I created a simple Mojolicious webapp, putting data on a SQLite database. I later expanded it to accept/use an "API key" with which I could track my coffee intake, or get how much I drank already and when was my last cup, "simply" by running a simple bash+curl script. The site, instead, displays a neat github-commits-like chart[1] and some recent stats. I have a branch which changes the code to work on Postgres and is deployable on dokku, but I've not yet made the switch to that. I'm still using a mojolicious+sqlite+hypnotoad process running on a cheap VPS.
Since I started tracking my intake, it looks like I drank, on average, 3-4 coffees per day:
sqlite> select (select count(*) from intake)/(select julianday(max(time_t)) - julianday(min(time_t)) from intake);
3.7864677548175
sqlite> select (select count(*) from intake where time_t > "2020-03-08")/(select julianday(max(time_t)) - julianday("2020-03-08") from intake);
4.20309898028925
sqlite> select date(time_t) as ymd, count(*) as cnt from intake group by ymd order by cnt desc limit 5;
2018-05-16|11
2018-03-12|10
2018-05-15|10
2018-02-07|9
2019-06-04|9
I'll fix it up in the next few days and will reply in a comment once it's available.
First, I was surprised to find it doesn't make me productive at all. I've been tracking my distractibility levels as a measure of my focus (I have a manual counter by my desk) and record my daily times in spreadsheet with notes for those time blocks when I drank caffeine. My distractibility goes up by 100% on average ...
Yes, you get an energy and alertness boost but in my case it's funnelled into lack of focus. It's tricky because it works but you lose.
Secondly, having black coffee every morning on empty stomach led to some stomach issues that are now gone. I also had regular migraines (turns out migraines are dopamine related - i.e. caffeine)
I went cold turkey - headache for days. Then I put up a spreadsheet on the cupboard in my kitchen and made a commitment with my gf to only drink 3 coffees a week, each logged.
Now I keep it at 3 a week and I drink them strategically.
Instead of going for the coffee first thing in the morning I leave it for the moment, mid day on days when I actually need the boost, instead of ruining my natural energy right in the morning. This makes me super productive.
I have no migraines, good solid energy and better focus throughout the day and when I actually drink a cup I really feel the caffeine in my brain (it feels just like a drug) and benefit from it.
> I like that 5 cups of coffee per day qualified as “moderate”. That’s right around what I consume.
My immediate thought was "that's crazy, if anyone I know were to drink that much, he'd get mighty uncomfortable or even ill with shaky hands, a punishing heartbeat and heavy sweat". I told my colleagues. One replied and pointed out that the Americans dilute.
All the measurements in the comments so far are useless for drawing a conclusion. We should use milligrams of caffeine consumed and the body weight to have a sound basis for comparison.
I used to drank coffee when I didn't have enough sleep or had to go to the office before 10 AM. My body never reacted well to the coffee and it got worse when there were morning meetings.
Since I gave up on the office completely I don't need more coffee and drink it maybe twice per year just to enjoy its taste if I am in the right mood. Sometimes I envy people who can have 2-4 cups in a day and be fine as coffee nowadays is too good to ignore it. Anyway, as for me I get too much dizzy from it and feel like a hungry squirrel from the "Over the Hedge" squad.
I took a break for 4 months a few years back (to see if I could) and really struggled to keep my eyes open, even with 8 hours sleep on a normal day.
I don't have any issue sleeping and no negative effects from large volumes of coffee. I drink high strength coffee.
This is also probably offset because I drink a lot of water during my day as well. Again probably 10+ pints of water during the course of the day. I'll drink water no matter what I'm doing. I can't fathom how some people go hours without water, to me it's the most important thing for my brain function.
Then I started drinking 2 cups a day. Now it took longer for the headaches to appear, but eventually they did. Especially if I didn't drink for a day, the next day headache would probably emerge.
Now I drink 1 cup a day. No headaches. And frankly, 1 is enough. It's the same problem with every form of indulgence - it's not about the quantity, but the quality.
Once I quit, I thought I'll be less productive, and that I won't be able to focus, but after a week or two, my body recovered from the caffeine addiction.
I started drinking black tea - two cups per day. It's still caffeine, but in far less amount.
I miss coffee, though. I miss its smell and taste and somehow I correlate coffee with work satisfaction, creativity, and being productive. It's probably because the coffee is marketed around work culture, and I bought that.
I'll typically have one cup of coffee one day on the weekend, especially if I'm going to do something to burn the energy (hiking/biking).
EDIT: technically not a programmer but a grad student in a computational field, but I think it's very similar work mentally
http://thefrenchexit.blogspot.com/2012/02/why-does-coffee-sm...
Also, always living in a generally hot climate (Texas) has me usually avoiding hot drinks. I know there are cold products now, but I’m too old to start a new habit.
I only drink decaf, and I will have a cup a few times a week that I make as a pour over for myself. If I am feeling crazy, I will make two.
I am very sensitive to caffeine, and it impacts my sleep very negatively. I tried decreasing caffeinated coffee to half a cup early in the day (e.g., 8 or 9 am), and it didn't matter. I sleep much better when I don't drink caffeinated coffee (or any drink that has very much caffeine).
