Anyone who knows me, knows how deep my passion for coffee runs. Personally I have never consumed an energy drink in my life. So the popularity of them had me wondering if I enjoy my coffee for the smell of freshly brewed coffee, the taste or the benefit of the caffine. Oh forget it, it is the whole experience. That is a topic for another blog another day.

What has society has come to when their moods and alertness can be altered with simply popping open a can? Whether you are for or against energy drinks or the non-energy calmness drinks, please post your thoughts in response to this blog.

Slow DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWNNNNNN
Energy drinks might be all the rage, but not everyone wants an instant pick me up; or rather, there are just some people that shouldn’t have one. With this in mind, a new company has created the anti-energy drink to help tone down the hyperactive.

Slow Cow http://www.slowcowdrink.com is the exact opposite of the energy drinks that cause hyperactivity, anxiety and the jitters. The anti-energy drink contains ingredients like theanine, chamomile, valerian, passiflora and other ingredients known for their calming effects. Slow Cow promises to help people de-stress and relax, while increasing mental awareness at the same time.

And yes it’s true; the Canadian company is taking a dig at their top energy drink competitor with their creative name!
Link: http://watch.ctv.ca/news/clip163632#clip163632

Up Up and Away…..
About 500-plus new energy drinks launched worldwide in 2006, pushing every envelope in an effort to rake in dollars from teenagers. The $3.4 billion-a-year industry that grew by 80 percent last year, according to The Associated Press. Approximately 31 percent of U.S. teens — or 7.6 million — drank energy beverages last year, a jump of almost 3 million in three years.

“I don’t think this is a good thing,” said Dr. Naveed Siddique as he looked over energy drink statistics. “Side effects of too much caffeine can be upset stomach, jitters, being nervous.”

According to Siddique, the normal daily caffeine intake for teenagers can safely range around 200 milligrams. One 16-ounce can of Rockstar contains 150 milligrams of caffeine; one same-size can of Monster contains 140 milligrams; and rounding out the charts is Cocaine Energy Drink, slamming 280 milligrams of caffeine into 8.4 ounces — at nearly half the volume of Rockstar and most other energy drinks.

Caffeine content of select drinks

Canned or bottled beverages (12-ounce unless noted) Milligrams of caffeine

• Rockstar (16-ounce) — 150

• Cocaine Energy Drink (8.4 ounces) — 280

• Red Bull (8.2 ounce) — 80

• Jolt — 71.2

• Mountain Dew — 55

• Pepsi-Cola — 37.5

• Coca-Cola Classic — 34

8-ounce beverages

• Coffee, drip — 115-175

• Coffee, brewed — 80-135*

• Tea, brewed U.S. brand — 40

• Tea, green — 15

*Note: The caffeine content in coffee from specialty coffee shops can vary widely, depending on how strongly it is brewed.

— National Soft Drink Association, U.S. Food and Drug Administration