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Ask HN: How much coffee do you drink as a programmer?

41 pointsby bor100003about 5 years ago
After resisting for years buying a coffee machine, I finally got one. At work I'm drinking 2-3 a day but staying at home all the time seems to make me drink more. How much do you drink? What's your normal intake?

69 comments

mfontaniabout 5 years ago
A while back (couple years) I started tracking how much coffee I drank, and (roughly) when.<p>I created a simple Mojolicious webapp, putting data on a SQLite database. I later expanded it to accept&#x2F;use an &quot;API key&quot; with which I could track my coffee intake, or get how much I drank already and when was my last cup, &quot;simply&quot; by running a simple bash+curl script. The site, instead, displays a neat github-commits-like chart[1] and some recent stats. I have a branch which changes the code to work on Postgres and is deployable on dokku, but I&#x27;ve not yet made the switch to that. I&#x27;m still using a mojolicious+sqlite+hypnotoad process running on a cheap VPS.<p>Since I started tracking my intake, it looks like I drank, on average, 3-4 coffees per day:<p><pre><code> sqlite&gt; select (select count(*) from intake)&#x2F;(select julianday(max(time_t)) - julianday(min(time_t)) from intake); 3.7864677548175 </code></pre> Here in Italy&#x27;s northern region, the quarantine started region-wide on the 8th of March.<p><pre><code> sqlite&gt; select (select count(*) from intake where time_t &gt; &quot;2020-03-08&quot;)&#x2F;(select julianday(max(time_t)) - julianday(&quot;2020-03-08&quot;) from intake); 4.20309898028925 </code></pre> It looks like I&#x27;m drinking a bit more coffee than the usual, but surely nowhere as near as my most intake:<p><pre><code> sqlite&gt; select date(time_t) as ymd, count(*) as cnt from intake group by ymd order by cnt desc limit 5; 2018-05-16|11 2018-03-12|10 2018-05-15|10 2018-02-07|9 2019-06-04|9 </code></pre> Hope it helps! :)<p>[1]: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;i.imgur.com&#x2F;c0DqAGO.png" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;i.imgur.com&#x2F;c0DqAGO.png</a>
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michaluabout 5 years ago
I&#x27;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.<p>First, I was surprised to find it doesn&#x27;t make me productive at all. I&#x27;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 ...<p>Yes, you get an energy and alertness boost but in my case it&#x27;s funnelled into lack of focus. It&#x27;s tricky because it works but you lose.<p>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)<p>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.<p>Now I keep it at 3 a week and I drink them strategically.<p>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.<p>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.
bmn__about 5 years ago
In <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;daringfireball.net&#x2F;linked&#x2F;2017&#x2F;11&#x2F;13&#x2F;coffee-cardiovascular-disease" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;daringfireball.net&#x2F;linked&#x2F;2017&#x2F;11&#x2F;13&#x2F;coffee-cardiova...</a>, Gruber writes:<p>&gt; I like that 5 cups of coffee per day qualified as “moderate”. That’s right around what I consume.<p>My immediate thought was &quot;that&#x27;s crazy, if anyone I know were to drink that much, he&#x27;d get mighty uncomfortable or even ill with shaky hands, a punishing heartbeat and heavy sweat&quot;. I told my colleagues. One replied and pointed out that the Americans dilute.<p>All the measurements in the comments so far are useless for drawing a conclusion. We should use milligrams of caffeine consumed and the body weight to have a sound basis for comparison.
tarasmatsykabout 5 years ago
No coffee for me, I prefer tea (without milk :D)<p>I used to drank coffee when I didn&#x27;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.<p>Since I gave up on the office completely I don&#x27;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 &quot;Over the Hedge&quot; squad.
nextweek2about 5 years ago
10-12 on a work day, have done for 20 years. When I&#x27;m off I end up having 3-4 during the course of the day but certainly feel more sluggish on those days.<p>I took a break for 4 months a few years back (to see if I could) and really struggled to keep my eyes open, even with 8 hours sleep on a normal day.<p>I don&#x27;t have any issue sleeping and no negative effects from large volumes of coffee. I drink high strength coffee.<p>This is also probably offset because I drink a lot of water during my day as well. Again probably 10+ pints of water during the course of the day. I&#x27;ll drink water no matter what I&#x27;m doing. I can&#x27;t fathom how some people go hours without water, to me it&#x27;s the most important thing for my brain function.
keiferskiabout 5 years ago
A piece of advice: Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don&#x27;t plan it. Don&#x27;t wait for it. Just let it happen. It could be a new shirt at the men&#x27;s store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot black coffee.
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tekkkabout 5 years ago
Once upon a time, I drank about 3 a day. Then I would start to get headaches after a month or two, and had to take a break from coffee.<p>Then I started drinking 2 cups a day. Now it took longer for the headaches to appear, but eventually they did. Especially if I didn&#x27;t drink for a day, the next day headache would probably emerge.<p>Now I drink 1 cup a day. No headaches. And frankly, 1 is enough. It&#x27;s the same problem with every form of indulgence - it&#x27;s not about the quantity, but the quality.
milansmabout 5 years ago
I quit coffee as part of New Year&#x27;s resolution. I started feeling nauseous in the morning if I drank a cup of coffee in the afternoon the day before.<p>Once I quit, I thought I&#x27;ll be less productive, and that I won&#x27;t be able to focus, but after a week or two, my body recovered from the caffeine addiction.<p>I started drinking black tea - two cups per day. It&#x27;s still caffeine, but in far less amount.<p>I miss coffee, though. I miss its smell and taste and somehow I correlate coffee with work satisfaction, creativity, and being productive. It&#x27;s probably because the coffee is marketed around work culture, and I bought that.
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pmontraabout 5 years ago
Zero. Probably an outlier. It doesn&#x27;t do me anything.
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Areading314about 5 years ago
I 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.
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csaabout 5 years ago
Not currently working as a programmer, but I have worked as one in the past.<p>I only drink decaf, and I will have a cup a few times a week that I make as a pour over for myself. If I am feeling crazy, I will make two.<p>I am very sensitive to caffeine, and it impacts my sleep very negatively. I tried decreasing caffeinated coffee to half a cup early in the day (e.g., 8 or 9 am), and it didn&#x27;t matter. I sleep much better when I don&#x27;t drink caffeinated coffee (or any drink that has very much caffeine).<p>That said, my understanding is that decaf actually has a small amount of caffeine, but it does not seem to impact my sleep at all. I wonder if the amount of caffeine is actually that low in decaf.
mysticmodeabout 5 years ago
I drink around 7 to 8 times a day. People say it&#x27;s bad, but who cares.. I&#x27;m just enjoying my coffee and a good smoke everyday.
scott10about 5 years ago
Pre lockdown:double-shot when I wake up wile the Keurig was heating up, then a cup of coffee. 5-shot latte on the way to work, sometimes a 4-shot afternoon latte. I gave up coffee once in the 90’s for a month. I felt rundown and was very congested; I thought I had the flu. One day walking through the breakroom I was walking past the coffee pot and had to have a cup.i felt a bit better and went back for another. I felt better still. After 5 cups, I felt fine and my congestion was gone! I never cared after that how much coffee I drank as long as I got enough.
danarisabout 5 years ago
None.<p>I&#x27;ve never liked the smell&#x2F;taste, and on the occasions when I get some caffeine from a different source, I find that, at most, the effect I get from it is a bit of jitteriness and a headache later on.
trm42about 5 years ago
I&#x27;ve had about two cups of coffee in my whole life but I&#x27;m addicted to tea. Especially good quality senchas.<p>At work place I was drinking about 2-4 x 450 ml per work day. Now at isolation home it&#x27;s 2-3 cups (maybe 200-250ml per cup) every work day.<p>Not sure, if the reason for lesser tea consumption at home is because my 450ml pot is at the work place or because I have better concentration at home and less distractions compared to the noisy open office...