That said, my understanding is that decaf actually has a small amount of caffeine, but it does not seem to impact my sleep at all. I wonder if the amount of caffeine is actually that low in decaf.
I've never liked the smell/taste, and on the occasions when I get some caffeine from a different source, I find that, at most, the effect I get from it is a bit of jitteriness and a headache later on.
At work place I was drinking about 2-4 x 450 ml per work day. Now at isolation home it's 2-3 cups (maybe 200-250ml per cup) every work day.
Not sure, if the reason for lesser tea consumption at home is because my 450ml pot is at the work place or because I have better concentration at home and less distractions compared to the noisy open office...
Even with the increased alertness, it steals away that productivity from the next day, often resulting in a net loss due to lack of proper sleep.
It increases alertness, but reduces focus.
Reminds me of a friend's remark on why he quit pot: "the scary part was it really convinced me I was productive in my day when in fact I was not"
As soon as I get back in the office though, I'll probably be having 3-4 cups a day. Sometimes cold brew, mostly just black coffee. Occasionally I just do tea. Part of it I think is I just have a bit of an oral fixation, so drinking something helps me vape less (I used to smoke) and eat less (mostly sedentary lifestyle unfortunately)
That isn't a health thing either, I simply csn't understand the appeal of these types of drinks and have never liked the taste of any I've tried.
My current pre-quarantine schedule was:
Morning 1x long black at a cafe near the office with a colleague
Rest of work day (plus minus 1 on each item) 2x long black from machine in the office, 1-2x long black with another colleague(s) at a cafe
Home (around 5-6pm) 1x long black
Current WFH schedule is: 2-5x long black roughly every 90 mins.
I enjoy the ritual of making it (plunger) and the warmth. I don't think I get a buzz anymore, but the odd time I do, I love it.
I don't get any noticable side effects, and have gone periods 1-4months without drinking it with no adverse effects.
Despite what others say I never had headaches or other adverse effects, I just get 'the jitters' if I have more than 5-6. Two weeks ago I quit coffee with my wife as part of an elimination diet and again I haven't felt any side effects, although I do miss the flavour and feel more tired at times.
- When I'm traveling or on holidays 0. I travel regularly in countries without coffee culture and jet lag with coffee is a terrific mix.
- In normal day of work around 5 including 2 in the morning.
- In heavy day of work with many meetings around 8. I tend to prefer good technical/design discussions around a coffee instead of endless (useless) PowerPoint session. It's in my experience both more efficient, human and brief.
Side note: One of my favorite authors Michael Pollan recently published a short audiobook on the effects of caffeine, some of the history behind it, and his experience going cold turkey for a few months. Really quick and interesting 2 hour listen. It's called Caffeine.
Thought I'd share since I found out about his last book "How to Change your Mind" on HN and found it fascinating.
I have one large mug of coffee first thing in the morning (~3-4 cups). I then have a mug of half-caff coffee in the late morning, another mug of half-caff in the early afternoon and occasionally an additional mug in the late afternoon.
I have gradually been cutting back on caffeine, mostly by slowly transitioning to more half-caffeine coffee.
If you're not used to coffee, you need it less.
Over the last six weeks I haven't been to the office, so the two strong cups at breakfast have been all I have.
Guessing my average per day would be 1.5 cups or so.
I usually drink 4 or 5 Nespresso cups. Sometimes 6 or 7.
I can go without anytime, but I would then sometimes miss the taste and the whole "sitting in the hamac/couch with a coffee"
There is no correlation, beyond any doubt, with the quality of my sleep (I've tracked my coffee drinking and sleep patterns for a long time), as long as I don't drink any after a certain time in the afternoon!
These days, it's one or two in the morning for breakfast. I find I work better if I am more relaxed than if I'm wide awake. All-niters are a thing that is gone decades ago.
That is it, I don't go over 2 cups. I try to make the second cup before 2pm my time.
I drink 3-4 cups/day (each cup, with one teaspoon of Amigo coffee and quite a bit of milk :P)
I actually think the jittery feeling is the best part
When I was still working in an office I’d often have a double espresso after lunch as well.
My body doesn't like coffee. Trust me, I tried, for a good decade. It used to be good between me and coffee, but not so much anymore.
Sometimes I'll do one in the afternoon and/or a decaf after dinner.
but, 4-8 cups of black no sugar coffee a day... 2 in the morn, one after lunch one at about 3pm. that is a typical minimum.
Any more is typically because I didnt get enough sleep (gaming watching movies working etc). I try hard to not do that now, but it sneaks in.
I am happy to be able to sleep.
All of it. Programming is the only job I have.
1 after waking.
1 before standup at 10am.
1 at 3pm.
More ruins my sleep.
Anyway, 1 a day, max. Tea on the other hand is not counted in cups but in litres, the cup I use holds about half a litre. I go through 3-4 of those on a good day, 1-2 in the evening. During the day it mostly contains a darker fermented tea variety - I buy it by the kilo - usually labelled 'Ceylon', often with some form of horse on the packaging and a horse-related name even though they're different brands. In the evening I often have some green tea, either plain green or jasmine or with star anise. For all-night hacking sessions I like to use a mix of jasmine and Lapsang Souchong (smoked tea).