DEV Community

Cover image for What's the best source of caffeine for you? 🤔

What's the best source of caffeine for you? 🤔

Sarthak Sharma on February 02, 2019

Coffee and developers have a strong connection. I mean a very strong connection, not unlike what Gollum shares with The One Ring. While having my c...
Collapse
 
utkarsh profile image
Utkarsh Talwar

What do you do when you're stuck in a traffic jam?
Write a blog post, of course!
Haha you sure didn't waste any time posting this. :P

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

Damn, When did you clicked it?

Collapse
 
utkarsh profile image
Utkarsh Talwar

I'm a ninja! 🐱‍👤

Collapse
 
lukvonstrom profile image
Lukas Fruntke

You shouldn't forget Monster Energy Drinks with 240mg coffeine per 500ml.

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

I don't think that's healthy bro.

Collapse
 
qm3ster profile image
Mihail Malo • Edited

It's super healthy.
Much better than burnt beans.
Full of electrolytes and well-preserved B vitamins to protect the brain.
Oh yes 😩👌
(I am only referring to the sugar free Ultra of course)
And you simply cannot ignore the aesthetic.
monster bbq
monster communion
Edit: Red and violet are good too. Orange is a bit weird, has the most accidental sugar, and too much caffeine.

I'm curious about this product (it is almost sugar-free, for a long time I thought it wasn't due to the black can) but they made the can hideous again, and I can't buy it locally:

Thread Thread
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

😂😂😂😂

Collapse
 
buinauskas profile image
Evaldas Buinauskas

It's not healthy, indeed. Neither are soft drinks 😏🤔

Thread Thread
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

Yes

Collapse
 
eljayadobe profile image
Eljay-Adobe

I don't need caffeine to program at all.

Wait... is there caffeine in tea, Mountain Dew, and Diet Coke?

Oh. There is. Hmmm. In that case, I need copious amounts of caffeine.

My body is a fine tuned machine turning caffeine into code.

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

😂😂😂

Collapse
 
mikie profile image
Michael Smith • Edited

This is the healthiest option. It contains 300 mg of caffeine and also Creatine & BCAAs. No sugar. Mostly for people who exercise.

Bang

Collapse
 
bvn9ne profile image
bvn9ne

Bangs aren't that healthy. The amount of BCAAs and Creatine are negligble in comparison to other options. I would recommend getting an actual pre-workout, like Outlift (2fypiu8r1n32xjnga5p4z8wz-wpengine....).
If that is too much caffeine (or you prefer premade),then you can always go with something like Lit, less caffeine but less other stuff.

Collapse
 
mikie profile image
Michael Smith

I haven't tried Outlift before.

I guess I was commenting on the lack of any sugar in Bang which is present in most energy drinks.

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

300mg is too much bro

Collapse
 
bag0niku profile image
Bag0niku

if 300mg is too much you are not considering how long you are taking to drink the drink. 3 cups of brewed coffee is 300+mg. The energy drinks I consume are deliberately spread out across an hour or 2 and not all in one sitting or I'll have 3 to 5 cups of coffee throughout the day. If the time to drink is 2 cans guzzled in 15 minutes like my brothers, then I'm inclined to agree with you.

Collapse
 
mikie profile image
Michael Smith

Not if you literally want to explode. Then it's awesome.

Collapse
 
matthewbdaly profile image
Matthew Daly

I went cold turkey on caffeine at work last year after I was getting migraines all the time. I stopped drinking coffee entirely, and switched from normal tea to rooibos. The withdrawal symptoms were pretty awful, but after a week I started to feel a lot better.

I have let my consumption creep up again though in the last few months.

Collapse
 
webreaper profile image
Mark Otway

Same. I found that after basically giving up coffee, my concentration was better, I felt wide awake in the morning, had no detox headaches at the weekend and generally feel much better. I have one or two a month, as a treat. The other advantage is that when I do feel tired and have a coffee, I have no tolerance so get a huge kick from the caffeine. Win!

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

Tea also contains a small amount of caffeine.

Collapse
 
matthewbdaly profile image
Matthew Daly

That's why I stopped drinking it in favour of rooibos, which is naturally caffeine free but can be drunk in the same way. Decaf tea is usually vile, although Yorkshire Tea do a nice Bedtime Brew which is decaffeinated.

Thread Thread
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

But a moderate amount of caffeine won't harm you. It's actually good to have a moderate amount.

Thread Thread
 
matthewbdaly profile image
Matthew Daly

I still drink ordinary tea at home, and will have the odd coffee, but I generally stick to rooibos at work. I was drinking two coffees a day, as well as tea throughout the day, and I found that started to cause problems.

Collapse
 
martis347 profile image
Martynas Kan

Actually green tea contains a pretty fair amount of coffeine! 🍵

Thread Thread
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

Depends on the flavor.

Collapse
 
molly profile image
Molly Struve (she/her)

Can't forget the tried and true and incredibly cheap caffeine pill! I take half of pill in the morning which is 100mg and thats all I need to get me going! I like coffee, but I don't want to have to worry about finding coffee every day so I just pop a pill and I am good to go.

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

Is it healthy to take that? are those pills Natural?

Collapse
 
molly profile image
Molly Struve (she/her)

Yep, my doctor knows I take them and has zero concerns about it. In fact, he would rather I get caffeine from a pill than a sugary drink any day of the week.

There are all natural ones you can take but I prefer the generic version of No Doz.

Thread Thread
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

That's cool then 😊

Collapse
 
qm3ster profile image
Mihail Malo

Appeal to nature.
They're not natural, they're purpose made.
They provide what you are asking for, and not contaminants.
Also convenient, portable, and shelf-stable.

Collapse
 
likelocusts profile image
LikeLocusts

also it's well tolerated, which is definitely an upside for many people. Although you have to consider that is "kicks in" pretty fast, so if someone just likes to sip a hot beverage and is more comfortable with getting that effect over a longer period, coffee or tea is probably the way to go.

Collapse
 
anndd profile image
Anna Su**

I've been running on espresso since Tuesday when I got a new machine. Before that, for almost a year, I drank mostly Turkish coffee which gives an extra kick since I make it with some sugar. However, before that, I went from 3-4 espressos a day to 0 and had no caffeine at all for about 6 months. I didn't miss it at all, had no withdrawal symptoms, but I just love coffee too much to give it up forever.

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

Yeah, If you take it in a moderate amount, you won't experience withdrawal symptoms.

Collapse
 
mferrier profile image
Maxime FERRIER

Green tea (Tencha) :

  • 79mg or caffeine (theine) for 300mL
  • calories < 5 (well, 0 actually)
  • and an important data you didn't mention : 0 sugar.

-> No dependencies to caffeine and suggar, no side effects until you don't drink 2L per day; and no fat gain =)

Collapse
 
esparig profile image
esparig

Natural coffee made with an italian coffee maker!! With a cloud of vegetable milk (no sugar!) Just a big glass in the morning.

italian coffee maker

Collapse
 
maxwell_dev profile image
Max Antonucci

Someone bought our developers some boxes of caffeinated chocolates, with each on having about 3/4 the caffeine of a regular cup of coffee.

One developer had three at once. I repressed all other memories of that afternoon.

Lesson learned: if you need caffeine but don't like coffee, each some dark chocolate in the afternoon and you'll be fine.

Collapse
 
codingmindfully profile image
Daragh Byrne

Bulletproof coffee! I add a tablespoon of butter and some cinnamon to my early morning brew. The fat content levels out the caffeine spike for a number of hours. Great stuff, and I now love the taste too!

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

Have to try this thing. 🤔

Collapse
 
betkowski profile image
Betkowski

Black coffee and green tea, million times a day, depending on my heart rate.
Used to be all about Monster, Rockstar and Red bull, but then I looked at the list of ingredients and switched back to coffee. Sip days r' over.

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

😱😱😱

Collapse
 
dechamp profile image
DeChamp

I loved this! ha ha. It was a nice change up from the typical post on see on dev.to. I love coffee, but honestly what gets me woke up is a big glass of water and tea. Yet, I seem to rely on coffee constantly.

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

Coffee is more like superhero serum, for the times when you are needed.

Collapse
 
_ferh97 profile image
Fernando Hernandez

Cool article. I will always prefer drinking coffee, but a real good coffee. Most of the time brewed coffee and sometimes lattes.

Collapse
 
st3v3oh profile image
Meh

I found that (despite the LOOK AT ME IM A GAMUR branding) GFUEL is a pretty great product. Almost sugar free (has maltodextrin in it) and instead of a caffeine boost that makes me constantly jerk my knee or simply jittery I feel like it just gives me proper focus for about (depending on how you drink it) 1-4h or something. When drinking this it's much easier for me to get sucked into my zone and flow of writing and developing.
I also use less than advised dose or stretch one serving to at least double the water so its pretty cheap comparable.

Plus the coffee machines in my office are not maintained very well soo yeah.
Tea is also great

gfuel.com/pages/faq

Collapse
 
highcenburg profile image
Vicente G. Reyes

I get a Grande Iced White Mocha Americano; no prive(sweetener) and water(if Im outside) or 2 cups of Keurig coffee. No sugar.

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

What's Keurig coffee?!

Collapse
 
highcenburg profile image
Vicente G. Reyes

Here it is bro keurig.com

Thread Thread
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

Thanks man

Collapse
 
joshhadik profile image
Josh Hadik • Edited

I drink a cup of coffee at home before work, then get another tall cup at Starbucks on my way in, both black, and that’s usually it. If I feel like I’ve gotten a lot done in a day I’ll sometimes reward myself w/ another cup at around 3, but other than that just the two in the morning is plenty to keep me going, and not so much that I get jittery and anxious when I crash at the end of the day.

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

Same here bro.

Collapse
 
qm3ster profile image
Mihail Malo

Many many different, usually trashy, straight teas.

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

Like ?!

Collapse
 
qm3ster profile image
Mihail Malo

Tea shelf
Pictured:

  • lots of Lipton
  • some Twinings
  • a Dilmah
  • Clearspring Oolong
  • a loose TWG tea

My all time favorite is this though:
Clearspring Organic Matcha Green Tea
It's a guilty pleasure because it prominently says Organic on the box, but it just tastes best. I should refill.

Thread Thread
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

That'sexy

Collapse
 
wordmetrics profile image
wordmetrics

No matcha? Shame on you! ;)

But seriously. Good matcha will have you flying for hours with no jitters.

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

Matcha 🤔 Gotta try that.

Collapse
 
93alan profile image
Alan Montgomery

Monster energy or one of those really cheap red bull alternatives! Can't beat a quick kick for 27p!

Collapse
 
imthedeveloper profile image
ImTheDeveloper

I used to be heavily into redbull sugar free.

I've now landed on espresso and have 2 or 3 a day.

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

That's good. Redbull should not be taken regularly.

Collapse
 
imthedeveloper profile image
ImTheDeveloper

Do you have a reason why? I've been thinking recently this amount of espresso is probably just as bad if not worse 🤯😂

Thread Thread
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

The reason is probably taurine which Redbull have. You can google it a lot of theories on it.

Collapse
 
mandaputtra profile image
Manda Putra

I use to had milk, been 2 years without coffee ☕

Collapse
 
tnypxl profile image
tnypxl

Lattes and cappuccinos do not contain sugar until you add additional syrups and sugars to it.

Collapse
 
ondrejs profile image
Ondrej

I generally prefer coffee. But my coffee is capable to kill the average rhino or elephant. For me it's just...standard coffee.

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

What's that ?

Collapse
 
peter profile image
Peter Kim Frank

I'll normally start my day with a large cup of drip coffee. Occasionally I'll have another cup mid-day, but luckily I don't feel a strong need or dependency beyond that.

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

Same here.

Collapse
 
jacksonelfers profile image
Jackson Elfers

I prefer direct injection. JK, actually straight tea with no additives appears to be my fix. No sugar please. 😁

Collapse
 
hasnayeen profile image
Nehal Hasnayeen

Don't have caffeine after 2/3 pm. Caffeine is stimulant drug, read "Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker to know about the effect of caffeine on our body.

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

Yes agree with you.

Collapse
 
infokani profile image
Lucky Bloom

Caffeine drain your core energy.

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

If you over do it.

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

Tell me the address, I'm coming 😃

Collapse
 
themafro profile image
Matthew Francis

My college does Starbucks which is not a good thing at all for my health, especially when the Christmas range was out 😅

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

I get you bro.

Collapse
 
david_j_eddy profile image
David J Eddy

Mt. Dew Code Red

mic-drop

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

😂😂😂😂

Collapse
 
ben profile image
Ben Halpern

Even though you never really know if it’s science or placebo, I’m a believer in l-theanine along with coffee for cognition and focus.

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

It's not placebo, it's magic 💪💪😂

 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

OH !!

 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

Yeah totally agree with you. Changes are good.

Collapse
 
vintharas profile image
Jaime González García

Double espresso. No sugar.

Collapse
 
sarthology profile image
Sarthak Sharma

Hahaha, I know how's that feel.

Collapse
 
pedro_dgcouto profile image
Pedro Couto

Brewed Coffee or Espresso for me 😊