Download Caffeine Test Talking Points

Caffeine Test Talking Points
Caffeine
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Caffeine is a natural ingredient of coffee and tea, and is added to
other beverages, such as soft drinks
Caffeine is a member of the alkaloid family; coffee contains other
alkaloids, including xanthine and theophylline
Caffeine is the world’s most consumed drug
It is estimated that more than 100 million Americans drink a total
of 350 million cups of coffee a day
Different coffees contain varying levels of caffeine depending on
their botanical variety. Robusta coffee is grown at a lower
elevation, and has more caffeine than arabica coffee which is
grown at higher elevations
Coffee beans generally contain more caffeine than tea leaves
Herbal teas are non-caffeinated because they are made from
plants that do not contain caffeine
Caffeine concentrations in coffee and tea depend on the caffeine
content of beans/leaves, brewing time, amount of beans/leaves
used per serving
Non-decaf drip coffee averages 75-150 mg caffeine per 6 oz
serving (American Beverage Association website)
Some coffee can have as much as 500 mg caffeine per serving
Decaf coffee always contains some caffeine – the average is 6-10
mg per 6 oz serving
Strong tea can have >80 mg caffeine per 8 oz cup; weaker tea
has less caffeine than stronger tea; average for brewed tea is 2090 mg / 8 oz
Health effects
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Effects of caffeine include agitation, insomnia, increased heart
rate, anxiety, and other unwanted symptoms
Consumers advised to be careful about caffeine include those
with sleep problems, pregnant women, diabetics, persons taking
certain medications, and others under medical advice to avoid or
limit caffeine
Many people avoid drinking caffeinated beverages to help prevent
insomnia, especially after 3 pm
Some people are sensitive to relatively small doses of caffeine –
less than 15 mg
People drink decaffeinated beverages to avoid the unwanted
symptoms of caffeine
To avoid symptoms, people need to limit the total amount (total
mg) of caffeine that they consume
Decaffeinated coffee
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Decaf coffee drinkers consume 17.7 % of annual coffee sales
Studies have shown that up to 30% of coffees ordered as “decaf’
had high levels of caffeine
Coffee beans and tea leaves can be decaffeinated by several
chemical processing methods that remove caffeine
Levels of caffeine cannot be identified by the taste of the coffee
The standard for decaffeinated coffee beans is the removal of
>97% of the caffeine in the beans
There is no accepted standard for maximum level of caffeine in
decaffeinated coffee or tea
Independent labs often get different results than beverage
producer label claims
Generally, decaf coffee has 6-10 mg caffeine per 6 oz serving
SLRC considers beverages with more than 20 mg caffeine per 6
oz to be NON-DECAFFEINATED (Not Decaf)