organisations around the world, which is 4 cups of TrueStart Barista Grade Instant Coffee. This suggested limit drops to 200mg if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.
Caffeinated coffee is not bad for you though, the opposite is true.
There’s a lot of research that has proven the health benefits - including reduced risk of chronic heart diseases, having even Alzheimers and Parkinson’s disease. A Nurses' Health Study, associated drinking 4 or more cups of coffee each day was with a 20% lower risk of stroke compared with non-drinkers.
Coffee is also a dense source of antioxidants and contains soluble fibre, which is important for your gut health.
Coffee can become bad for you when you drink it with loads of milk and sugar, which is common in high street coffee shops. Drinking clean, reliably caffeinated coffee has health benefits.
When in the day should we stop drinking caffeine?
The important question here is when it starts affecting your sleep.
We do not all metabolise caffeine at the same rate - there is actually a gene (called CYP1A2), which dictates whether you’re either a slow metaboliser of caffeine or a fast one.
I am a fast metaboliser, so I feel the effects of caffeine quickly then they disappear quickly. If you feel post-caffeine jitters for hours after one cup of coffee, you’re probably a slow metaboliser.
The key is knowing your own brain and body - how do you feel physically, mentally, emotionally after you drink coffee and a few hours after.
Some experts recommend switching to decaf at 2 or 3 pm as caffeine has a half life of about 4 to 6 hours, but the key is getting to know your own brain and body.
If you know how much caffeine is in your coffee, like with TrueStart, you can regulate your intake and know you’re going to feel great every time.
Drink the amount of coffee that you can rely on, and feels right for you.
