3 cups espresso a day
Ask HN: How much coffee do you drink as a programmer?
31–40 of 91 posts
Re: Ask HN: How much coffee do you drink as a programmer?
#32Once upon a time I used to have 6 to 10 (3-5 double Espressos). Nowadays I tend to have 4, 1 double Espresso for breakfast and two Americanos, one mid morning and another one after lunch.
Despite what others say I never had headaches or other adverse effects, I just get 'the jitters' if I have more than 5-6. Two weeks ago I quit coffee with my wife as part of an elimination diet and again I haven't felt any side effects, although I do miss the flavour and feel more tired at times.
Re: Ask HN: How much coffee do you drink as a programmer?
#33I drink 4/6 espressos every day.
There is no correlation, beyond any doubt, with the quality of my sleep (I've tracked my coffee drinking and sleep patterns for a long time), as long as I don't drink any after a certain time in the afternoon!
Re: Ask HN: How much coffee do you drink as a programmer?
#34I have done many regimens.
My current pre-quarantine schedule was:
Morning 1x long black at a cafe near the office with a colleague
Rest of work day (plus minus 1 on each item) 2x long black from machine in the office, 1-2x long black with another colleague(s) at a cafe
Home (around 5-6pm) 1x long black
Current WFH schedule is: 2-5x long black roughly every 90 mins.
I enjoy the ritual of making it (plunger) and the warmth. I don't think I get a buzz anymore, but the odd time I do, I love it.
I don't get any noticable side effects, and have gone periods 1-4months without drinking it with no adverse effects.
Re: Ask HN: How much coffee do you drink as a programmer?
#35I've been trying to stop drinking coffee for a while. I would have two strong coffees a day and a first thing in the morning.
First, I was surprised to find it doesn't make me productive at all. I've been tracking my distractibility levels as a measure of my focus (I have a manual counter by my desk) and record my daily times in spreadsheet with notes for those time blocks when I drank caffeine. My distractibility goes up by 100% on average ...
Yes, you get an energy and alertness boost but in my case it's funnelled into lack of focus. It's tricky because it works but you lose.
Secondly, having black coffee every morning on empty stomach led to some stomach issues that are now gone. I also had regular migraines (turns out migraines are dopamine related - i.e. caffeine)
I went cold turkey - headache for days. Then I put up a spreadsheet on the cupboard in my kitchen and made a commitment with my gf to only drink 3 coffees a week, each logged.
Now I keep it at 3 a week and I drink them strategically.
Instead of going for the coffee first thing in the morning I leave it for the moment, mid day on days when I actually need the boost, instead of ruining my natural energy right in the morning. This makes me super productive.
I have no migraines, good solid energy and better focus throughout the day and when I actually drink a cup I really feel the caffeine in my brain (it feels just like a drug) and benefit from it.
Re: Ask HN: How much coffee do you drink as a programmer?
#36I have found strong, loose-leaf tea to give me a much better energy profile than coffee, and it seems to be healthier. There is also quite a variety in different types.
Re: Ask HN: How much coffee do you drink as a programmer?
#37About half a liter... more when I work. I love it :)
Re: Ask HN: How much coffee do you drink as a programmer?
#38No coffee for me, I prefer tea (without milk :D)
I used to drank coffee when I didn't have enough sleep or had to go to the office before 10 AM. My body never reacted well to the coffee and it got worse when there were morning meetings.
Since I gave up on the office completely I don't need more coffee and drink it maybe twice per year just to enjoy its taste if I am in the right mood. Sometimes I envy people who can have 2-4 cups in a day and be fine as coffee nowadays is too good to ignore it. Anyway, as for me I get too much dizzy from it and feel like a hungry squirrel from the "Over the Hedge" squad.
Re: Ask HN: How much coffee do you drink as a programmer?
#39None at all.
If you're not used to coffee, you need it less.
Re: Ask HN: How much coffee do you drink as a programmer?
#40Probably 2-3 per day for me.
Side note: One of my favorite authors Michael Pollan recently published a short audiobook on the effects of caffeine, some of the history behind it, and his experience going cold turkey for a few months. Really quick and interesting 2 hour listen. It's called Caffeine.
Thought I'd share since I found out about his last book "How to Change your Mind" on HN and found it fascinating.