Coffee is so yesterday. Caffeine fiends now can get their buzz from soft drinks, yogurt and even ice cream. So, how about a doughnut?

No problem, says Robert Bohannon, a Durham entrepreneur.

Bohannon, a molecular virologist, has figured out a way to bake with caffeine powder so that a pastry has the jolt without the bitter taste.

The trick involves a vegetable oil-based coating that doesn't dissolve until it reaches the digestive tract, Bohannon says. Further details are secret until the U.S. Patent Office publishes the invention.

Bohannon's baked goods would contain 75 milligrams to 100 milligrams of caffeine. A 12-ounce caffeinated soft drink, by comparison, contains about 50 milligrams. An 8-ounce cup of coffee about 100 milligrams and a NoDoz pill about 200 milligrams.

The idea for Bohannon's Buzzed Baked Goods (our name, not his) came to him six years ago. He woke up and wanted his java jolt but not the java. Being a scientist -- he usually concerns himself with the genetic makeup of viruses, not coffee beans -- he started tinkering.

Bohannon's solution, however pleasing to the palate it may be, does not please everyone.

"We don't need caffeine, but it's become the most widely used drug in the world," said Jim Lane, a professor of medical psychology at Duke University.

The side effects of caffeine are somewhat unclear, Lane said, but some studies have shown it may be a risk factor for heart disease.

And not all foods that contain hefty doses of caffeine are labeled, Lane said. That raises concerns that children could be exposed unknowingly.

Lane calls caffeinated doughnuts "an unnecessary novelty at best."

But Bohannon, who drinks four or five cups of coffee a day, defends his invention. "People like to have their caffeine buzz," he says.

The entrepreneur runs Environostics, a three-person Durham company that makes ultra-sensitive tests to detect pregnancy, infectious diseases and illegal drugs.

He also owns Sips Coffee & Tea in Durham. But the shop doesn't sell his caffeinated pastries.

Instead he hopes to interest Starbucks, Krispy Kreme or Dunkin' Donuts, and has written each. The letters went out a week ago and now he's waiting.

"We'll see how it trickles through their system," he said.

Get $150+ in coupons in every Sunday N&O. Click here for convenient home delivery.