I Get a Kick From Caffeine

Per George, intrepid newspaper man..

Slate: Starbucks vs. Its Addicts

Starbucks must be banking on the theory that the people who buy its coffee don't just need coffee, they need Starbucks coffee, which packs a higher caffeine punch than many competitors.

The Wall Street Journal earlier this year sent samples of coffee from Starbucks, 7-Eleven, and Dunkin' Donuts to Central Analytical Laboratories. The lab reported that a 16-ounce Starbucks house blend coffee contained 223 milligrams of caffeine, compared with 174 and 141 milligrams in comparable amounts of Dunkin' Donuts and 7-Eleven coffee, respectively. According to the Journal, the average Starbucks coffee drink contains 320 milligrams of caffeine.

ZOUNDS!!

325 mg of caffiene a DAY is an overdose.

And I was jacking 4 venti mochas a day in NY.

JPennant: holy moley, now i realize why i was so addicted to starbux coffee.
JPennant: a grande mocha has more caffiene than noDoz!
JPennant: more than 5 times!
Laura: this is a news flash to you?

Actually, yes.

I remember a comment someone made years ago that starbux puts something in their coffee to make people blindly addicted.

Well, sheeit. starbux followed the Peet's roasting model, and their shit has an insane amount of caffiene in it.

Like the tobacco companies, jack the addictive content, and they will come.

In fact, it could be that many of Starbucks' customers?I see them, lining up in the morning, clutching the brew like a security blanket?literally need the stuff to get through the day.

A recent survey of scientific literature by psychiatrists Roland Griffiths of Johns Hopkins and Laura Juliano of American University found that people who have a one-cup-a-day habit can become addicted.It's not so much the buzz?pleasant as it is?that keeps people coming back for more: It's the symptoms of withdrawal.

In other words, Starbucks may not have to fret about the impact of raising prices because a goodly portion of its customer base may begin to feel sick without its products. Talk about a great business plan!

Man, a plan so evil, you gotta admire it.

It's a very good thing that Im way too broke to even mess with starbux any more.

I wonder if they have a twelve-step program for Starbux addicts.