# Time off from Coffee



## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Point of the topic : *Do you guys ever have a break from drinking coffee?*

My findings :

Enjoying myself a little too much the past few weeks due to Stag-do's (im the best man) & summer parties etc...this prompted me to have a full 'detox'. No alcohol, caffeine, salt , sugar, saturated fat or refined foods. I did a full 7 days of this, relaxed a little over the weekend with some wine and then am back on the detox for 4 days so far this week.

Today I fancied a coffee (first urges for 10 days!) & the Brewtus was looking sorry for itself, thin layer of dust on it, poor thing. I had no fresh beans and only had the free ones that came with the machine! Made a cappuchino. Got the milk spot on, lovely and glossy and thick, well amalgamated too. The espresso pour itself was nice looking, 31 seconds , 30g from 17g beans, reasonable crema for such old beans.

The taste , nice balance of sweet milk (got it right wooho) and slight choccy-bitterness from the very dark ''italian'' beans.

The problem : 3 sips and I was shaking and sweating. Couldnt finish it : ( My CNS is fully 'reset' and tollorance is very very low. I dare not try a brewed coffee....yet!


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## vintagecigarman (Aug 10, 2009)

I can't remember my last day without coffee!

I can give the wine and other booze a miss for a few weeks at a time when trying to lose weight, but give up coffee - never!

Mind you, if I was using the freebie beans that BB very generously give out with their machines (and I presume those are what you are talking about), then I don't know if I'd be back for a second cup.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Yep, the ones in the gold bag. Not my cup of tea straight-up (excuse the pun) but not that terrible in milk, if the milk is steamed to correct sweetness.


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## ChiarasDad (Mar 21, 2010)

Yes, the last couple of weeks I've been mostly coffee-free. I just haven't had the desire for it. I suppose it is some odd combination of the weather messing with my body rhythms, a delay in arrival of some new coffee (while my tide-me-over bag was just not compellingly good), and who knows what else.

So for the last couple of weeks I've skipped coffee. Some days I've just had water, some days green tea, and a couple of days, I'll admit it, I've had a Coke Zero or two. But I really haven't particularly wanted coffee.


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## thomss (May 9, 2011)

I'm day 3 in to a month off Coffee







- Just as I got my new grinder! Noooooooooo....


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## MonkeyHarris (Dec 3, 2010)

Never take any time off really. I went to Spain on holiday a month back for a week. I tried espresso from 3 different coffee establishments. The best of which was utterly vile. The smallest was probably about 3oz, none of them had any crema of any shape or form. So I didn't really touch any that week. Soon as I was through my front door though I was rinsing out the tank on my Silvia.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

TBH I can go forever without feeling the need to drink coffee, but I do get a daily urge to make one. It depends if the beans are interesting. I haven't found the time to try those Finca Argentina yet and it's killing me, but its more of an "I want to taste these beans" thing than a physical craving for coffee.

Those shakes sound bad though! I'd lay off for a little while longer if I were you, Gary!! or go decaff


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## BanishInstant (Oct 12, 2009)

While my TS was being repaired I resorted to French Press since instant is now intolerable. I could not go without my coffee fix. My TS is back now and I am back into the groove.


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## crispy (Jun 6, 2011)

Only when I run out of beans, not really by choice... I do love drinking the stuff but I love making it just as much, trying to get the best out of my beans and equipment...

I was knackered towards the back end of last week due to work and training and overcooked it a little using the french press at work shortly after having a double shot latte at home, it was pretty strong, got the coffee wobbles and was pretty much giggling like a school kid...

definitely don't get the same kick from latte / cappucino as I do from French Press, blows my socks off when I am tired and not expecting it...

Infrequently I get cravings but these are few and far between... when I went to Scotland recently I took my Chemex and some coffee as all you need is a travel kettle...


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## speedstead (Aug 3, 2011)

Personally, I don't drink coffee over the weekend. I like it to be a treat when I am at work. A break to look forward to. I do however, drink tea.


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## Stevenp6 (May 17, 2011)

Tried to give up coffee for a week. Never managed it. Easier to give up beer and **** than coffee.


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## chimpsinties (Jun 13, 2011)

I used to have 6 month off coffee now and again. It's surprising how calm you feel when you've not got caffeine coursing through your veins. Also I find that I fall asleep as soon as my head touches the pillow and wake up like a shot in the morning. Whereas when I'm drinking coffee it takes me ages to get up









I was probably due another detox right around the time when I got my Gaggia so obviously that didn't happen. Maybe I'll do it again around Xmas time? (maybe I won't







)

I do get pretty bad head aches when I stop drinking caffeine and you certainly don't want to get in a conversation with me before my morning brew


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## Monkey_Devil (Jul 11, 2011)

Not coffee related, but when I was younger, about 15, I had been drinking these giant mugs of tea constantly for years. My mug held 2 standard mugs worth and I was drinking 15-20 of them a day, so 30 to 40 standard mugs worth a day, always brewed with 2 teabags. My parents got concerned and I ignored them.

Eventually they switched all the teabags out for decaffeinated ones, but kept the old packaging so that I didn't know. They tricked me into going cold turkey. I was very I'll for about 2 weeks, nausea, headaches, dizziness, breathlessness...for 2 weeks! Those symptoms gradually faded over the rest of the month. My parents persuaded me not to see a doctor, as I still didn't know the cause of my illness. They told me after that month what they'd done. I was angry, but they'd made their point. Took about 6 months to adjust, to shake off the drowsiness and lethargy.

Anyway, chances are now that I'm full on addicted again...but I prefer this haha.


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