Usenet 1994 January/usenetsourcesnewsgroupsinfomagicjanuary1994.iso/answers/caffeine-faq

Text File | 1993-12-16 | 26.9 KB | 742 lines

Newsgroups: alt.drugs.caffeine,alt.answers,news.answers
Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!nic.hookup.net!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uchinews!att-out!undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca!neumann.uwaterloo.ca!alopez-o
From: [e-mail] (Alex Lopez-Ortiz)
Subject: Caffeine's Frequently Asked Questions
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Followup-To: alt.drugs.caffeine
Summary: All you wanted to know about caffeinated beverages
Originator: [e-mail]
Sender: [e-mail]
Supersedes: <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1993 21:23:47 GMT
Approved: [e-mail]
Expires: Thu, 13 Jan 1994 21:23:40 GMT
Lines: 723
Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu alt.drugs.caffeine:2221 alt.answers:1434 news.answers:15857

Archive-Name: caffeine-faq
Last-modified: November 14, 1993
Version: 1.1


Frequently Asked Questions for alt.drugs.caffeine

This group is dedicated to all beverages and products that contain
caffeine.  Including tea, coffee, chocolate, mate, caffeinated
soft drinks, caffeinated pills, coffee beans, etc.


1.- How much caffeine is there in [drink/food/pill]?
2.- How to prepare a good espresso
3.- How to prepare a good cappuccino
4.- How to make your own chocolate
5.- What happens when you overdose?
6.- Chemically speaking, what is caffeine?
7.- Is it true that tea has no caffeine/What is teine, theobromine, etc?
8.- Where can I find a gif of the caffeine molecule?
9.- How to make the best cup of coffee?
10.- How do you pronounce mate?
11.- How do you spell Colombia/Colombian?
12.- What is the best temperature for drip coffee?
13.- Proper care of Coffee makers...
14.- List of Contributors
15.- Copyright

1.- How much caffeine there is in [name drink]?


According to the National Soft Drink Association, the following is the
caffeine content in mgs per 12 oz can of soda:

Jolt                    100.0
Sugar-Free Mr. Pibb     58.8
Mountain Dew            54.0      (MD contains no caffeine in Canada)
Mello Yellow            52.8
Tab                     46.8
Coca-Cola               45.6
Diet Cola               45.6
Shasta Cola             44.4
Shasta Cherry Cola      44.4
Shasta Diet Cola        44.4
Mr. Pibb                40.8
Dr. Pepper              39.6
Pepsi Cola              38.4
Aspen                   36.0
Diet Pepsi              36.0
RC Cola                 36.0
Diet RC                 36.0
Diet Rite               36.0
Canada Dry Cola         30.0
Canada Dry Diet Cola    1.2
7 Up                    0

By means of comparison, a 7 oz cup of coffee has the following caffeine (mg)
amounts, according to Bunker and McWilliams in _J Am Diet_ 74:28-32, 1979:

Drip                    115-175
Espresso        100mg of caffeine
1 serving (1.5-2oz)

Brewed                  80-135
Instant                 65-100
Decaf, brewed           3-4
Decaf, instant          2-3
tea, iced (12 ozs.)     70
tea, brewed, imported   60
tea, brewed, U.S.       40
tea, instant            30

The variability in the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee or tea is huge
even if prepared by the same person using the same equipment and ingedients
day after day.

Ref.

Variablility in caffeine consumption from coffee and tea: Possible
significance for epidemiological studies by B. Stavric, R. Klassen, B.
Watkinson, K. Karpinski, R. Stapley, and P. Fried in "Foundations of
Chemical Toxicology", Volume 26, number 2, pp. 111-118, 1988

and an easy to read overview, Looking for the Perfect Brew by S.
Eisenberg, "Science News", Volume 133, April 16, 1988, pp. 252-253.




Quote from the lab manual:
Caffeine is present in tea leaves and in coffee to the extent of about 4%.
Tea also contains two other alkaloids, theobromine and theophilline.
These last two relax the smooth muscles where caffeine stimulates the
heart and respiratory systems.

