A caffeine test is a type of test that consumers can perform on their cups of coffee, tea, or soda to find out exactly how much caffeine is in their beverages. These tests are usually sold in packs of 20 to 30 and usually give results within a minute or less. Most of these are in strip form, similar to a home pregnancy test. The strip is dipped inside the beverage, and after 30 seconds to one minute, it will give results as to how much, if any, caffeine is in the beverage.
People who have sensitivity to caffeine or are supposed to avoid it for various health reasons may benefit from using a caffeine test. These tests might be particularly useful when a person specifically orders decaffeinated beverages outside his or her home. A person who isn't making his own drink can't ever be sure that he isn't given a caffeinated drink in error. Decaffeinated and caffeinated beverages usually taste identical to each other, so it is hard to know if the right beverage was received just by taking a drink of it. Simply dipping the test strip inside the drink and reading the results beforehand can quickly put a person's mind at ease.
For some people, a caffeine test could be a lifesaver. This is especially true of people who have heart problems that are aggravated by caffeine. There are also people who are allergic to caffeine, and testing their drink beforehand could help to keep them from experiencing unpleasant side effects. People who are allergic to caffeine may break out in hives, experience severe headaches, or even have panic attacks if they consume it. There may be people who believe that a caffeine test is too expensive to purchase and use with each drink they consume, but using them primarily outside the home might make them last longer than if they are used with all drinks.
Even if a person orders a decaffeinated beverage and the server gives her the correct drink, this still does not mean that no caffeine is in the beverage. Many decaffeinated drinks actually do contain some caffeine, although in most cases it is a minute amount. However, there have been some occasions when significant amounts of caffeine turned up in decaffeinated sodas, coffees, and teas. People who know for a fact that they are drinking a decaffeinated beverage may want to use caffeine tests anyway just to see exactly how much caffeine is in their decaffeinated drink before drinking it.