Recipe
Guaraná — the traditional powder drink
About 5 minBeginnerRecipe science profile
Procedure
- Measure half a teaspoon of roasted guaraná powder (traditionally the stick is grated on the rough tongue of the pirarucu fish; a fine grater will do at home).
- Stir into 250 ml of cold water or fruit juice; the powder does not dissolve, it only disperses.
- Drink at once while it is suspended; the taste is astringent and bitter and traditionally unsweetened.
- At most 1–2 servings a day and not in the evening.
Extraction
- Herb:
- half a teaspoon of powder (about 1–1.5 g, i.e. roughly 40–80 mg caffeine) per 250 ml
- Solvent:
- cold water or juice, stir
- Shelf life:
- drink immediately
- Target compounds:
- the whole powder is drunk; caffeine, theobromine, tannins and saponins are ingested rather than extracted
Notes
Guaraná contains 3–6 % caffeine, two to four times that of coffee beans. Half a teaspoon of powder is roughly one weak espresso; EFSA considers up to 400 mg of caffeine a day safe for healthy adults and 200 mg in pregnancy — count your coffee and tea. Not for children.
Why it works
Caffeine in guaraná is bound to tannins, so it is released from the powder more slowly than from coffee — a subjectively 'milder, longer' effect. The safety frame comes from EFSA's caffeine opinion; 'natural energy' claims are just another name for caffeine.
Literature
- EFSA NDA Panel (2015): Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine. EFSA Journal 13(5):4102 — Safe caffeine doses: 400 mg/day for adults, 200 mg as a single dose, 200 mg/day during pregnancy.
Related
Guarana — Herb card
Powder — Processing method detail