When You Love Coffee But You Have Caffeine Sensitivity
Notes from an herbal tea drinker
Hi, coffee. It’s been a while. Remember how I used to work in coffee shops, and I would drink a daily mega-extra-super-strong-industrial-strength americanoppuccino* without any ill effects? Those days are long gone.
Now I can barely drink decaf. A little-discussed fact is that decaffeinated coffee still has some traces of caffeine. That fact is known by me because a cup of decaf coffee will power me with jangly energy all day and keep me up that night. The next day I’ll feel tired.
I love everything about coffee. The deep, nutty flavor. The artistry of the perfectly pulled shot of espresso and its caramel color as it flows from the portafilter. The way coffee shops are the habitat, whether real of imagined, of creativity, taking a moment to enjoy life, lively conversation, random games of chess, consuming baked goods, escaping daily life to read a book, and using free wi-fi. Coffee shops offer the opportunity to disappear, to be among people but not to be noticed. I also love how bookstores and coffee shops often coexist.
A cup of real coffee for me is an experiment. I might have a few hours of mad, euphoric productivity, but there’s an inevitable crash in energy and mood. I’ll feel odd for the next day, at least. Sometimes it’s worth it. If I’m feeling bold I might have a decaf and face the roller coaster ride.
Having decaf a few days in a row, even decaf tea, steers me straight into a brick wall of fatigue. I love tea, too. But with black and green tea, the situation is the same as with coffee — the caffeine is too much.
These days, I drink herbal tea. My favorite is ginger, which is good either plain or with some milk or cream. There are some herbal teas, like mint, rooibos, berry blends, and chamomile, that offer some complexity and flavor without the caffeine side effects.
I think what might have happened is that when I worked in coffee shops, I had so much caffeine that I triggered a sensitivity. Or maybe this is just a quirk that needed time to emerge. I envy people who can drink multiple cups of coffee a day. Drink on, coffee drinkers. I’ll join you at the coffee shop — I’ll be sipping herbal tea and jealously eying your cup of caf.
*A blend of Americano and cappuccino. Not a real drink.
