A new species of coffee tree has been discovered containing almost no caffeine. However, its not in the production process and we have to manage with the most current technology to remove caffeine content from our coffee. What I think we all want to know is how this will affect coffee flavor in the future? Will we have to suffer bland espresso?
Tests with blind people clearly shows that humans cannot distinguish between regular or decaffeinated coffee. That is based on current processing and brewing procedures. However, I think I can tell the difference, cant you?
Caffeine removal from coffee involves treating the beans with boiling water. Then they are rinsed with methylene chloride.
Were you aware that your beans had already had a quick bath before you bought them? In fact, this happens quite a few times before they reach stores. The beans are washed after picking to remove the outer husk, and then rewashed to remove any debris. Oh, not to forget the final bath in diluted hydrochloric acid, not the methylene chloride as we have been led to believe. Unfortunately the flavor we taste may not be the coffee so much as it is the chemicals that have infused...