Indeed, representatives of major soft-drink companies are always sure to point out that caffeine is added because it's a flavor, not because it's a stimulant. Some scientists who study caffeine even draw parallels to the use of nicotine in cigarettes, which the tobacco industry long argued was added as a flavor enhancer and not for its drug-like effects. Nutritionists also warn that little is known about the stimulant's long-term effects on children, and urge parents to exercise caution. "Every young kid likes to be like an older person, and now that it's harder for them to move into alcohol, kids are going to soda and other caffeinated beverages."Ĭaffeine has no nutritional value and can make a person jittery and dull the appetite. "Caffeine is the drug of choice for kids in the '90s," says Gerald Celente, editor of the Trends Journal. And then there are the gourmet coffee bars, where the sweet, frosty frappes, in particular, appeal to younger palates. In suburban Boston, a disgruntled mother speaks of her elementary school-aged son who stayed up all night drinking Pepsi with his pals at a slumber party. Though there are no statistics for recent years showing an increase in caffeine consumption among kids, anecdotal evidence suggests it could be on the horizon.īefore sporting events, parents report, adolescents will down a Mountain Dew or a Jolt for the rush. Old standbys like Coca-Cola and Pepsi - and their higher-caffeine cousins Mountain Dew and Jolt - have been joined by new high-caffeine drinks with names like Surge, a citrus soda, and Water Joe, a caffeinated-water product.Ĭaffeine is in, and young people are a big marketing target. Then check out the beverage aisle at the grocery store. The rapid expansion has been fueled by a slew of publicity, including consumer testimonials posted on the Internet.Drop by a Starbucks coffee shop any day after school, and you're likely to find a gaggle of teens, sipping frothy lattes and soaking up the ambience. It quickly became the beverage of choice at the Chicago Board of Trade, which bars coffee and soft drinks because they might stain. The result - a clear, noncarbonated fluid, free of calories and taste - has exceeded sales expectations tenfold, Holdener says.
"You wouldn't want to be caught with it in your car," says David Holdener, president of Water Concepts and the founder of Nicolet. The extracted caffeine arrives at the plant in the form of white powder. The "boost" comes from coffee beans used in making decaf. The water is drawn from an artesian well in northern Wisconsin owned by Nicolet Forest Bottling Co. The friend's dad owned a beverage company, which had a chemist who succeeded in blending caffeine and water. Introduced in Chicago a year ago, it has moved from its Midwestern base while inspiring imitators with names such as Krank 2-0, Edge 2-O and Java Johnny.ĭavid Marcheschi, the creator of Water Joe, splits his time between a home office in suburban Chicago and Water Concepts LLC, the fledgling company that grew out of lunch with a friend six years after Marcheschi held his nose and swallowed that coffee at Arizona State. In fact, the inspiration for Water Joe came during a late night over the books at Arizona State University to a student who despised the taste of coffee but needed to stay up.Ī half-liter bottle of Water Joe contains about as much caffeine as a cup of coffee.
Keeps your heart pumping."Īt least four companies in the last year have begun marketing what one company calls "spring water with an attitude." The target audience in most regions remains truck drivers, night watchmen and students struggling to stay awake for all-nighters. She first sampled a brand of caffeinated water named Water Joe while in San Diego for the second presidential debate, then spent the rest of the campaign vainly searching - through eyes heavy from lack of sleep - for more. "It seems like an inspired invention to me, frankly," says Mary Ellen Glynn, a deputy press secretary at the White House. WASHINGTON - It is a paradox in a bottle, now available in stores: caffeinated water.
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