downshunabout 5 years ago
Minimal.<p>Even with the increased alertness, it steals away that productivity from the next day, often resulting in a net loss due to lack of proper sleep.<p>It increases alertness, but reduces focus.<p>Reminds me of a friend&#x27;s remark on why he quit pot: &quot;the scary part was it really convinced me I was productive in my day when in fact I was not&quot;
roydivisionabout 5 years ago
None. I have two at most cups of caffeinated tea in the morning on a work day, and that’s it for the day. I have a very low tolerance for caffeine, a little goes a long way. And I’ve fallen into the trap in the past of starting to rely on it, which turned out badly, stress, sleep deprivation, etc.
jrs95about 5 years ago
Now that I&#x27;m working remote &amp; holed up in my apartment all the time, none. I got some of the DOOM Eternal branded G Fuel for the game launch, and it&#x27;s strong (300 mg of caffeine per serving...and it&#x27;s spicy lemonade, which sounds weird but it&#x27;s delicious) so I have that on occasion in the morning to recover from a night of bad sleep. For the most part been staying away from the caffeine though and I&#x27;ve adjusted to it pretty well.<p>As soon as I get back in the office though, I&#x27;ll probably be having 3-4 cups a day. Sometimes cold brew, mostly just black coffee. Occasionally I just do tea. Part of it I think is I just have a bit of an oral fixation, so drinking something helps me vape less (I used to smoke) and eat less (mostly sedentary lifestyle unfortunately)
sethammonsabout 5 years ago
Zero. While coffee smells nice, it all tastes like ash. No, it is not burned; I’ve had pros coax me into a sip of the best they know. Ash. Also, I get tired when I take caffeine. The best pick-me-up for me is a light, high protein snack.
CM30about 5 years ago
None. For whatever reason, I just don&#x27;t care for the taste of either coffee or tea.<p>That isn&#x27;t a health thing either, I simply csn&#x27;t understand the appeal of these types of drinks and have never liked the taste of any I&#x27;ve tried.
haliouabout 5 years ago
Used to drink 2 cups a day. 1 after waking up and the next as soon as I reached the office. As coffee affects my sleep quite badly, moved to having only teas during the weekdays and enjoying the coffees at the weekend.
robjanabout 5 years ago
I used to drink very little but then the office reduced the friction of getting a cup of coffee by installing a machine which grinds and brews espresso. Now I am on 3-5 cups per day but slowly reducing my intake.
SBCRecabout 5 years ago
I have done many regimens.<p>My current pre-quarantine schedule was:<p>Morning 1x long black at a cafe near the office with a colleague<p>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<p>Home (around 5-6pm) 1x long black<p>Current WFH schedule is: 2-5x long black roughly every 90 mins.<p>I enjoy the ritual of making it (plunger) and the warmth. I don&#x27;t think I get a buzz anymore, but the odd time I do, I love it.<p>I don&#x27;t get any noticable side effects, and have gone periods 1-4months without drinking it with no adverse effects.
angarg12about 5 years ago
Once 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.<p>Despite what others say I never had headaches or other adverse effects, I just get &#x27;the jitters&#x27; 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&#x27;t felt any side effects, although I do miss the flavour and feel more tired at times.
adev_about 5 years ago
Between 0 and 8 cup per day, depend of the day.<p>- When I&#x27;m traveling or on holidays 0. I travel regularly in countries without coffee culture and jet lag with coffee is a terrific mix.<p>- In normal day of work around 5 including 2 in the morning.<p>- In heavy day of work with many meetings around 8. I tend to prefer good technical&#x2F;design discussions around a coffee instead of endless (useless) PowerPoint session. It&#x27;s in my experience both more efficient, human and brief.
jcueninabout 5 years ago
I don&#x27;t drink coffee, just water or tea sometimes :)
sourdesiabout 5 years ago
Probably 2-3 per day for me.<p>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&#x27;s called Caffeine.<p>Thought I&#x27;d share since I found out about his last book &quot;How to Change your Mind&quot; on HN and found it fascinating.
pxhbabout 5 years ago
A lot - around 6-8 cups&#x2F;day<p>I have one large mug of coffee first thing in the morning (~3-4 cups). I then have a mug of half-caff coffee in the late morning, another mug of half-caff in the early afternoon and occasionally an additional mug in the late afternoon.<p>I have gradually been cutting back on caffeine, mostly by slowly transitioning to more half-caffeine coffee.