Other data on caffeine:

Cup of coffee    90-150mg
Instant coffee   60-80mg
Tea              30-70mg
Cola             30-45mg
Chocolate bar    30mg
Stay-awake pill  100mg
Vivarin          200mg
Cold relief tablet  30mg

The following information is from _Bowes and Church's Food values of
portions commonly used_, by Anna De Planter Bowes.  Lippincott, Phila.
1989. Pages 261-2: Caffeine.

Candy:

Chocolate                               mg caffeine
  baking choc, unsweetened, Bakers--1 oz(28 g) 25
  german sweet, Bakers -- 1 oz (28 g)           8
  semi-sweet, Bakers -- 1 oz (28 g)            13

Choc chips
  Bakers -- 1/4 cup (43 g)                     13
  german sweet, Bakers -- 1/4 cup (43 g)       15

Chocolate bar, Cadbury  -- 1 oz (28 g)         15
Chocolate milk  8oz                             8

Desserts:
Jello Pudding Pops, Choc (47 g)                 2
Choc mousse from Jell-O mix (95 g)              6
Jello choc fudge mousse (86 g)                 12

Beverages
3 heaping teaspoons of choc powder mix          8
2 tablespoons choc syrup                        5
1 envelope hot cocoa mix                        5

Dietary formulas
ensure, plus, choc, Ross Labs -- 8 oz (259 g)  10
Cadbury Milk Chocolate Bar

More stuff:

Guarana "Magic Power" (quite common in Germany),
15 ml alcohol with
5g Guarana Seeds        250.0 mg
Guarana capsules with
500 mg G. seeds          25.0 mg / capsule

(assuming 5% caffeine in seeds as stated in literature)

Guarana soda pop is ubiquitous in Brazil and often available at tropical
groceries here.  It's really tasty and packs a wallop.  The stuff in guarana
is apparently somewhat different from caffeine itself, because although it
wakes you up like crazy, it doesn't cause coffee jitters.



2.- How to prepare a good espresso

   After living in Italy ( Rome ) for two years and living off
   espresso, Mr. X have found American espresso doesn't cut it.
   Heres how to do it.


          First : Get GOOD DARK roasted espresso beans, imported
          Italian brand if you can find it.

          Second : PACK your strainer real full.  Pack it hard.
          your instructions will say NOT to pack it, but don't listen.

          Third :  DON'T USE TOO MUCH WATER.  Espresso in Italy
          is as thick as syrup.  VERY THICK.

          Add two spoons of sugar, it's a sweet, THICK liquid
          in Italy.

          Drink fast.

          Enjoy.

          If using a stove top espresso machine, clean after EACH use,
          paying attention to the seal and strainer.

   =1= For best results, get arabica beans that have been roasted
dark ("Italian Roast" is darkest) and are oily-looking.  Other
roasts are for other types of brewing:  espresso machines won't
draw the earthy flavor of Sumatran out, for example.  A small
amount of other beans might add a nice note to the flavor,
though (I've had surprising success adding a few of Thanksgiving
Coffee's "High-Caffeine Pony Express" beans, which are actually
robusta beans from Thailand).

=2= Grind those beans until they're very fine, but not quite a
powder.  Put them into the appropriate piece of your machine
and tamp it down (but don't pack all the grounds in tight).

=3= Watch the espresso as it drips down.  Does a nice layer of
foam form on the top?  If it does, all is well; that foam is
made from the flavourful oils.  If not, go to the coffee roaster
and demand quadruple your money back.

=4= Never make more than 2oz at a time.  If you're making two
cups of espresso, make two separate shots.  This is important.
The idea is that the steam rushes through and draws out only
the most flavourful part of the grounds.  More than 2oz and
you're drawing out less flavourful stuff and diluting your
espresso.  If you're really hardcore, make only 1oz at a time;
this is called _caffe_ristretto_.



