DJR wrote:I wish the article went into caffeine tolerance. I'm a victim of it. When I began, I got a nice boost and a clear head. Now I have a cup and it makes me want to take a nap. I can have a cup or even two right before bed and sleep well. Better than a glass of wine.

From what I read, if I quit for a week or so, I'll get back the normal effects. However, the tolerance returns quickly, so what's the point.

Oddly, if I drink a few ice teas I can feel the effects of the caffeine. I wonder if its a bit different?

hmmm I'm the same way with caffeine except that I can't notice any difference between the effects of tea and coffee. But then again I habitually drink both....and I'm nerdy about both

Still I find it hard to believe the caffeine in either is any different, it's the same chemical afterall, I'm kind of suspecting if you don't drink your coffee with sugar but had sweetened iced tea it was the sugar's boost to your energy level that made the difference.

entropyembrace wrote:Still I find it hard to believe the caffeine in either is any different, it's the same chemical afterall....

I've generally been under the impresison that the caffeine chemical formulation is different for tea than it is for coffee, but in checking briefly, it seems maybe that was a mistaken impression. And it also seems that coffee has more than tea (again, generally speaking)

JonR10 wrote:I've generally been under the impresison that the caffeine chemical formulation is different for tea than it is for coffee, but in checking briefly, it seems maybe that was a mistaken impression. And it also seems that coffee has more than tea (again, generally speaking)

Generally speaking based on how both are brewed yes....if you look at dry tea leaves vs roasted coffee beans the tea has much higher concentration of caffiene. But typical coffee brewing extracts more caffeine than typical tea brewing does.

aecletec is correct there are other xanthines present in coffee and tea in varying concentrations...so the proportions of each may not be the same even between two different coffees nevermind between a coffee and a tea. Also tea has high levels of theanine which can have an effect on your nervous system too...though it's usually considered to be relaxing rather than stimulating. I don't think that coffee has much or any theanine.

Still I feel about the same after a shot of espresso as a bowl of matcha....so I think maybe it's easy to overstate what are really small differences in chemical composition.

I never add sugar to tea or coffee. I also drink matcha and don't feel the caffeine there. It seems only in black iced tea after drinking three large glasses....

entropyembrace wrote:Still I find it hard to believe the caffeine in either is any different, it's the same chemical afterall, I'm kind of suspecting if you don't drink your coffee with sugar but had sweetened iced tea it was the sugar's boost to your energy level that made the difference.

Interesting, I've read research commentary that would indicate that sugar actually has the opposite effect (makes you sleepy) - you seem to know your chemistry pretty well - I'm just wondering under what circumstances the effects are different ?

The way I understand it sugar can do both....in the short term because sugar is very easy for your body to use quickly for metabolic processes it gives you a boost of energy. Medium term you'll "crash" because the energy in the sugar gets used up quickly and you'll feel tired if you haven't eaten anything that will last longer as an energy source for your body. Long term if you're commonly eating large quantities of sugar you can seriously unbalance your metabolic hormones which can cause problems like obesity, diabetes and lethargy.

I'm a chemistry student and I'm planning on specializing in pharmacology

It may not be that simple - my understanding is that the effect of eating sugar with regard to our feelings of energy/alertness vs sleepiness is likely influenced by what other nutrients we eat at the same time, what we've eaten in the recent past, and our varying activity levels. If I'm not exercising nor glycogen depleted and I eat a piece of fruit or a jolly rancher candy, I don't feel an energy surge - do you ? I'm sure I would experience a quick blood glucose spike, but in the absence of insulin resistance I think levels return to normal pretty quickly and a fair amount of that sugar goes into immediate storage rather than energy production. Assuming you eat a balanced supply of amino acids regularly, eating CHO in isolation facilitates entry of tryptophan into the brain, production of serotonin and in many cases, sleepiness. (see research by Richard and Judith Wurtman) - I'm sure that the caffeine component of a mocha latte helps offset the sleepiness, but that's why I take my caffeine as straight up espresso.

I think the difference is if you've been eating well prior to consuming the sugar or not. Certainly a dessert after dinner isn't going to make me feel more awake...but a sugary bottle of juice after a long lab session does.

I remember those days - long labs followed by a big glass of juice - mixed with a few shots of vodka more often than not, but still had energy to burn through the night. Now, there are days I can take an afternoon nap right after my third daily double espresso. Good luck with your studies.