perlgeekabout 5 years ago
None at all.<p>If you&#x27;re not used to coffee, you need it less.
cafardabout 5 years ago
I drink my real coffee at breakfast: two strong cups of a dark roast. At the office, I will get a couple of cups of cafeteria coffee in the morning--I don&#x27;t regard it as serious coffee, just as something to sip in the course of the day.<p>Over the last six weeks I haven&#x27;t been to the office, so the two strong cups at breakfast have been all I have.
captn3m0about 5 years ago
Zero. 1-2 cups of tea (usually black, but sometimes Chai because my flatmates prefer that).<p>Guessing my average per day would be 1.5 cups or so.
BrandoElFollitoabout 5 years ago
I like the taste of coffee but is no impact on my body: I am not more alert, I can go to sleep right after a coffee and I have no problems with sleep.<p>I usually drink 4 or 5 Nespresso cups. Sometimes 6 or 7.<p>I can go without anytime, but I would then sometimes miss the taste and the whole &quot;sitting in the hamac&#x2F;couch with a coffee&quot;
mstaoruabout 5 years ago
I prefer extremely dark, almost charcoal roasts (which actually have less caffeine) of Colombian or Indonesian origins. Roast them myself in a pan over a gas stove. I can drink 3-4 mugs of Aeropress coffee, 17g beans per cup. This, and smoking a pipe of a good English or Oriental tobacco, absolutely heaven.
fanf2about 5 years ago
I make a 1 litre cafetière of coffee most days, which makes three mugs of coffee. I use about 50g - 60g coffee per cafetière. I have a Bodum Columbia which is insulated to help keep the coffee hot for a couple of hours. And I try not to have more caffeine after my morning coffee.
quixquaxquxabout 5 years ago
Since quarantine and WFH I&#x27;m pretty sure I&#x27;ve been overdosing. Earlier this week I was feeling anxious, jittery, and dehydrated. Detoxed from caffeine Wed-Fri and today (Sat) feeling much better. Will ease back into 1 cup a day and drink more water.
snypoxabout 5 years ago
I don’t drink coffee at all. I don’t get the hype. It makes some people addicted which is scary.
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MrDresdenabout 5 years ago
In my experience being in the office causes me to drink more coffee due to the social aspect of it. I got my self espresso machine last xmas and am now only having 2-3 espressos a day where before I was perhaps having 3-5 big mugs of strong coffee.
bootloopabout 5 years ago
I don&#x27;t drink coffee. I prefer to sleep when I need rest. But I trink a lot of water. And as I like it cold I am fetching new once throughout the day. That gets me away from the screen and allows me to talk to peers (who drink coffee).
pizza234about 5 years ago
I drink 4&#x2F;6 espressos every day.<p>There is no correlation, beyond any doubt, with the quality of my sleep (I&#x27;ve tracked my coffee drinking and sleep patterns for a long time), as long as I don&#x27;t drink any after a certain time in the afternoon!
markpapadakisabout 5 years ago
I never had coffee. I drink Diet Coke and I enjoy tea ( I have some once every week or so ). I have been writing code for over 25 years now, and I never felt that I was missing out but then again not sure I’d know either way.
simonblackabout 5 years ago
Used to drink 6-10 cups a day, even one at bedtime.<p>These days, it&#x27;s one or two in the morning for breakfast. I find I work better if I am more relaxed than if I&#x27;m wide awake. All-niters are a thing that is gone decades ago.
tmalyabout 5 years ago
I make a cup using full immersion method in the morning. If I am still tired after lunch, I might make a second cup.<p>That is it, I don&#x27;t go over 2 cups. I try to make the second cup before 2pm my time.
photaweabout 5 years ago
I thought I drink too much, but reading the other answers, seems I&#x27;m on the safe side :D<p>I drink 3-4 cups&#x2F;day (each cup, with one teaspoon of Amigo coffee and quite a bit of milk :P)
DDR0about 5 years ago
I don&#x27;t drink coffee. Or tea. Or energy drinks. I get me enough sleep, such that I&#x27;m waking up naturally before work, and then I just… do it. ¯\_(ツ)_&#x2F;¯
bdibsabout 5 years ago
I work from home, use an Aeropress, and drink between 4-6 cups of black coffee per day. Once it starts getting late I’ll sometimes throw in a cup of green tea.
