Decaf Doesn’t Mean Caffeine Free

An espresso chain in my area serves a decaf espresso. It's called the Why Bother.

CaffeinatedGuy

In spite of all the decaf jokes, I gave up caffeine many years ago. My hot drink of choice is herbal tea (naturally caffeine free) or decaf green tea. I will occasionally have a decaf latte at one of my local, overpriced coffee shops. Recently after enjoying a decaf latte I told my friend I was sure that my coffee had caffeine in it. I didn’t think much of it but the next time I had a decaf latte at the same coffee shop I felt exactly the same way. So, I decided to do a little research and the results shocked me!

I pride myself on my command of the English language so imagine my surprise when I learned that decaffeinated and caffeine free mean two entirely different things! There is no regulation around what can be called decaf. It is widely reported that the decaffeination process removes 94% - 97% of the caffeine in coffee beans. However, the reality is that the amount of caffeine you get in a cup of decaf can vary wildly and it’s next to impossible to find a cup of decaf coffee that’s caffeine free.

According to the caffeineinformer.com:

• Starbucks grande (medium) decaf coffee contains 26 mg. of caffeine
• McDonalds medium decaf coffee contains 11 mg. of caffeine
• Dunkin Donuts medium decaf coffee contains 10 mg. of caffeine
• Tim Hortons medium decaf coffee contains 9 mg. of caffeine

To put this into perspective, a cup of caffeinated green tea has 25 mg. of caffeine, less than Starbucks decaffeinated coffee! All this time I thought I was drinking coffee that at most had trace elements of caffeine, not 26 mg. You may think that’s nothing, but my body noticed it, so it’s not nothing, is it?

I’m not suggesting that you stop drinking decaf coffee (although I have); I’m just letting you know that what you’re drinking is not even close to being caffeine free. Knowledge is power and now you can make an informed decision.

The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, et cetera. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing, or who on earth they are, can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall. Decaf. Cappuccino.

From the movie You’ve Got Mail

Make someone smile today.

Geri

Starbucks, Wifi Squatters Are Driving Away Paying Customers

I saw a guy at Starbucks the other day. No iPhone, no tablet, no laptop. He just sat there drinking coffee like a psychopath.

imgrum.club

How many times have you gone into Starbucks and left before you made your order because all of the seats were taken up by people not drinking coffee or eating food, but fixated on their laptops, tablets or Smartphones? This problem exists because Starbucks gives unlimited free Wifi. So for a $2.00 cup of coffee you can rent a virtual office for the day. This is ludicrous beyond words!

I understand the original idea; Starbucks brought Wifi to its stores in 2002 when many people still connected to the Internet via Ethernet cable. Starbucks idea was to turn the company into what they referred to as a “third place” – somewhere people could go to socialize, work, or relax outside of their home or office. Great idea for 2002, but now in 2017 everyone around the world – even in third world countries - has Wifi. And most data plans come with more gigs than we need or use. Unfortunately Starbucks has created a culture of Wifi squatters who drive paying customers away.

Starbucks should start limiting the amount of time that you can have free Wifi, or limit the free Wifi to non-peak hours. After all, Starbucks is actually a coffee shop, not a free virtual office or a library. Believe it or not there are still people who go to Starbucks for an overpriced coffee and we’re the ones you’re driving away. Wake up Starbucks before all that you’re left with are Wifi squatters.

It is inhumane, in my opinion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee to wait in line behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity. 
Dave Barry

Make someone smile today.

Geri