How to Quit Caffeine or Reduce your Caffeine Intake

How much caffeine are you getting?

I was surprised to learn how much caffeine I was getting every day.  I was drinking two 16 ounce cups of strong coffee brewed from fresh ground coffee beans.  From this caffeine table, I learned I was getting about 400 milligrams (mg) per cup, a total of 800 mg of caffeine every morning.  That is a lot of caffeine!  For reference, a Five Hour Energy has 200 mg of caffeine and a 20 oz Mountain Dew has 90 mg of caffeine.

Should you quit caffeine or reduce caffeine consumption?
Image by Icey, ClockworkSoul- Public Domain

As they say, caffeine is slightly habit forming.  I didn't feel right if I didn't get my 2 big cups of coffee promptly each morning.  I decided to reduce my caffeine intake to a more manageable level.

How much caffeine is too much?

Caffeine affects individuals in different ways- some people metabolize caffeine more rapidly and can tolerate higher levels of caffeine better.  For me, I would say 800 milligrams a day was too much.  One issue was the logistics of getting that much caffeine.  I would brew and carry two cups of coffee with me.  Sometimes I would need to stop to use a restroom on drive to work.  When travelling it was sometimes not possible to get that much coffee before the day started.  Once when visiting my brother, who is not a coffee drinker, I was climbing the walls until he took me to Einstein Brothers for a couple cups of coffee.  He was pretty amused by how badly I wanted some coffee.

Health effects of caffeine is a complex issue.  From what I understand, your blood pressure does increase for a short time, for example one week, when you first start taking in caffeine- but then your blood pressure stabilizes and is no longer elevated after that.  I have also seen reports that drinking a small amount of coffee every day makes your blood vessels more flexible and actually reduces blood pressure.  But please check out health effects of caffeine for yourself- I am not a doctor.  Well, actually I am a doctor, but not that kind.

Another health effect of caffeine is sleep disruption.  This was not really a problem for me since all of my caffeine consumption was in the morning.  The half life of caffeine in the human body is approximately 8 hours, so by evening most of the caffeine from your morning coffee has been metabolized and is not going to keep you awake or disrupt your sleep.  However some people drink coffee in the afternoon, and even at night.  This is almost certain to cause sleep disruption which can have a range of negative health effects.

Caffeine in high doses can cause headaches and jumpiness.  I did experience a caffeine headache from too much caffeine once and it was not pleasant.  You can also get headaches from caffeine withdrawal- if you are not able to get your morning coffee, you may get a headache and generally feel crummy.  I also experienced this type of headache many times when my caffeine supply was disrupted for various reasons.

Cutting your caffeine intake can save you money.  If you don't "need" several cups of coffee each day, you can certainly reduce your coffee spending.  If you don't require as much caffeine to get through the day, you can choose lower cost or free beverages instead of springing for highly caffeinated coffee which goes for over $2 per cup at coffee shops.

How to reduce caffeine intake and still enjoy great coffee

So, you've decided to cut back on caffeine or even quit caffeine.  How can you reduce your caffeine intake, avoid headaches and withdrawal symptoms, and still enjoy great coffee?  You want to slowly reduce your caffeine intake, avoiding sudden changes.  I tried suddenly cutting my caffeine intake in half and this caused headaches and I felt grumpy and couldn't concentrate.  After going back to my full level of caffeine, I slowly stepped down my caffeine level over a two week period.  I was able to adjust easily to this rate of change.

There are methods to gradually reduce your caffeine intake:
Method 1:  You can just cut back on the amount of coffee grounds you use each day- and cut back on the water by the corresponding amount to gradually reduce your caffeine consumption.

Method 2: Another approach is to mix decaf coffee grounds with your regular coffee grounds, gradually increasing the ratio of decaf to regular.  This method has the advantage that you still get your normal amount of coffee all the time, which can be easier to deal with than having less coffee each day.

There are a number of coffee substitutes such as chickory, carob root, Teccino, Pero, Postum, and others that have little or no caffeine.  These can be mixed with coffee grounds, or used to replace a second cup of regular coffee.  Also hot tea (either black tea or green tea) has much less caffeine than coffee- try to substitute tea for some of your coffees.