ulisesrmzrocheabout 5 years ago
Probably like a gallon altogether from all sources, sometimes more. Cheers me up knowing that soon I’ll be so intense<p>I actually think the jittery feeling is the best part
kevinherronabout 5 years ago
I drink 1 cup every morning, and sometimes part of a 2nd cup after that.<p>When I was still working in an office I’d often have a double espresso after lunch as well.
teabee89about 5 years ago
I don&#x27;t drink any. I take power naps if needed.
kleer001about 5 years ago
Zero.<p>My body doesn&#x27;t like coffee. Trust me, I tried, for a good decade. It used to be good between me and coffee, but not so much anymore.
ClikeXabout 5 years ago
3-5 a day. Usually 2 in the morning, one right before lunch.<p>Sometimes I&#x27;ll do one in the afternoon and&#x2F;or a decaf after dinner.
polyterativeabout 5 years ago
2 espresso, one once awake, one after lunch
chad_ochoabout 5 years ago
I take some vyvanse in the morning along with a tall boy of Starbucks espresso mocha and I’m good for the day
alienspacesabout 5 years ago
Two first thing in the very early morning, one after the other. Maybe one in the afternoon... Or a nap
senectus1about 5 years ago
not a programmer, more of an admin :-P<p>but, 4-8 cups of black no sugar coffee a day... 2 in the morn, one after lunch one at about 3pm. that is a typical minimum.<p>Any more is typically because I didnt get enough sleep (gaming watching movies working etc). I try hard to not do that now, but it sneaks in.
darkrabout 5 years ago
Between 2 and 8 cups per day. Usually switch to tea or water later in the afternoon.
eldelshellabout 5 years ago
2 capuccinos&#x2F;lattes: breakfast &amp; after lunch. I get more milk than coffee.
ferrosabout 5 years ago
Don’t forget for smokers that your body metabolises caffeine around twice as fast
toxicForkabout 5 years ago
I quit a few weeks ago, after switching to decaf a few months ago.<p>I am happy to be able to sleep.
RickJWagnerabout 5 years ago
How much coffee do I drink as a programmer?<p>All of it. Programming is the only job I have.
smclabout 5 years ago
One after breakfast, one after lunch. Any more and my nerves feel jangly
AndyMcConachieabout 5 years ago
Regularly 2 cups a day. One after breakfast and another after lunch.
coder4lifeabout 5 years ago
About 3&#x2F;4 of a large pot, so about 3 large coffees
sawmuraiabout 5 years ago
About half a liter... more when I work. I love it :)
camjohnson26about 5 years ago
Easily 2 pots for me, probably average 6-7 cups.
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PopeDotNinjaabout 5 years ago
~10 cans of diet soda per day.
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mister_hnabout 5 years ago
3 cups espresso a day
Antoninusabout 5 years ago
3 cups a day.<p>1 after waking.<p>1 before standup at 10am.<p>1 at 3pm.<p>More ruins my sleep.
Yetanfouabout 5 years ago
Real Programmers Drink Tea, have you not heard?<p>Anyway, 1 a day, max. Tea on the other hand is not counted in cups but in litres, the cup I use holds about half a litre. I go through 3-4 of those on a good day, 1-2 in the evening. During the day it mostly contains a darker fermented tea variety - I buy it by the kilo - usually labelled &#x27;Ceylon&#x27;, often with some form of horse on the packaging and a horse-related name even though they&#x27;re different brands. In the evening I often have some green tea, either plain green or jasmine or with star anise. For all-night hacking sessions I like to use a mix of jasmine and Lapsang Souchong (smoked tea).
non-entityabout 5 years ago
Not a lot. I&#x27;m not a huge coffee fan, I&#x27;ll drink it if it&#x27;s free and theres nothing else and occasionally I&#x27;ll buy one, however.