What Did Pauley Perrette Actually Drink In NCIS When Abby Had Caf-Pow

Pauley Perrette’s Abigail Beethoven “Abby” Sciuto was the Chief Forensic Scientist on NCIS for 16 seasons. Abby always had a funny sense of humor due to her jokes. She also had friendly bonds with other NCIS characters, including father figure Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Anthony “Tony” DiNozzo, Donald “Ducky” Mallard, and Timothy McGee. There have also been several instances where Abby is seen having her favorite drink, Caf-Pow. Abby would consistently have her high-caffeine drink while working with NCIS to analyze case evidence in her lab.

Abby and McGee, who supposedly had a previous relationship together, worked well as colleagues and friends, and they would both drink Caf-Pow to energize themselves during work. Gibbs doesn’t like Caf-Pow but knows that Abby likes it, even offering it to her during the NCIS season 7 episode, “Faith.” While Caf-Pow is a caffeine drink with a number of varieties, Perrette has stated that her cups of Caf-Pow were actually filled with other substances. Nonetheless, Caf-Pow is Abby’s energizer, and the drink has made an impact in certain NCIS episodes.

Caf-Pow & Abby’s Obsession With It In NCIS Explained

Caf-Pow Was Abby’s Favorite Beverage To Help Her Work

Caf-Pow was Abby’s favorite drink, containing a high amount of caffeine, giving her the energy she needed to get through her long day of work at her lab. Abby was an intelligent, consistent, and informative forensic scientist who was relied upon by her coworkers to produce the results needed to solve complex cases. Abby even insisted that she couldn’t work without her Caf-Pow drink. For instance, in the NCIS season 3 episode, “Jeopardy,” when Tony told Abby she’d have to work caffeine-free due to limited time, Abby made a spare Caf-Pow drink for herself, making it a necessity in her workspace.

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Caf-Pow was also pivotal during the NCIS season 7 premiere episode, “Truth or Consequences,” where NCIS was able to track down the terrorists holding Special Agent Ziva David hostage, since the leader of her captors liked Caf-Pow during his time at Yale University. There were a few different varieties of Caf-Pow in the show. The regular Caf-Pow was Abby’s typical drink: a red cup with bloodshot eyes in front of it and filled with caffeine. Abby then drank No-Caf-Pow, a non-caffeine version of the drink, later on in the show, since Abby wanted to reduce her sugar intake for better health.

Pauley Perrette Had Another Beverage In Abby’s Caf-Pow Cup

There Was A Secret Drink In That Caf-Pow Cup

According to Pauley Perrette, Abby’s Caf-Pow cup contained the beverage Hawaiian Punch whenever the character had her caffeinated drink to boost herself at work. However, when Perrette herself wanted to stop consuming refined sugar, she made the transition to unsweetened cranberry juice, which was used when Abby began drinking No-Caf-Pow up until her final NCIS episode, “Two Steps Back,” in season 15. Although Abby gave up caffeine, No-Caf-Pow still gave the character the kick she needed without the high amount of sugar.

Among the other varieties of Caf-Pow, Abby heavily disliked Christmas Caf-Pow containing nutmeg during the season 6 holiday-themed episode, “Silent Night.” While Caf-Pow may initially just be considered an energized drink for a beloved NCIS character, it symbolizes Abby’s energetic characterization and her close relationship with her colleagues like Gibbs and McGee. Caf-Pow also reflected on Perrette’s decision to change the beverage from caffeine to no sugar for the sake of her character Abby and her own health in real life.

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NCIS

6/10

Release Date

September 23, 2003

Showrunner

Donald P. Bellisario

Directors

Dennis Smith, Terrence O’Hara, Tony Wharmby, James Whitmore Jr., Thomas J. Wright, Michael Zinberg, Arvin Brown, Rocky Carroll, Diana Valentine, Leslie Libman, Tawnia McKiernan, Colin Bucksey, William Webb, Bethany Rooney, Alrick Riley, Jeff Woolnough, Alan J. Levi, Lionel Coleman, Martha Mitchell, Peter Ellis, Michael Weatherly, Edward Ornelas, Stephen Cragg, Tom Wright

Writers

George Schenck, Frank Cardea, Jesse Stern, John C. Kelley, Jennifer Corbett, Christopher Silber, Reed Steiner, Nicole Mirante-Matthews, Jack Bernstein, Scott J. Jarrett, Matthew R. Jarrett, Kimberly-Rose Wolter, Don McGill, Gil Grant, Frank Military, Nell Scovell, Steven Kriozere, Brian Dietzen, Kate Torgovnick May, Jeff Vlaming, Sydney Mitchel, Katie White, Richard C. Arthur, Laurence Walsh

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  Sean Murray

  Timothy McGee

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  David McCallum

  Dr. Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard