Thursday, August 21, 2008

Choosing Between Decaf And Regular Coffee

By Eric Slarkowski


There has been an endless, on-going debate on whether or not decaf should be accepted as a healthy part of the coffee drink. As the controversy still continues, researchers and specialists are always coming up with methods to extract the unwanted caffeine from the actual drink. Though research suggests that an individual often cannot judge the difference between a decaf and regular coffee, yet it helps to know what exactly is done for the purpose, especially to remove the harmful effects.

The Methods

Most commonly, after they are picked, the berries are repeatedly rinsed so that the outer fruit softens up for removal and ultimately the removal of the flesh. Another common method used for removing the ingredient of caffeine from coffee is the treatment with hot water, which is further followed by rinsing in methylene chloride.

On the other hand, in the Swiss method, also an alternate method, beans are immersed in hot water for a number of hours. The caffeine is then removed as the water is filtered through charcoal. Overall, the manufacturers generally opt for the first method as it proves to be more cost-effective.

On the other hand, in the Swiss method, also an alternate method, beans are immersed in hot water for a number of hours. The caffeine is then removed as the water is filtered through charcoal. Overall, the manufacturers generally opt for the first method as it proves to be more cost-effective.

Other Choices

Such an increased level of debate that surrounds the subject is bound to lead to the development of more decaf products in the near future. Since caffeine carries a natural bitter taste, it is very easy to develop a keen fondness for the particular taste, making it all the more difficult to adopt the decaf variety.

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