3.- How to prepare a good cappuccino


Disclaimer: People prepare cappuccino in many different ways, and in their
very own way each one of them is correct. The following recipe, which is
commonly used in Latin countries, has been tasted by several of my
north-american friends and they unanimously agreed that cappuccino prepared
using this recipe tastes much better than the standard fare in USA/Canada.



Start with cold milk (it doesn't really need to be ice-cold), use
homo milk or carnation. 2% or skim is just not thick enough.

Place the milk on a special cappuccino glass with a cappuccino basket.
(cappuccino glasses have a thinner bottom).

Aerate the milk near the top, within 2cm (1 in) of the top. Move the
glass down as the milk aerates. It is a good idea to have an oscillating
motion while aerating the milk.

Stop when the milk starts boiling or have it boil, let it cool down
for a second or so (literally), and aerate again (it is harder to get
a nice froth after the milk has boiled).

AERATING THE MILK IN ANOTHER CONTAINER, THEN POURING IN A GLASS AND
ADDING THE FOAM WITH A SPOON IS SACRILEGE.

Anybody who has done so should make a pilgrimage to San Francisco's
Girardelli's.  Otherwise entry to heaven will be denied (god, is after
all, Italian. At least the catholic one).

If you need to aerate the milk on a separate container, aerate
exactly the amount of milk required for one cup, so no need to add
foam with a spoon.

Once the milk has been aerated, promptly clean the aerator with a wet rag.
Failure to do so will quickly result in rotten milk flavour coming from
the aerator.

Another warning on similar lines applies to restaurant type coffee
machines: leave the aerator valve open when powering the machine up and
down. When the machine is off a partial vacuum is formed in the
boiler that will suck milk residue into the boiler. This then coats the
inside of the boiler and can cause bad smelling steam until the boiler
is flushed. Some machines have a vacuum bleed valve to prevent this
problem but many don't.


Wait for the steam pressure to build up again (for some cappuccino makers
wait time is near zero, for others it maybe as long as 60 secs).

Prepare the espresso coffee, you may add it directly on to the glass
if possible or use a cup and then pour it from the cup on the milk.

According to Jym Dyer: In Italy, the milk is added TO the espresso, not
the other way around, that way the milk is floating; on top, where you
then add the sugar, and stir it up.


Capuccino tastes better when is really hot, and has two coffee teaspoons
of sugar. (small teaspoons, like the ones in expensive silverware).

Then accompany said cappuccino with a warm tea bisquet or english muffin
with marmalade, or alternatively with a baguette sandwich or panini.


4.- How to make your own chocolate

MAKE YOUR OWN CHOCOLATE:

Here's the recipe for making a real chocolate beverage. Important steps are
in all CAPITALS.

Ingredients:

   1-2kg (2-4pounds) of cocoa beans.
   A manually operated grinder.

Instructions

   Sift though the beans removing any impurities (pieces of grass, leaves,
etc).

   Place the beans in a pan (no teflon) and roast them. Stir frequently.

   As the beans roast they start making "pop" sounds like popcorn. Beans are
ready when you estimate that approx 50-75% of the beans have popped. Do not
let the beans burn, though a bit of black on each bean is ok.

  Peel the beans. Peeling roasted cocoa beans is like peeling baked potatoes:
The hotter they are the easier it is to peel the darn things, at the expense
of third degree burns on your fingers. (Tip: Use kitchen mittens and brush
the beans in your hands). If the beans are too hard to peel roast them a bit
longer.

   Grind the beans into a pan. They produce a dark oily paste called "cocoa
paste".

   The oil in the cocoa has a bitter taste that you have to get used to. I
like it this way, but not all people do. Here are the alternatives:

 WITH OIL, which gives you a richer flavour:

   Spread aluminum foil on a table and make small pies of chocolate, about
1/4 of an inch high, and 6 inches in diameter. Let them rest overnight. The
morning after they are hard tablets. Remove them from the aluminum foil and
rap them in it. Store in the freezer.

 WITHOUT OIL, some flavour is gone, less bitter, weaker (whimper) chocolate:

   Put the paste inside a thin cloth (like linen), close the cloth and squeeze
until the oil comes out. If you manage to get most of the oil out, what is
left is high quality cocoa powder, like Droste's.

