Caffeine and I – an Affair to Remember

Caffeine and I – an Affair to Remember

I'm not addicted to caffeine. I could stop drinking whenever I want to. I just don't want to.

For as long as I can remember I’ve loved pop. My parents had to keep me to a one-a-day regimen because I really like the stuff. I especially like Coke. Coke is amazing! It goes with everything! You can even add, lime, cherry, vanilla or coconut to spice it up a bit. Or if you really want to spice it up, add some Captain. Once I started drinking alcohol, this became my drink of choice. The best part was that I never got caffeine headaches from drinking pop.

While most people were starting to get into coffee, I added energy drinks. This is partially due to water skiing at 5:00 AM before work on Fridays. The shock of cold water was enough to wake you up in the morning, but it was the energy drink that kept you going through the day. This was early in the Energy Drink days so the pickings were slim. I was partial to Monster because it tastes like Skittles. Red Bull of course is always a good way to go. Now I stick to Java Monster mocha flavored.

Finally one summer in college I had to bite-the-bullet and learn to love coffee. I picked up a summer job working at the local coffee shop – Mugby Junction. It wasn’t until then that I discovered there was more to coffee than Folgers and Starbucks. Mugby Junction made real coffee. All of the coffee was more Fair Trade than Fair Trade Certified coffees. Everything was created by hand instead of by automated machines. All the ingredients were fresh. It was a whole new experience for me and I jumped in head first! There is always something new to try with coffee; a new flavoring, a new method, a new combination, etc. These are my personal favorites which highlights how you can make a drink your very own.
• Small Cappuccino
• Medium Skim Milk Latte with Raw Sugar
• Small Americano with Amaretto and a little cool tap water (never ice)

Unfortunately every fairy tale has a bad guy. My Darth Vader is caffeine withdrawal. Up until this point I never understood why people got headaches from not getting their caffeine. I NEEDED my coffee by noon or there would be hell to pay. I would drink in the morning, I would drink at work and I would even drink late into the night. Luckily I have yet to have a problem falling asleep after taking an espresso shot.

I brought this up at work one day and one of the owners, Carew Halleck, mentioned that although tea has caffeine it isn't as harsh or addictive. So I started drinking the tea that we served at Mugby Junction. This was great! I could start my day with a coffee still, but then switch to tea later in the day and didn't have to worry about a crash. I could even go a few days without any caffeine! It was amazing. I started looking into tea more closely and have discovered that there is so much out there. All I ever knew about was Lipton. I found Fava Tea in Appleton and began my new obsession with loose leaf tea.

I recently read an article in National Geographic which states that when staying hydrated you are not strictly bound to water. University of Connecticut exercise physiologist Douglas Casa says, “The body’s need to keep fluid trumps the small influence caffeine might have on losing fluid.” So when you are thirsty, drink! Click here for article.

As Mugby Junction would say, “Drink to the Lees!”