Caffeine

Coffee tip#1:

Did you know that there is more caffeine in lighter roasts than in dark roasts? The roasting process burns away the caffeine in the coffee bean. While it might seem that the stronger taste indicates a stronger coffee, what you are tasting is just burnt oil.

Espresso beans, which are just regular beans that have been roasted darker to remove unwanted acidity in the taste profile, do not contain more caffeine than regular beans.

A 7 oz cup of drip coffee contains about 115mg of caffeine whereas a shot of espresso will contain 100mg. However, some espresso blends have a small amount of robusta beans. These beans have a higher caffeine content and might increase the dosage a bit. By the way, never get a cup of 100% robusta. That varietal is awfully bitter, almost undrinkable.

In the end, if you’re going to stay up all night programming, you’ll be better off drinking a light roasted cup of coffee then a darker one, or even espresso! What’s more, light roasts taste so much better. I purchased a small home roaster a year ago and have been roasting my own beans. In the morning, my cup of coffee leaves me licking my sticky lips, craving more. Yes, my lips get a bit sticky because of the very flavorful oils in the coffee beans that you don’t get from store bought beans. The oils disappears about a week or two after the roasting process.