What is left now is either bitter tablets or bitter cocoa powder.

You can now make a nice beverage as follows:

  Boil a liter of milk (or water, like in ancient Mexican style. Like water
for chocolate, "Como agua para chocolate": you know).

  When the milk is warm (not hot) add a chocolate pie in pieces. Stir with a
blender (but be careful! the blender's electric cord should NOT touch the
pot or any other hot thing around it).

  When the chocolate has dissolved add 1/2-3/4 cups of sugar (depending how
sweet you like your chocolate) and blend in fast. MAKE SURE THE SUGAR IS
COMPLETELY DISSOLVED IN THE CHOCOLATE OTHERWISE IT WOULD BE BITTER NO MATTER
HOW MUCH SUGAR YOU MAY ADD AFTERWARDS.

  Add a teaspoon of cinnamon or NATURAL vanilla flavour (artificial vanilla
flavour with chocolate results in an awful medicine like flavour) if you like,
and blend again.

  Let the mixture boil, when it starts to get bubbly quickly remove the pan
from the stove top, and rest the bottom against a soaked cloth. Put again on
stove top, it should get bubbly almost immediately, remove once again and
repeat one last time. This aerates the chocolate which enhances the flavour.

  In a mug, put about 1/2-3/4 of the chocolate mixture, and add cold milk,
until the temperature and/or the concentration of the flavour is right for
your tastes. Accompany with French Pastries. Yum Yum!!


Enjoy!


5.- What happens when you overdose on caffeine?

From Desk Reference to the Diagnostic Criteria from DSM-3-R (American
Psychiatric Association, 1987):

Caffeine-Induced Organic Mental Disorder
305.90 Caffeine Intoxication

A. Recent consumption of caffeine, usually in excess of 250 mg.
B. At least five of the following signs:
    (1) restlessness
    (2) nervousness
    (3) excitement
    (4) insomnia
    (5) flushed face
    (6) diuresis
    (7) gastrointestinal disturbance
    (8) muscle twitching
    (9) rambling flow of thought and speech
    (10) tachycardia or cardiac arrythma
    (11) periods of inexhauystability
    (12) psychomotor agitation
C. Not due to any physical or other mental disorder, such as an
   Anxiety Disorder.


Basicly, overdosing on caffein will probably be very very unpleasant but
not kill or deliver permanent damage.  HOWEVER, People *do* die from it.

summarized from the Manual:

TOXIC DOSE:  The reported lethal dose is 10 grams, although one case
    documents survival after ingesting 24 grams.  In small children
    ingestion of 35 mg/kg can lead to moderate toxicity.
    The amount of caffeine in an average cup of coffee is 50 - 200 mg.
    Infants metabolize caffeine very slowly.

SYMPTOMS:  A. ACUTE caffeine poisoning gives Early symptoms of anorexia,
    tremor, and restlessness.  Followed by nausea, vomitting,
    tachycardia, and Confusion.  Serious intoxication may cause
    delerium, seizures, supraventricular and ventricular tachyarrhythmias,
    hypokalemia, and hyperglycemia.
       B. CHRONIC high-dose caffeine intake can lead to nervousness,
    irritability, anxiety, tremulousness, muscle twitching, insomnia,
    palpitations and hyperreflexia.

    For blood testing, cross-reaction with theophylline assays will
    detect toxic amounts.  (Method IA)
    Blood concentration of 1-10 mg/L is normal in coffee drinkers,
    while 80 mg/L has been associated with death.

