there's something about coffee

After decades of gathering anecdotal evidence, I've come to suspect that there is something substantial to coffee aside from caffeine. Occasionally I find vague references to "compounds" that stimulate adenosine, or have other health benefits, but it's difficult to even search for, because the vast majority of material out there treats the benefits of coffee and caffeine as synonymous.

Now that I'm quitting it again, I've realizing even half a cup of decaf feels more potent than multiple cups of tea. I know decaf has some caffeine still, but it should be much less than a cup or two of tea. Maybe my physiology is different, and I'm more sensitive to something in coffee other than caffeine. Or maybe other people just don't pay much attention. I don't know.

I've had to give up decaf too, as it ended up feeling like being addicted to coffee all over again. When I'm feeling especially desperate for a fix, I try drinking some green tea instead, but the caffeine in it doesn't seem to do anything. I remember noting in the past that without caffeine, I tend to blog less, post to social media less, attempt to socialize in general less. Temporarily, I guess, but so far, I keep going back to caffeine, so who knows.