Clocking in at just over two hours, Caffeine attacks its subject from three major angles. The first is from the view of science and biology, laying out in detail exactly what a caffeine molecule is, how it acts on the human brain, and what properties it has been observed to have in various tests on humans and animals. This part can be a little dry in moments if you're not into biochemistry, but then Pollan is smart enough to know this and interpolate these facts throughout the entire piece to keep from overloading the listener.
The second angle is historical, with lots of information about the history of coffee and tea. How were the effects of caffeine discovered and these beverages created? How did their use spread? I found this to be the most engaging prong of the storytelling here, as I learned lots of fascinating factoids about culture and commerce. It's trivial at times, yet feels in many cases worth knowing.
The third angle is personal, as Pollan details an experiment on himself: cutting out caffeine for several months and chronicling the effects. At the time I listened to the podcast, I felt a bit scolded when listening to these elements of the audiobook. But in the days after I'd finished, these were the parts that stuck with me.
It's not that caffeine was presented as "bad" for you (indeed, Pollan mentions that many ill effects have been imagined over the years, then subsequently proven untrue); it's just that caffeine's principle effect is to negate the undesirable side effects of consuming caffeine. It's a vicious cycle! And any time I find myself having any caffeine over the days after listening to this audiobook, I couldn't help but think about it as I hadn't (and wouldn't have) before.
Overall, I'd say Caffeine rates a solid B. It's food for thought, and entertainingly told. Perhaps if your podcast backlog is running a bit thin, this might be a way to fill in for a couple of hours.
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