TREATMENT:  A. EMERGENCY MEASURES
    1. Maintain the airway and assist ventilation. (See Appendix A)
    2. Treat seizures & hypotension if they occur.
    3. Hypokalemia usually goes away by itself.
    4. Monitor Vital Signs.
        B. SPECIFIC DRUGS & ANTIDOTES.
    Beta blockers effectively reverse cardiotoxic effects mediated
    by excessive beta-adrenergic stimulation.  Treat hypotension or
    tachyarrhythmias with intravenous propanolol, .01 - .02 mg/kg. ,
    or esmolol, .05 mg/kg , carefully titrated with low doses.  Esmolol
    is preferred because of its short half life and low cardioselectivity.
        C. DECONTAMINATION
    1. Induce vomiting or perform gastric lavage.
    2. Administer activated charcoal and cathartic.
    3. Gut emptying is probably not needed if 1 & 2 are performed promptly.

Appendix A, Performing airway assistance.
     1. If no neck injury is suspected, place in the "Sniffing" position
     by tilting the head back and extending the front of the neck.
    2. Apply the "Jaw Thrust" to move the tongue out of the way without
    flexing the neck:  Place fingers form both under the back of the jaw
    and thrust the jaw forward so that the chin sticks out.  This should
    also hurt the patient, allowing you to judge depth of coma. :)
    3. Tilt the head to the side to allow vomit and snot to drain out.
From conversations on alt.drugs.caffeine:

The toxic dose is going to vary from person to person, depending primarily on
built-up tolerance.  A couple people report swalling 10 to 13 vivarin and
ending up in the hospital with their stomachs pumped, while a few say they've
taken that many and barely stayed awake.

A symptom lacking in the clinical manual but reported by at least two people
on the net is a loss of motor ability: unability to move, speak, or even blink.

The experience is consistently described as very unpleasant and not fun at all,
even by those very familiar with caffeine nausea and headaches.


6.- Chemically speaking, what is caffeine?

Caffein = 1,3,7-Trimethylxanthine

A search in CAS and produced these names and synonyms:

RN   58-08-2  REGISTRY
CN   1H-Purine-2,6-dione, 3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl- (9CI)  (CA INDEX NAME)
OTHER CA INDEX NAMES:
CN   Caffeine (8CI)
OTHER NAMES:
CN   1,3,7-Trimethyl-2,6-dioxopurine
CN   1,3,7-Trimethylxanthine
CN   7-Methyltheophylline
CN   Alert-Pep
CN   Cafeina
CN   Caffein
CN   Cafipel
CN   Guaranine
CN   Koffein
CN   Mateina
CN   Methyltheobromine
CN   No-Doz
CN   Refresh'n
CN   Stim
CN   Thein
CN   Theine
CN   Tri-Aqua

MF   C8 H10 N4 O2

The _CORRECT_ name is the first one, 1H-Purine-2,6-diione,
3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl- (This is the "inverted name")
The "uninverted name" is   3,7-Dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione


Merck Index excerpt...

Caffeine:  3,7-dihydro- 1,3,7-trimethyl- 1H-purine- 2,6-dione;
1,3,7-trimethylxanthine; 1,3,7-trimethyl- 2,6-dioxopurine;
coffeine; thein; guaranine; methyltheobromine; No-Doz.

C8H10N4O2; mol wt 194.19.  C 49.48%, H 5.19%, N 28.85%, O 16.48%.

Occurs in tea, coffee, mate leaves; also in guarana paste and cola nuts:
Shuman, U.S. pat. 2,508,545 (1950 to General Foods).  Obtained as a
by-product from the manuf of caffeine-free coffee:  Barch, U.S.  pat.
2,817,588 (1957 to Standard Brands); Nutting, U.S. pat. 2,802,739
(1957 to Hill Bros. Coffee); Adler, Earle, U.S. pat. 2,933,395
(1960 to General Foods).

Crystal structure:  Sutor, Acta Cryst. 11, 453, (1958).  Synthesis:
Fischer, Ach, Ber. 28, 2473, 3135 (1895); Gepner, Kreps, J. Gen.
Chem. USSR 16, 179 (1946); Bredereck et al., Ber. 83, 201 (1950);
Crippa, Crippa, Farmaco Ed. Sci. 10, 616 (1955); Swidinsky, Baizer,
U.S. pats. 2,785,162 and 2,785,163 (1957 to Quinine Chem. Works);
Bredereck, Gotsmann, Ber. 95, 1902 (1962).

