Caffeine 'Dipstick' Test for Coffee

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are developing a quick test for caffeine that works even with hot beverages and plan to adapt their technology to a simple ('dipstick') test that can be used to check for caffeine in a variety of drinks. The key to the caffeine test comes from llamas and camels since these camelids happen to be among the few creatures whose immune systems can produce antibodies that aren't destroyed at the high temperatures common to brewed beverages. The researchers reasoned that if they could create heat-resistant camelid antibodies that reacted to caffeine, they could potentially build a durable assay suitable for use almost anywhere."

Comments

I've already got one of these

[guitaristx]

It's a wooden stick with the words "Not enough" imprinted on it.

Re:I've already got one of these

[Sponge Bath]

It's a wooden stick with the words "Not enough" imprinted on it.

You use your penis to test coffee?

AUGH! *twitch*

[fragmentate]

I already have a test...

If after 15 cups of a beverage (non-alcoholic) in one hour I don't have the shakes, there's not enough caffeine.

Cost: $0
Research time: 1 hour.
Damage to Camels and Llamas: less than .02%

easier test

[gEvil (beta)]

I've got an easier one. The black handle means 'caffeine.' The orange handle means 'no caffeine.'

Ugh

[voice_of_all_reason]

Friend: "Hey, that coffee smells good. What kind is it?"

Me: (taking a deep breath) Now? Camel-flavored.

Oddly enough....

[Anonymous Coward]

I've found that most people who are that worried about the amount of caffeine in their coffee really are dipsticks.

So let me get this straight...

[idontgno]

You dip a camel... or llama... in your coffee and somehow that tells you (A) whether it's hot, and (b) whether it's caffeinated?

And then you drink the coffee? Do you at least take the camel or llama or alpaca or whatever out of the coffee first?

I wonder which llamas work best. Red, Mexican Whooping, or Guacanos?

Oh, yeah, obviously, you use a "2-L" llama. I don't think most Tibetians would appreciate you using a "1-L" lama.

Good thing to know...

[Billosaur]

The key to the caffeine test comes from llamas and camels since these camelids happen to be among the few creatures whose immune systems can produce antibodies that aren't destroyed at the high temperatures common to brewed beverages.

...for Perl programmers. We trust anything that can pass the llama or camel test.

Hmm

[Is0m0rph]

I need a stick that will give me caffeine and alcohol percentages so I can get that half and half mix of Redbull/Monster and vodka just right.

Urine tests

[Seoulstriker]

They should make these sticks suitable for use in a way similar to pregnancy tests: pee on the stick to see the concentration of caffeine in your system.

Blue means not enough
Pink means just right
Black means you're peeing coffee.
Brown means you put it near the wrong orifice.

Re:Call me ignorant, but...

[aborchers]

OK, so what's "existance"?

(JOKE! JOKE! Please don't flame me for spellchecking...)

Re:roast paradox

[gEvil (beta)]

Anyway, sometimes when I drink coffee I seem to have an entirely opposite reaction and am overcome with sleepiness.

Lay off the Irish coffees there, Sparky.

You wanna put a camel's dipstick in my what?

[blamanj]

Pervert.