Stok Black Coffee Shot; Warning: High Caffeine

I've been burning the midnight oil a bit, trying to catch up on projects--both the home improvement and money-in-the-bank kind--and I've been imbibing a little more caffeine than usual: coffee during the day and a Big Ass Diet Coke each evening. But even as a hard-core caffeine enthusiast, I find this a little scary:

The Stok Black Coffee Shot, a chemically enhanced non-dairy coffee product. I'm not sure how long it's been around, but I noticed it for the first time at the 7-11 last night. With 40 mg of caffeine per serving, the package boasts it's equivalent to a shot of espresso (although I looked this up; ounce per ounce it actually has twice as much caffeine as espresso). I found the Stok Web site, where they sing the praises of their product: "It’s a sweet coffee shot that puts more caffeine and a packet of sugar in your coffee...limit 2 servings per day. Not for use by children under age 18, pregnant women, or the caffeine-sensitive." The package itself says: "Warning: High Caffeine."

I don't know. Does a product like this seem a wee bit irresponsible? You know people are not going to limit themselves to two. When I used to use creamers, back in college, I'd probably dump four or five in a large coffee.

So what keeps you guys going when you need to? I love my lattes and my Diet Coke, but weaning myself off of them again after this round of work is going to be a bitch.

Behind every successful woman is a substantial amount of coffee.

—Stephanie Piro

Coffee, Commentary, Kafka

Happiness is...

a slice of anisette toast and being reunited with my favorite mug.

My KBHR Chris in the Morning Coffee/Commentary/Kafka Northern Exposure mug was not with the other mugs that were carefully wrapped and set gently in a box that was clearly marked "Mugs" with a big, black, Sharpie. No. For some reason, I had tossed my beloved favorite in a recycled Jewel grocery bag along with an empty glass for Pom tea and a handful of menus from my old neighborhood. It's lucky it made it to The Box House at all. Thanks, Mom, for finding it and not throwing it away because it looked like trash.