Hexagonal prisms by sublimation, mp 238 C.  Sublimes 178 C.  Fast
sublimation is obtained at 160-165 C under 1mm press. at 5 mm distance.
d 1.23.  Kb at 19 C: 0.7 x 10^(-14).  Ka at 25 C: <1.0 x 10^(-14).  pH
of 1% soln 6.9.  Aq solns of caffeine salts dissociate quickly.  Absorption
spectrum:  Hartley, J. Chem. Soc.  87, 1802 (1905).  One gram dissolves
in 46 ml water, 5.5 ml water at 80 C, 1.5 ml boiling water, 66 ml alcohol,
22 ml alcohol at 60 C, 50 ml acetone, 5.5 ml chloroform, 530 ml ether,
100 ml benzene, 22 ml boiling benzene.  Freely sol in pyrrole; in
tetrahydrofuran contg about 4% water; also sol in ethyl acetate; slightly
in petr ether.  Soly in water is increased by alkali benzoates, cinnamates,
citrates, or salicylates.

Monohydrate, felted needles, contg 8.5% H2O.  Efflorescent in air; complete
dehydration takes place at 80 C.  LD50 orally in rats:  200 mg/kg.

Acetate, C8H10N4O2.(CH3COOH)2, granules or powder; acetic acid odor;
acid reaction.  Loses acetic acid on exposure to air.  Soluble in water
or alcohol with hydrolysis into caffeine and acetic acid.  Keep well stoppered.

Hydrochloride dihydrate, C8H10N4O2.HCl.2H2O, crystals, dec 80-100 C with
loss of water and HCl.  Sol in water and in alcohol with dec.

Therap Cat:  Central stimulant.

Therap Cat (Vet):  Has been used as a cardiac and
           respiratory stimulant and as a diuretic.




7.- Is it true that tea has no caffeine/What is teine, theobromine, etc?


From "Principles of biochemestry", Horton and al, 1993.

 Caffeine is sometimes called "theine" when it's in tea. This is probably due
 to an ancient misconception that the active constituent is different.
 Theophylline is present only in trace amounts. It is more diuretic, more
 toxic and less speedy.

 Caffeine: 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine
 Theophylline: 1,3-dimethylxanthine
 Theobromine: 3,7-dimethylxanthine

 Coffee and tea contain caffeine and theophylline, respectively, which are me
 thylated purine derivatives that inhibit cAMP phosphodiesterase.In the presence
 of these inhibitors, the effects of cAMP, and thus the stimulatory effects
 of the hormones that lead to its production, are prolonged and intensified.

Theobromine and theophylline are two dimethyxanthines that have two
rather than three methyl groups. Theobromine is considerably weaker
than caffeine and theophylline, having about one tenth the stimulating
effect of either.

Theobromine is found in cocoa products, tea (only in very small amounts)
and kola nuts, but is not found in coffee. In cocoa, its concentration
is generally about 7 times as great as caffeine. Although, caffeine
is realtively scarce in cocoa, its mainly because of theobromine that
cocoa is "stimulating"

Theophylline is found in very small amounts in tea, but has a stronger
effect on the heart and breathing than caffeine. It often the drug
of choice in treating asthma bronchitus and emphysema. The theophylline
foundin medicine is made from extracts from coffee or tea.

8.- Where can I find a gif of the caffeine molecule?

Caffein = 1,3,7-Trimethylxanthine


             CH3
              |
              N
             / \
       N----C   C==O
      ||   ||   |
      ||   ||   |
      CH    C   N--CH3
        \  / \ /
         N    C
         |   ||
        CH3   O


There is a gif picture at the wuarchive.wustl.edu ftp site or any of its
mirror sites under

multimedia/images/gif/c

caffeine


9.- How to make the best cup of coffee?


The best coffee I ever tasted was while in the coffee growing regions
of Mexico, in the state of Veracruz, in the town of Coatepec.

The quality of the coffee was mostly due to the method of preparation
than to the quality of the grains (which is at about the same level as
an average colombian coffee).


