Coffee Burnout and How to Fix It
As coffee enthusiasts and reviewers, Mr. Brew and I drink a lot of coffee and a lot of varieties of coffee. That much caffeine, mixed with both wonderful and less desirable brews, will eventually lead us to Coffee Burnout.
Coffee burnout can mean many things to many people. Perhaps the flavors aren’t as satisfying as they once were. Maybe your stomach churns when it didn’t used to, or your hands are shaky, or you just don’t feel the happy caffeine buzz anymore. Or, perhaps it is all of the above.
If you are experiencing any or all of these or similar symptoms, you are in Coffee Burnout. Here are some solutions we’ve used to get back to enjoying our coffee and feeling good while drinking it.
Reduce your consumption.
One of our greatest issues in the past is the amount of coffee we were consuming. The sheer amount of caffeine would leave us both with awful headaches or sick to our stomach. That is no way to enjoy coffee!!
If you brew in a French press like we do, reduce the amount of grounds and water to brew a slightly smaller batch. (37 g of grounds, 24oz of water – this is our new normal and we love it!) If you use a different brewing method like a drip coffee maker, try only making half a pot. Order a small latte instead of a medium or large.
And definitely don’t supplement the smaller quantity with a second (and third) portion later. It will not help you feel better nor will it fix the burnout.
Try a new bag of coffee, or go back to a trusted favorite.
If you are finding that all of your coffee is suddenly bland or tastes the same, you need to mix it up. You can try a new coffee with a profile that you are sure to enjoy (if you are near an HEB in Texas, I’d recommend the Taste of San Antonio or the Houston Blend for maximum flavors) or return to a trusted favorite. Reduce the amount you drink and savor the flavors you once loved.
Thoroughly clean your brewing equipment.
It is easy for flavors from previous brews to be caught in our brewing equipment. If you are finding that all your coffee tastes the same, deep clean your system. It might be time to change the filter for your French press or sanitize the drip machine. Have you cleaned the calcium out of the kettle lately? A little extra cleaning will have a huge impact on flavor.
Take a tea break.
Tea has been consumed for much longer than coffee and for good reason. Take a break from coffee and try drinking black tea (or your favorite variety). And when you want that second cup of coffee in the afternoon, brew a caffeine free tea instead. You may find that you just want to drink something and don’t need caffeine at all. Plus, caffeine free black tea like Earl Grey or a spicy chai-like rooibos tea don’t lose any of their delicious flavor when decaffeinated.
Go decaf or mix it up with mushrooms.
Your system might need a break from all caffeine in order to work through your coffee burnout. Try your favorite coffee in a decaf variety! I have tried several coffees that taste nearly as good in decaf. If you aren’t sure about full on decaf, try half-caff.
Or you can try a mushroom coffee blend. These are definitely growing in popularity and offer a reprieve from the caffeine profile of a straight bean blend—plus an immunity boost, cognitive support, and stressor reducer—but without compromising on the flavors. Even adding this in a few days a week might be the key to getting you back from burnout. (A good mushroom coffee to try is Laird’s Focus. It’s a personal favorite!)
Coffee burnout is real and it is important to remember that even though you may think caffeine doesn’t affect you, it does. Consuming too much caffeine increases anxiety, causes dehydration, increases heartrate, harms digestion, and keeps you up at night. If you are like Mr. Brew and I, you want to keep enjoying the wonderful flavors of coffee for a long time. That requires a bit of restraint and consciousness. Take care of yourself now and you’ll rekindle the love and joy of coffee and be able to explore its vast flavors for years to come.
Cheers,
Mrs. Brew