Free, and Then Some

Free, and Then Some

What’s the difference between decaf and caffeine-free?

Simple: one contains caffeine and one is well caffeine-free.

No surprise there, unless you’re among the many people under the mistaken impression that decaf = nocaf. And you’ll never guess the name of the “coffeehouse” that Consumer Reports found to be the most consistent in delivering very low levels of caf in their decaf.

Wake up and smell the caffeine

I have a problem with caffeine: I like it, but it doesn’t like me. I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say I have an adverse reaction to even a mild caffeine jolt. And if you ask the other people in our offices, I’m not the only one who suffers when I drink it.

But I do love a good cuppa joe. And I was under the impression that decaf was about 97% caffeine free. So every now and then I indulge in a cup of decaf from my local Starbucks, confident I’m only getting a trace of caffeine.

Little did I know I was flirting with disaster.

Consumer Reports (CR) recently sent out a team of secret shoppers to purchase small cups of coffee (10-12 ounces) at six coffee emporiums: Starbucks, Duncan Donuts, Seattle’s Best, 7-11, McDonald’s, and Burger King. The different javas were analyzed in the CR lab, producing these results (which appear in the Oct. 2007 issue):

• More than half of the decafs contained less than 5 milligrams of caffeine (the typical small cup of coffee contains about 100 mgs of caffeine, compared to about 30 mgs in a can of Coke)
  
• The highest level of caffeine in a small decaf was found in one of the Duncan Donuts samples: 32 mgs!
  
• One of the Seattle’s Best samples came in second with 29 mgs, followed by a Starbucks sample, weighing in at just over 20 mgs
  
• The samples that were consistently lowest in caffeine came from McDonald’s – each sample contained less than 5 mgs

Here’s the result I found most surprising: Caffeine levels varied wildly in both decaf AND caffeinated samples. In the non-decaf coffees examined by the CR team, caffeine levels ranged from 58 mgs to 281 mgs!

Any 12-ounce cup of coffee that contains more than 200 mgs of caffeine pretty much qualifies as rocket fuel.

The new “typical”

When it comes to caffeine surprises, Consumer Reports doesn’t stop there.

Back in 2003, CR ran a feature titled “Test Your Caffeine IQ.” I’ll dispense with the test and get right to the stimulating stats:

A 1.4-ounce bar of dark chocolate contains nearly 30 mgs of caffeine

The same amount of milk chocolate may contain as much as 10 mgs

Dannon coffee flavored yogurt (6-ounce) contains about the same amount of caffeine as a 12-ounce can of Coke

Decaf coffee typically contains 2-4 mg of caffeine per 8-ounce serving

Obviously, that last stat was just a tad off the mark – updated by the current CR caffeine report.

The 2003 quiz also noted that some bottled waters contain caffeine – the ones enhanced with vitamins, herbs, and other “energy” components. But you’d never know that by reading bottled water nutrition panels because the FDA doesn’t require any products to list caffeine content. So what’s a consumer to do? You can visit energyfiend.com

In the e-Alert “Clear and Present Danger” (1/9/07), I told you about “The Limits” – an Energy Fiend feature that helps you calculate how much coffee it might take to actually kill you – good information if you’re ever locked up overnight in a Starbucks. But in addition to the dark humor, Energy Fiend provides databases that list caffeine levels in food and beverages and the sugar content in more than 200 beverages.

But if “decaf” isn’t in your vocabulary and you can’t get through the day without loading up on caffeine by the bucketful, then Energy Fiend will quickly direct you to such super- caffeinated beverages as Wired X344, with 344 mgs of caffeine per 16 ounces. Safety helmet not included.

Whether you qualify as a true Energy Fiend or a Devoted Decaffeinator, you’ll be interested in this one last detail from the CR editors: A caffeine intake of just 100 mg per day can result in withdrawal symptoms (headache, sluggishness) when you don’t get your accustomed amount.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but see you at McDonald’s!

Sources:
“Is it Really Decaf?” Consumer Reports, October 2007
“Test Your Caffeine IQ” Consumer Reports, July 2003