Here's how to make it:

Grind the coffee grains from coarse to _very_coarse_.


Boil in a _pan_ a litre of water (four cups).

When the water is boiling, turn off the stove and add 8-12
table spoons of coffee (2-3 spoons per each cup).

Add two-three teaspoons of sugar per cup (for a total of 8-12
spoons of sugar).

Stir _very_ slowly (the water is so hot that the sugar dissolves
mostly on its own).

Let the coffee rest for about 5 minutes.

Strain the coffee using a _metal_strainer_!  Like the ones used
for cooking. The strainer should be like the ones used by granny
for making tea. The diameter is a bit smaller that a cup,
with a semi-sphere shape.

This coffee has grit in the bottom, even after being strained.
Therefore DO NOT stir the pot or the cup. If the coffee is shaked,
let it rest for about five minutes. Needless to say, do not
drink the last sip of coffee from the cup: it's all grit.

If you want to add milk, add carnation.

WARNING: This coffee may fool you 'cause it has a very smooth taste but
is extremely strong. Caffeine content per mililitre is right there with
espresso, but you can't tell!

NOTE: For some strange reason, when preparing this coffee I tend to
have a success ratio of about one out of two attempts. I still don't know
what I'm doing wrong, since, as far as I can tell, always repeat the
same steps. Perhaps sometimes I don't let the coffee rest long
enough.

10.- How do you pronounce mate?

MAH-teh. MAH like in malt, and teh like in Gral. Patten.


12.- What is the best temperature for drip coffee?

According to chemical studies, the optimal water temperature
for drip coffee is 95-98C. According to my notes, colder
water doesn't extract enough caffeine/essential oils from
the beans, and above such temperature the acidity increases
wildly.

13.- Proper care of coffee makers.

It is very important that you wash your coffee maker pot and filter
container thorughly at least once a week. Bitter oils stick to the
glass container and plastic filter holder.

I used to wash the platic filter container and rinse the glass pot.
Coffee started to taste bad. When I was told to wash both thoroughly
with plenty of soap the flavour improved instantly. Note: To the
naked eye rinsed and soap washed pots look the same (clean that is).

14.- This FAQ is a collective effort. Here are some of the people
who have contributed:

Marc Aurel <[e-mail]>
Tom Benjamin <[e-mail]>
David Alan Bozak <dab@moxie>
Jack Carter <[e-mail]>
Richard Drapeau <[e-mail]>
Jym Dyer <[e-mail]>
Lemieux Francois <[e-mail]>
Dave Huddle <[e-mail]>
Tom F Karlsson <[e-mail]>
Bob Kummerfeld <[e-mail]>
John Levine <[e-mail]>
Alex Lopez-Ortiz <[e-mail]>
Dave Palmer <[e-mail]>
Cary A. Sandvig <[e-mail]>
Michael A Smith <[e-mail]>
Mari J. Stoddard <[e-mail]>
Orion Wilson <[e-mail]>



15.- Copyright Notice

Copyright (c) 1993   A. Lopez-Ortiz




        OAKLAND, California (UPI) -- Coffee may be good for life. A major
study has found fewer suicides among coffee drinkers than those who
abstained from the hot black brew.
        The study of nearly 130,000 Northern California residents and the
records of 4,500 who have died looked at the effects of coffee and tea
on mortality.
        Cardiologist Arthur Klatsky said of the surprising results, ``This is
not a fluke finding because our study was very large, involved a
multiracial population, men, women, and examined closely numerous
factors related to mortality such as alcohol consumption and smoking.''
        The unique survey also found no link between coffee consumption and
death risk. And it confirmed a ``weak'' connection of coffee or tea to
heart attack risk -- but not to other cardiovascular conditions such as
stroke.
        The study was conducted by the health maintenance organization Kaiser
Permanente and was reported Wednesday in the Annals of Epidemiology.


--
Alex Lopez-Ortiz                             [e-mail]
Department of Computer Science                      University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario                                                   Canada