 |
Meth Coffee Now The Coffiest
Meth Coffee, an edgily-named coffee company based in San Francisco, opened for business yesterday with its own special brew of super-caffeinated coffee.
Meth Coffee, described on the company website as "a volatitherapeutic beverage," is a blend of Arabian and South American coffee beans with a "dusting" of yerba mate. Yerba mate is a natural stimulant made from Ilex paraguariensis, a species of holly native to subtropical Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil. Mate is prepared by steeping the dried leaves in hot water; its flavor is compared to that of green tea.
Mate contains xanthines, which are alkaloids in the same general family as caffeine, theophylline and theobromine (well-known stimulants also found in coffee and chocolate). Mate seems to have physiological effects that are different from coffee; it appears to create a mental state of wakefulness and alertness, but without some of the negative effects of caffeine (like heart palpitations and anxiety).
(Yerba Mate leaves)
Science fiction enthusiasts may recall coffiest, the wonderfully profitable beverage from the prescient 1952 novel on the future of advertising - The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl and CM Kornbluth. It also contains a special alkaloid:
"...here's what makes this campaign great in my estimation - each sample of Coffiest contains three milligrams of a simple alkaloid. Nothing harmful. But definitely habit-forming. After ten weeks the customer is hooked for life..."
(Read more about coffiest)
Hmmm, there might be more to this Meth Coffee than meets the eye...
If you are interested in futuristic beverages, consider
- Synthehol Sought By Psychopharmacologists
A substitute for alcohol predicted by mainstream sci-fi. - Programmable Soda in Choice-Enabled Packaging
Six flavors of soda - in a single bottle; you pick the flavor, or any combination.
Read more about Meth Coffee here and at the Meth Coffe website; more details about yerba mate are also available.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 1/11/2007)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 1 )
Related News Stories - (" Lifestyle ")
Farming Detroit Like Trantor
An agrarian Detroit may well be in the offing in the decline of the Big Three automakers.
Sleepbox Like Niven's Napcap
Just the thing for weary travelers, it looks like someone was reading Larry Niven. But where's the sleep induction cap?
Date Rape Prevention Lip Gloss Kit
Women should take their 2 Love My Lips lip gloss when clubbing, because you never know when someone will try chaumurky.
Biggest Electronic Book Store On Earth
I'm a bit late with this story, but then again, so is Barnes and Noble with that whole electronic bookstore idea.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Current News
AirRobot Micro-UAV 'Fairies' In Shakespeare Play
At least they were not the 'rude mechanicals'.
Paralysis Ray Uses Photocontrolled Molecular Switch
Gerry was dubious. She had seen abortive attempts at paralysis rays before.
Brine Wells May Swallow Towns
Dissolve 1 teaspoon of the Quadraturin essence in 1 cup of water.
Will In-Vitro Meat Change Our Lives?
ChickieNobs, anyone?
Walky iPhone Finger Gesture Robot Controller
Let your fingers - uh - your robot do the walking. And hopping.
OnStar Stolen Vehicle Slowdown Foils Carjacker
Better than a car chase.
Robot Martial Arts Videos
Robo-Shiko!
Interactive TV Patent From Sony
Can you dance faster than the White Clown?
Smart Contact Lens With Power Harvesting Circuits
Smart contacts with VR connections.
'Significant Amount' Of Lunar Water Found
Droogs! There's water ice on the moon!
FOXP2 Tweak Yields Planet Of The Apes?
Get your filthy words off me, you damn dirty ape!
Lev, Theremin-Playing Robot
Patsy Cline classic played by robot.
XT-1 Micro Mouse With Blazing Speed
These are fully autonomouse robots.
Escape Pods, Refuge Of ISS Astronauts From Space Junk
Who first thought about escape pods?
Steerable Bowling Ball Is A Cheesy Spherical Robot
Once the province of geeks, now in bowling alleys.
Bio-Mechanics And Micro-Robotic Flight
Micro air vehicles and insect flight.
