Coffee - Understand What Caffeine Does

Summary: I'm no different from any other American; I love a good coffee after I wake up. In fact, I adore coffee bubbling in my coffee maker through out the day and sometimes I also crave the flavour even after having had dinner. Unfortunately, dependent on your body, your reaction to the caffeine will vary. This can mean the difference between a cup of coffee at night or a sleepless night of tossing and turning. I personally cannot drink coffee before bedtime because I am sensiti...

I'm no different from any other American; I love a good coffee after I wake up. In fact, I adore coffee bubbling in my coffee maker through out the day and sometimes I also crave the flavour even after having had dinner. Unfortunately, dependent on your body, your reaction to the caffeine will vary. This can mean the difference between a cup of coffee at night or a sleepless night of tossing and turning. I personally cannot drink coffee before bedtime because I am sensitive to the affects of caffeine. I can't even drink pop before bedtime or I will pay for it at night. This one of the main reasons why I keep a supply of decaf in my kitchen. If I do need that quick taste, I can brew some coffee without suffering the intolerable insomnia associated with caffeine. My other backup for those times when I have run out of decaf and I crave a quick coffee at night is Dunkin Donuts. They brew a decaf that has all the flavour of the regular brew, but without the concentrated caffeine levels that will wire up my nerves. I've even wandered out to get the iced variety when it has been too hot for my normal drink, and because I just have to have that delicious flavour running over my tongue. Coffee beans have the natural molecule called caffeine built in. I am not very familiar with the process for its removal though. I picture a huge contraption resembling a sieve that uses a filtration system to remove the caffeine from the boiling beans' water. I suppose this is more fantasy than reality because you can get whole grinds and beans from stores. I strongly imagine that the process involves the entire bean and not just the water. However, it is my best bet for coffee lovers like myself who have to avoid that dreaded caffeine. I do worry that with the flavours of regular and decaf coffee being so much alike that the coffee-houses may give me regular accidentally. I avoid this concern by keeping a constant supply of decaf in my kitchen. Making mistakes is only human, right? I am also concerned that my Starbucks barista may give me decaf instead of my morning regular. Without that morning boost of caffeine, I have forked out $4, only to continue to doze the day away. Whatever the case I do adore coffee. Don't you?