![]() A recent study by the decaffeinating company, Swiss Water, showed that there is no conclusive evidence to indicate roasting affects caffeine content. This was believed due to darker roasted coffee reaching a higher internal temperature than lighter roasted coffee, thus burning off some of the caffeine. There’s still plenty to learn about caffeine and how the roasting process affects coffee, but one long held belief was that coffee roasted darker has less caffeine than coffee roasted lighter. Caffeine Amounts in light roast vs dark roast So though the vast majority of specialty coffee being served is Arabica, reach for the Robusta beans if you’re looking for a wallop of caffeine. On average, Robusta beans have a caffeine content of 2.5%, whereas Arabica beans contain around 1.3%. But Robusta coffee plants also produce nearly double the amount of caffeine than its more flavorful cousin. But Robusta plants have lower sugar content and more bitterness than Arabica making it less desirable. The Robusta plant is easier to cultivate than Arabica and less susceptible to disease. The Robusta plant first saw popularity within the first wave of coffee when Maxwell House and Folgers were king. Though coffee has many species, the two most popular are Arabica and Robusta. So coffee grown at a high elevation typically has a bit less caffeine than coffee grown lower down the mountain. ![]() Coffee is grown at higher altitudes because of how the elevation affects the flavor of the beans, but also, the higher the elevation the fewer the insects, making caffeine as a defense mechanism not as necessary. ![]() Elevation, or how high up a mountain a coffee plant is grown, is probably the most odd contributor to caffeine content. What influences the amount of caffeine in coffee?Ĭoffee is an agricultural product with many factors contributing to its caffeine content including where it’s grown, elevation, species, varietal, roast, and brew type. Though initially natural, there is also a synthetic version of caffeine that is produced for things like caffeine pills and sodas. Along with coffee, cocoa and tea plants have evolved to produce caffeine as a defense mechanism. Its purpose is as a natural defense used to ward off insects looking for an easy meal. This looks like an increase in alertness and physical energy.Ĭaffeine is naturally produced by enzymes in over 60 different plants. What is caffeine?Ĭaffeine is a stimulant-it is a chemical compound, named 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine, that stimulates the central nervous system and speeds up the transportation of information. We’ll walk through what caffeine is, how it compares to other beverages, and the effect of its potency. But even to this day, caffeine in coffee isn’t widely understood. The threat of a public uprising against Charles’ rule led to his decision, but the ban was quickly abandoned only two weeks later due to public outcry.Īll throughout coffee’s history, caffeine has played an inextricable role. Since caffeine is a stimulant, people became more mentally alert and more aware of what was happening in society, making coffeehouses the place for public discussion and discourse on all things political, religious, and scientific. The cause of the ban was due to the effect caffeine had on the patron's mental state. ![]() Hundreds of years later, in 1675, King Charles II of England issued a decree banning coffee houses. They would crush the coffee cherries and their beans using a mortar and pestle and roll them with animal fat to create a power-packed energy ball full of protein, fat, sugar, carbs, and of course, caffeine. As the story goes, the effect of coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia by native tribes. ![]()
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