Method 3:  Set a strict cut-off time for caffeinated coffee.  For example no coffee (except decaf) after 10am or noon, etc.  This will help you reduce or avoid sleep problems, and can help you lower your overall caffeine intake.

You may find the best approach for you is to use a combination of all of these methods to gradually reduce your caffeine intake.  If you cut caffeine too quickly, you will have withdrawal symptoms and are likely to resume your previous high level of caffeine intake to relieve your symptoms.

My goal was to cut back to a single 16 ounce of regular coffee per day, which I reached after 2 weeks of gradually reducing caffeine intake.  This seems like a manageable and moderate level of caffeine intake, and I focus on making one great cup of regular fully-caffeinated coffee every morning.  After that I switch to decaf coffee, decaf black tea, and green tea.

If you decide to go further in reducing your caffeine intake, how do you completely quit caffeine?

Quit Caffeine

The approach to quit caffeine is the same for reducing caffeine intake- keep reducing your caffeine intake gradually each day.  If you want to quit caffeine, you'll need to keep going until you are drinking only decaf or coffee substitutes.  To really quit caffeine completely, you'll need to watch out for caffeine from sources other than coffee such as soda, tea, and chocolate.

I think enjoying coffee in moderation is good for you.  As with most things, too much of even a good thing can have consequences.  It is worth considering how much caffeine is the maximum you want each day, allowing you to enjoy some coffee without negative consequences of too much caffeine.

Copyright © 2013 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

Coffee Terms and Definitions: What is a Latte?

Coffee Terms and Definitions

Coffee terms can be confusing- many are based on foreign words, and many people use coffee terms incorrectly, adding to confusion.  This article provides definitions of common coffee terms with pictures.

Coffee Drink Names and Definitions- What is a Latte?

Latte- Equal parts espresso and steamed milk

Latte- espresso and steamed milk
Image courtesy of cyclonebill CC-SA-20

Cafe au lait- Strong drip brewed or French press coffee with steamed milk added.  This differs from a Latte since espresso is not used as the coffee base.

Cappuccino- Equal parts espresso and steamed milk, topped with frothed milk foam.  May contain chocolate and other sweet flavorings

Cappuccino with leaf pattern in the froth
Image courtesy of  Sven Lindner

Frappe- Iced coffee drink with mocha or caramel, popular at McDonalds McCafe

Espresso- Strong coffee prepared using high brewing and temperature.  Espresso is used to make coffee drinks including latte and cappuccino

Steamed Milk- Milked that has been heated and increased in volume, but not frothed

Frothed Milk- Milk that has been heated and frothed with a steam wand on an espresso machine to make it foamy

Decaf- Decafinated coffee- at least 97.5% of the original amount of caffeine has been removed.

Cafe Americano- Coffee made by adding shots of espresso to hot water

Macchiato- Espresso topped with steamed milk.  You can order a macchiato topped with flavored syrup, for example a caramel macchiato

Frappuccino- Starbucks iced coffee drink- think of this as a coffee milkshake made with coffee and fruit blended with ice

Coffee Ordering Definitions- What does Venti mean?

Whip- Whipped cream added to the top of a coffee drink

Soy- Soy milk, used instead of cow's milk upon request in coffee drinks

Double- Two shots of espresso instead of one in a coffee drink

Mocha- Chocolate flavoring in a coffee drink

Sugar in the Raw- Sugar that is less processed than regular sugar.  It has larger granules and tastes like a cross between regular sugar and brown sugar

Barista- Name of the person at the coffee shop who makes coffee- "barista" applies to both males and females

Venti- The name for a 24 ounce coffee size at Starbucks

Tall- The name for 12 ounce coffee size at Starbucks

Grande- The name for 16 ounce coffee size at Starbucks

Trenta- The name for 31 ounce coffee size at Starbucks, where available

Coffee Brewing Technique Definitions- What is pour over coffee?

Pour Over- Pour over coffee is made by pouring hot water from a kettle over coffee grounds held in a plastic or ceramic cone.  Most coffee shops will make pour over coffee upon request.

Coffee dripper to make pour over coffee
Image source: Dr. Penny Pincher

French Press- French press coffee is made by placing coffee grounds in a glass canister and adding hot water.  A plunger screen is used to press the grounds to the bottom of the canister after steeping for a few minutes, and french press coffee is served.

