caffeine

“But first, coffee” – does this describe your mornings? For most people, coffee is an integral part of our morning routine. However, if a high dependency on caffeine is affecting your daily activities, it is a sign that it’s time to look for a solution.

Whether it’s for health reasons or simply a desire for a gentler caffeine experience, here’s how to continue enjoying your daily brew while reducing any unwanted side effects.

Change Your Brewing Method

As coffee lovers, we love a caffeine kick to get the day started. But we don’t want to end up with a queasy stomach or having to deal with heart palpitations from an overly-caffeinated cup of coffee…or drift off to sleep in the middle of a meeting because we’re under-caffeinated.

Not sure what it takes to get that perfect amount of caffeine? Here are factors that influence the caffeine levels in your coffee.

Type of Coffee Bean

For most of us, coffee is fundamental to starting the day on a good note. Some prefer it with a strong caffeine kick, whereas others prefer a milder, decaffeinated version.

We already know how various elements such as grind size and the coffee’s roasting date can affect the flavour and perceived “strength” of a coffee. In this article, we explore how different types of brewing methods affect caffeine extraction.

The Science Behind It

First things first, what is caffeine and how is it produced? Caffeine is a natural stimulant that is most commonly found in coffee beans, tea leaves, and cocoa plants. These plants produce caffeine as a natural pesticide – that is why coffee beans that are grown in higher altitudes have lower caffeine content.

• Read more: Factors that Influence Caffeine Levels in Coffee

The roasting process doesn’t affect a bean’s caffeine content; however, its density decreases as it is being roasted. Beans that are roasted longer are less dense and lighter in mass. This means for the same weight of coffee grounds, more coffee grounds are used for dark roasts than light roasts. This is why dark roasts tend to taste richer and toastier.

• Read more: From Dark to Light: The Serious Coffee Lovers’ Guide to Coffee Roasts

French Press – 80 to 100 milligrams