Wake the Dead with Caffeine!

An Englishman was recently was found dead in his West Midlands flat, and, at his inquest, the Black Country Coroner, Mr. Robin Balmain, blamed his death on a “massive overdose of caffeine.”  In fact, the man had consumed a bag of twelve caffeinated Hero Instant Energy Mints containing a total of 500 mg of caffeine.  This […]

Everything Old Is New Again: Caffeine as a Potent Pain-Killer

  Caffeine is a potent pain-killer.  However, in addition to reducing pain on its own, caffeine in even low doses has been shown to magnify the pain killing power of aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprophen and even of narcotic analgesics.  Decades ago, caffeine was commonly combined with aspirin, in over-the-counter pharmaceuticals such as Anacin, and with narcotic pain killers, […]

Coffee Makers for the Holidays: Keurig, Cuisinart, and More

Good coffee is great, but making good coffee can be a challenge. Therefore, as we approach the Christmas season, an excellent coffee maker remains a good choice as a gift for your friends and relatives and co-workers who love good coffee. A major new way of making coffee is offered by the Keurig Coffee Maker.  […]

McDonald's Coffee Gift Baskets for Christmas

As the Christmas season approaches, the recurring conundrum of what to get for relatives, friends, and coworkers continues to challenge us.  Solutions that offer a variety of choices to suit different tastes are the McDonald’s Coffee Gift Baskets. Each gift package includes: A 15oz mug 2oz of each:  French Vanilla, Kenya AA, Decaf Colombian Supremo, Chocolate, and […]

Looking Good with Caffeine!

“It is better to look good than to feel good,” Fernando Lamas said on The Tonight Show in the disco days of the 1980’s, a line made even more famous by Billy Crystal, who repeated the quip on Saturday Night Live. Fortunately, with caffeine, you don’t have to make that choice.  We all know that caffeine makes you […]

Caffeine Zone App Doesn't Do the Job

All over the web people are talking about the Caffeine Zone 2 app, which supposedly lets you keep track of how much caffeine is in your system.  It considers factors such as how much caffeine you’re consuming, the caffeine source (e.g., coffee or tea), and how long it takes you to consume it.  The app […]

Coffee Faucet — Turn the Handle for a Cup!

An interesting innovation in the world of coffee preparation is a device called the Scanomat TopBrewer.  It looks like a spigot that is mounted on a kitchen counter without a sink.  Turn the handle and coffee is automatically prepared and delivered into your cup! The undercounter installation conceals a set of components that enable you to […]

Harvard Professor Invents Caffeine Inhaler

David Edwards, Ph.D., professor at Harvard University, has devised a new, streamlined way of consuming caffeine.  It’s called Aeroshot Pure Energy and is a slim, pocket-sized tube that works something like an asthma inhaler.  Puff gently, and the tube releases a lime-flavored light powder that instantly dissolves in your mouth.  The caffeine is suppossedly absorbed […]

Filter Drip Coffee: Paper vs. Metal Filters

One of the best and most popular ways of making coffee is the filter drip method.  Most commonly, the filter used is disposable and is made of paper.  Sometimes, however, reusable metal, often gold-plated, filters are used instead.  Both methods of filtering coffee work to brew good tasting coffee.  However, the use of a metal […]