March 17, 2004
Starbucks : The New Drug
My township's uncontrolled suburban sprawl has actually produced a lovely little enclave called "The Streets of West Chester" and we went there last weekend to the grand opening of the new Borders bookstore. Along with the live Irish band (very good), Bravo was spooning out heaps of free pasta, the bakery had free cookies and Starbucks was pouring free joe. Free is good.
I am not a coffee drinker; in fact, I hate the stuff. But, after the pasta I needed something to drink and a big cup of Cafe Vienna seemed like a good idea. I doctored it with enough sweetener and milk to take most of the coffee taste away and with it being lukewarm I was able to gulp it pretty quickly. Not bad. Not worth the $3-4 that Starbucks charges normally for it.
This is where my problems began. In just a few minutes I got a big caffeine rush that kept me feeling edgy all through dinner. After dinner I started getting dizzy and feeling nauseous. I hadn't felt like that since OD'ing on No-Doz during an allnight thrash to Hilton Head in college. When I got into bed 2-1/2 hours after drinking the coffee, I had honest to goodness bedspins! I haven't had bedspins in years and never from caffeine.
I started doing some investigation and found this article on the caffeine content of Starbucks coffee. Holy Schnikes! That cup of java potentially had 10 times the caffeine of my usual poison, a Diet Coke. Now I understand the insane queues at all the Starbucks in the airports. These poor folks are addicted to the hard stuff! I wonder if Starbucks has come up with a way to super-caffeinate their coffee? If so, it reminds me of the nicotine level work that the cigarette companies have been practicing for years. Something to think about...
Posted by Mitch | Permalink | TrackBackJust wait till you have one of these every day for a couple years, then try and skip a day.
Posted by Aaron at March 17, 2004 12:01 PMI agree. Since I've been laid off, and the unemployment has run out, I've only been able to "indulge" myself (I used to be a quad espresso drinker 2x day!!!) on occasion. I've now conquered a coffee/espresso maker that we got several years ago and can grind out my own...not as good as Starbucks, but close enough.
Or, as one person put it (name long lost, alas):
It is by caffeine alone that I set my mind in motion.
It is by the beans of Java that my thoughts acquire speed.
My hands begin to shake. The shakes are a warning.
It is by caffeine alone that I set my mind in motion.
Posted by Fred Kiesche at March 17, 2004 12:45 PMTo leave a comment or read updated entries, please visit GearBits' current site. Thanks.