Espresso- An espresso machine is used to brew coffee at higher temperature and under higher pressure than an auto drip brewer.  Espresso machines may have a steam wand that can be used to make steamed milk or froth for making latte or cappuccino.

Auto Drip- The most common type of coffee maker.  The auto drip coffee maker automatically heats water from its reservoir and slowly drips hot water into a filter basket containing coffee grounds to brew coffee.  The best auto drip coffee makers use cone filters and have thermal carafes.

Cowboy Coffee- Cowboy coffee is made without a coffee maker and without a coffee filter.  Add coffee grounds to hot water in a pan, allow to steep, and then carefully pour off coffee leaving most of the grounds in the bottom of the pan.

Coffee Making Equipment Definitions- What is a cone filter?

Espresso Maker- Specialized coffee maker that uses very hot water and pressure to make a type of coffee called espresso.  This strong coffee is used to make coffee drinks such as Latte or Cappuccino, or espresso may be drunk straight in small servings.

French Press- Glass pot with a metal screen and plunger.  Place coffee grounds in the glass pot, pour in hot water, and let steep for about 3 minutes.  Press the plunger to screen the grounds to the bottom of the pot and serve French Press coffee.

Coffee Dripper- Small plastic or ceramic cone that is placed over a coffee cup.  A cone filter and coffee grounds are placed in the dripper, and how water is poured into the dripper, resulting in brewed coffee.

Vault- Storage canister for coffee beans, may have vent to allow gases from the beans to vent, maximizing freshness.

Auto Drip Coffee Maker- The most common type of coffee maker.  Coffee grounds are placed in a filter basket, and hot water water is slowly dripped into the filter basket, resulting in brewed coffee.

Coffee Filter Basket- This is the plastic bowl in an auto drip coffee maker where the coffee filter and coffee grounds are placed.

Coffee Filter Types- The shape of the coffee filter basket determines what type of coffee filter you need- either Cone Filter or Basket Filter.

Cone Filter- Paper coffee filter shaped like a cone with a point on the bottom

Basket Filter- Paper coffee filter shape that is flat on the bottom, the most common shape for auto drip coffee makers.

Reservoir- The part of an auto drip coffee maker where cold water is placed for brewing coffee.

Coffee Grinder- Used to grind whole coffee beans into ground coffee.  There are 3 major types of coffee grinders: burr grinders, disc grinders, and blade grinders.

Blade coffee grinder- disc and burr grinders produce better coffee
Image source: Dr. Penny Pincher

K-cup- Small plastic cup that contains coffee grounds, used in Keurig single serve coffee brewing machines.  This article shows what is inside a K-cup and how much K-cups cost.

Single Serve Brewer- Coffee makers that use a small container of coffee grounds to conveniently make a single cup of coffee quickly and easily.  Examples include Keurig, Senseo,  and Verisimo coffee brewers.

Coffee Bean and Coffee Roasting Terms- What is city roast?

Fair Trade- Coffee beans purchased from coffee growers in a manner to ensure reasonable profits for the growers.

Single Origin- Describes coffee beans from a single country or region rather than a blend of beans from various locations.

Shade Grown- Coffee beans grown under the rain forest canopy, rather than clear cutting an area to grow coffee trees.

Dark Roast- Coffee beans roasted for longest, reaching a dark color and smokey flavor.  Dark roast coffee has less caffeine than lighter roasts.  Dark roast beans have oil on the surface.

Dark roast coffee beans are dark brown, oily, and smell smokey
Image source: Dr. Penny Pincher

French Roast- Very dark roast coffee, smokey sweet

City Roast- Medium-dark coffee roast, more smokey, sweeter, and more oily than medium roast

Medium Roast- Coffee roasted beyond first crack develops a sweeter flavor and the beans have some oil on the surface after roasting

Light Roast- Coffee beans roasted for shortest time, remaining a light brown color after roasting.  Roasting stops just after first crack.  Light roast coffee is more acidic than darker roasts.

First Crack- When coffee beans are roasted, they reach a temperature that causes the coffee bean to visibly expand and make a cracking sound.  The first time this occurs during roasting is known as "first crack".

Second Crack- When roasting continues beyond first crack, the beans will expand further and make a second cracking sound, known as "second crack"

Copyright © 2013 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal