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Which Instant Coffee?
nhn asks: "Being a caffeine-addict, I feel quite miserable not having my favourite coffee, every morning. I can't walk to Starbucks/Gloria Jeans, while I'm at work, since there is an instant coffee machine available (and I dislike filtered coffee). For the record: I hate Nescafe, it simply sucks." What must you drink, after your dreams have evaporated into the waking world? What types of coffee would you recommend to a seasoned coffee afficionado...or even your garden variety caffeine addict?
"Given:
- I'm a fulltime developer.
- I like very strong coffee, my usual cup is espresso machiato.
- My coffee-style: French, or Italian as a second choice.
- I need coffee to keep myself awake for at least 8 hours (you know how it feels like when you have to debug thousand lines of code, don't you?)
- I drink coffee first for the taste, then the caffein, not the other way around."
anyone who regards starbucks/gloria jeans' coffee as decent doesn't deserve getting a reply.
QED.
Staying awake and alert for 8 hours should not be a problem for any normal healthy human being. Caffeine keeps you awake, but reduces your ability to think clearly. Learn to sleep properly, or if this is a problem, see your doctor.
I drink coffee first for the taste, then the caffein, not the other way around.
And you're looking for instant coffee? All instant coffee tastes like shit, relatively speaking. Buy a percolator, or if that's not your thing, a small espresso machine. If you're dead set on instant, I find the more expensive it is, the better it tastes.
If I seem short sighted, it is because I stand on the shoulders of midgets
Submitter, start weaning yourself off of caffeine; don't go cold turkey, but start consuming less and less of it. What you're describing appears to me to be a chemical dependency at best... a serious medical problem at worst. Go see an M.D. about this... you deserve to stay awake for a reasonable length of time without artificially increasing your heart rate.
Also, if you absolutely cannot break your caffeine addiction, go with tea. It's much better for you than coffee, and it's just as "instant" as "instant coffee," if not more so.
I apologize, as I have not answered your question, which was the intention of your submission, and because my advice might seem like telling you what to do with your life, even though that is not its intent. I'm not a medical professional, but I have been informed by medical professionals on the subjects of caffeine and coffee, thanks to a rather serious stomach disorder.
Anyhow, good luck in finding (a) solution(s) to your problem(s).
~UP
Eat the Path.
Listen not to the purveyors of drip coffee makers. And never, ever get instant coffee!
Instead, get yourself a French press. They're cheap, easy to operate, and you can just bring the thing with you to your cube or the break room. Just use the microwave to boil some water, put some coffee in the press (the good stuff that you find at decent coffee shops.) Get a little grinder & use it if there are no objections to the noise, as coffee beans have a short half-life once they're ground. Pour the boiling water into the press, let the coffee steep for four minutes, then press the plunger, pour your coffee & drink! This method is the absolute best at extracting all the subtle flavors out of the bean without the nasty flavors.
The french press kicks the combined asses of all drip coffeemakers.
Meldroc, Waster of Electrons
Dude-- It's the genes, not the drinks.. I drink easily a gallon+ (4 litres) of coffee daily and quite nearly that much vodka in a week with the assorted glass of wine and of course some single-malt scotch thrown in for good measure. I also never get sick.. Cold/flu season comes and goes and I always get through it unscathed.. Do yourself a favor; Pat yourself on the back that you got the 'not sick' gene and live a little- The stuff isn't poison.
I am not sure whether you mean the Blue Mountain bean from Jamaica, or some other coffee. If you do mean Jamaican Blue Mountain, I have to advise against this. In the previous century, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, a transplant from Papua New Guinea, was renowned for its clean, bright, flowery flavor, and easy acidity. However, due to the economic situation of Jamaica, the Arabica (read: good) plantings were cross-bread with any number of harsh Robusta plants to increase yield and simplify farming. There is no certification board in Jamaica for JBM, and thus no real way to know whether you are getting what you are paying (outrageous prices) for. All this, plus pesticides, below fair trade prices for growers, robusta beans, and whatever violence is engendered against mindful Jamaican growers, makes for plenty of reasons not to buy JBM. On the other hand, Papua New Guinea still produces excellent Arabica coffee, which can be found at a large number of coffee sellers nationwide.
No, go cold turkey, just stop.
If you try to slowly back off, you will likely drift back to it. Just one more, or drinking your 2pm coffee at noon, and silly games like that.
If you go cold turkey, you lose the silly excuses. If you drink it, you didn't quit.
Myself I drank way too much, I tried to cut down, didn't work.
Ended up just switching to a thermos of coffee, when it is gone, that's it.
I have also quit, but then after a few months I forget why and start again.
Every frickin' question I've ever summitted gets rejected. And THIS is accepted?? At least mine weren't frivolous.
Anonymous Cowards suck.