For much of my childhood my mother (who drinks black caffeinated coffee but only caffeine free diet soda) tried to get me to like diet soda. Failing that, she tried to get to like caffeine free soda, swearing up and down that since caffeine has no taste then regular Coke should taste no different than caffeine-free Coke. To my taste buds there is a big difference between caffeine-free soda & regular. Somehow I became an adult who still drinks regular soda and yet doesn’t touch coffee in any form (much to my mother’s amazement).
Does caffeine have its own flavor or is the taste difference brought on by the decaffeination process? Does soda get decaffeinated the same way coffee does?
Caffeine is white and bitter, at least in its pure form. Sodas are so heavily sweetened you don’t notice it much, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you could (I don’t drink decaf soda or coffee).
Caffeine IS bitter, but can be tolerated. I can drink 10% water solution. It’s more bitter than black coffee but less than quinine.
Sodas contain so little of it that you probably would feel any bitterness even without sugar.
Sodas contain a lot of sugar regardless.
Caffeine free sodas are not decaffeinated. Caffeine must be added to regular sodas, hence its listing on the ingredients list. Coffee, on the other hand, has caffeine in the beans and so it must be artifically removed.
I personally gave up caffeine altogether about 6 months ago, and started drinking the caffeine free stuff and can’t really tell the difference. It’s all in your head, man.
Sleep: a poor substitute for caffeine.
“it is by caffeine alone i keep my body in motion-
the caffeine gives the shakes-
the shakes are a warning-
it is by caffeine alone I keep my body in motion”
When the two guys who came up with the idea for Water Joe (a caffeinated bottled water) an article I read about them/it said that they had to add something to cover the caffeine’s bitter taste. Water Joe was the first caffeinated water, AFAIK. - MC
Whenever I took NoDoz in college, or drink Jolt now, I get the impression of a slight bitter, minty taste.
(slight hijack)
When I had a paper route in HS, I took NoDoz sometimes when I did my weekend morning deliveries. (Weekday papers were evening editions.)
One day, some friends saw the NoDoz on my dresser and asked what they were. After I explained, they dared me to take one. BFD, I did. Then they dared me to take the rest of the box, 2 more. I did that too. 300 mg of caffeine, no problem.
Then they saw an unopened box and dared me to take it. 15 more pills. I stupidly did it. I now had 1800 mg of caffeine in me.
I did not sleep that night, but rather salivated like a dog in August. I was awake until about 2am the next night, for a total of about 42 hours. Not to mention that I couldn’t eat a thing. Absolutely no appetite.