14 votes

I did caffeine analysis: The unexpected truth about freshly brewed vs instant coffee, and dark vs light roast

10 comments

  1. [9]
    AugustusFerdinand
    Link
    For the TL:DW crowd Espresso 110mg per 36g Pour Over 170mg per 300g Instant (if following instructions) is about half of pour over Darker roast = more caffeine Caffeine increases with brew time....
    For the TL:DW crowd

    Espresso 110mg per 36g
    Pour Over 170mg per 300g
    Instant (if following instructions) is about half of pour over

    Darker roast = more caffeine

    Caffeine increases with brew time.
    Caffeine does not increase with steep time.

    9 votes
    1. [8]
      0x29A
      Link Parent
      This is interesting because, I've always heard things like "contrary to popular belief, lighter roasts contain more caffeine because darker roasting destroys/removes caffeine"

      This is interesting because, I've always heard things like "contrary to popular belief, lighter roasts contain more caffeine because darker roasting destroys/removes caffeine"

      5 votes
      1. [5]
        teaearlgraycold
        Link Parent
        TL:DW - the theory James puts forth is that dark roast coffee has more surface area, so even though there's less caffeine in it what is there gets extracted more easily.

        TL:DW - the theory James puts forth is that dark roast coffee has more surface area, so even though there's less caffeine in it what is there gets extracted more easily.

        6 votes
        1. [4]
          TheRtRevKaiser
          Link Parent
          This is really surprising to me, because (anecdotally) light roast has always seemed much worse for my anxiety and usually makes me more jittery. I wonder if there's something else in light roast...

          This is really surprising to me, because (anecdotally) light roast has always seemed much worse for my anxiety and usually makes me more jittery. I wonder if there's something else in light roast - like higher tannins - that might be causing that, or whether it's all in my head.

          1. [3]
            teaearlgraycold
            (edited )
            Link Parent
            Well it depends if you're measuring coffee by weight, volume, number of beans and if you brew light or dark coffee differently. James said he was comparing by weight by I would assume almost...

            Well it depends if you're measuring coffee by weight, volume, number of beans and if you brew light or dark coffee differently. James said he was comparing by weight by I would assume almost everyone, except the most elite of hipsters, measures by volume.

            3 votes
            1. [2]
              Wulfsta
              Link Parent
              Everyone I know who has a single cup brewer uses a scale, including myself - I don’t think it’s as common as you think it is to measure in volume…

              Everyone I know who has a single cup brewer uses a scale, including myself - I don’t think it’s as common as you think it is to measure in volume…

              2 votes
              1. teaearlgraycold
                Link Parent
                Really? Well I guess I'm the weird one then. It seems much more natural to just get a feel for how much coffee you want and what that looks like in a vessel.

                Really? Well I guess I'm the weird one then. It seems much more natural to just get a feel for how much coffee you want and what that looks like in a vessel.

                3 votes
      2. [2]
        Octofox
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        Popular belief around food science topics is almost always founded in nothing. Until someone actually conducts somewhat serious testing, it’s not to be relied on.

        Popular belief around food science topics is almost always founded in nothing. Until someone actually conducts somewhat serious testing, it’s not to be relied on.

        2 votes
        1. 0x29A
          Link Parent
          Yes, I agree. But what's interesting is the idea I held was always framed as "contrary to popular belief" but it appears the popular belief may in fact be true (darker roast coffee ultimately ends...

          Yes, I agree. But what's interesting is the idea I held was always framed as "contrary to popular belief" but it appears the popular belief may in fact be true (darker roast coffee ultimately ends up with more caffeine than light roast). I think the issue is that incomplete data leads to incorrect, albeit well-intentioned, conclusions.

          The misinformation surrounding this seems to come from the nuance involved- an article may recommend lighter coffee beans based on the fact that lighter coffee beans contain more caffeine, not realizing the end result has less caffeine potentially because of things like surface area.

          1 vote
  2. cmccabe
    Link
    It is going to take me a while to process the light vs dark roast finding. I hope someone replicates this study!

    It is going to take me a while to process the light vs dark roast finding. I hope someone replicates this study!

    4 votes