About Coffee

Coffee – Decaf, Good Or Bad?

Recently a variety of the coffee tree was discovered that naturally contains almost no caffeine. Until and unless that species finds its way into commercial production, we’re left with the current methods for removing unwanted caffeine from coffee. But how do those methods affect the taste of our java?

Blind taste tests suggest that most people can’t really tell the difference between decaf and regular, provided both kinds are processed properly and the cup brewed well. But, for those who can…

Among the methods for removing caffeine from coffee is treatment with hot water, followed by rinsing in methylene chloride.

Maybe you didn’t know your coffee had already seen water before you got to it? In fact, several times. The berries are rinsed after picking to soften the outer fruit for removal, then rinsed again to help eliminate the remaining flesh.

And possibly you were unaware your grounds had taken a dip in the swimming pool before being served. (Ok, swimming pool water is really dilute hydrochloric acid, not methylene chloride. Never let a chemist stand between you and a good line.)

So, the taste difference is less likely to come from the presence or absence of caffeine as from any remaining processing chemicals and whether they removed flavor-producing components.

Chemical removal of the caffeine from green, unroasted beans starts by warming them in hot water or steam. That opens the bean’s pores. Then the beans are rinsed in methylene chloride, which binds to the caffeine and is then flushed away.

Alternatively, the beans can be soaked for several hours in hot water, where the caffeine leaches out into the bath. The beans are removed and methylene chloride introduced to the bath. There it bonds with the caffeine, not the flavored components that have washed out of the bean. The beans are then soaked again where they reabsorb the flavor compounds.

An entirely different process, called the Swiss method, also soaks the beans in hot water for several hours, but no methylene chloride is used. Instead the caffeine is removed by filtering the water through activated charcoal. More or less pure carbon, the molecular structure of activated charcoal has been altered to provide a large surface area for other molecules to stick to.

The first method is less expensive and so is preferred by most manufacturers. And – no surprise – there are ongoing debates about whether it degrades the taste. As usual, quality control makes the largest difference. But, there are even techniques available to the individual for reducing caffeine intake.

Darker, less acidic, roasts already contain less caffeine as a consequence of the roasting process. And blends of decaf and regular are an option for those who simply must cut down.

As to the taste…. Well, as in any issue of taste, individual preferences generally swamp any objective chemical differences. Since caffeine has an inherently bitter taste, many can detect its presence or absence. Whether that makes decaf good or bad is, as they say, a matter of taste.

Coffee – Straight Or Mixed? – A Purist Reforms

True coffee aficionados always drink their coffee straight, right? Wrong! There are, if anything, more blends and flavorings of coffee than there are of wine. Cast off your confines and let loose with the 101 different ways to enjoy nature’s gift.

The creativity of blenders is inexhaustible. One Indonesian blend is a combination of Sumatran and Papua New Guinea beans that makes for a delicious, full-bodied brew. Who even knew that Papua New Guineans grew coffee?

But Sumatra goes with more than just other Indonesian beans. A 50/50 mixture of Colombian Patron with Sumatran results in a smoky, tasty, dark roast that brews to perfection.

Flavorings, too, can make for a treat. Almond, vanilla, even cherry added to a Brazilian can soften the acid and sweeten the brew. Even a banana hazelnut can bring an ordinary robusta up to the level of a decent cup. But the highlight would have to be a Tahitian vanilla latte, a truly international breakthrough.

When it comes to making a mocha, the variety of chocolates matches the different options of bean. A Yemeni with a touch of dark chocolate, melted and stirred well, will enhance an already wonderful foreign blend. Or, for those days when lighter is better, try an American roast with a bit of Ghiradelli milk chocolate. Yum.

The variations possible with coffee are as boundless as they are delightful. And they’re not limited to beans, roasts or flavorings. Several different liqueurs and liquors provide another route for the coffee lover to travel.

Full-bodied Jamaican forms a solid base to which to add dessert pears, brown sugar and a hearty helping of rum. For a twist, try brandy instead of rum or apricots instead of pears. And, Amaretto’s sweetness makes a delectable counterpoint to a Costa Rican blend, for those who like getting intoxicated and sober with the same drink.

Cocoa and coffee is a traditional favorite for those who like their coffee cut. Even here the choices are not limited. Cold or hot, Mexican coffee and cocoa bean partners can pair up to make for a taste treat in summer or winter.

And the innovators of coffee confection don’t stop there. The more audacious have gone so far as to offer a frozen cappuccino that wakes up the sleepy on a warm day. For added zing, try mixing with a chocolate mint flavoring.

It’s unclear why a coffee lover would want decaf, but there are those who don’t have to get up in the morning. For them, the choices are numerous. Italian Espresso, Decaf Marrakesh and even a Dutchman (a blend of Indonesian, Central American and African) can cover the map for those who don’t enjoy ‘the shakes’.

Normally nuttiness indicates a poor quality bean. But be a contrarian and go for the Macadamia with or without chocolate. Even raspberry or coconut additions have been tried, but it might be better to work up to that. After all, it should still taste like coffee!

Just don’t come complaining when you can no longer be satisfied with an ordinary cup of Joe. Leaving the world of Purism has its risks.

Coffee – Legends And Reality

That a mere beverage could generate so many romantic tales and so much hard-headed business is a wonder. Yet from its beginnings to the present, this dark and pungent liquid has fascinated, cured and enriched billions the world over.

Legends abound about the origins of the coffee plant, but the most reliable histories put its discovery in Ethiopia somewhere around 500 BC. From there, after observing the stimulating effects of its berries, travelers brought it to Arabia, where it acquired the name.

The Renaissance gave birth not only to science and art, but the commercial production and known-world distribution of what would later be called ‘that heathenish liquid’. By the late 18th century both plantations and drinking popularity had spread to Europe, Asia, the Middle East, South and North America and to every social class.

Throughout those long centuries the health effects ascribed to coffee border on the miraculous. But, as with most claimed miracles, there’s some fact at the bottom.

Some studies suggest that mammalian sperm swim faster, farther and longer in fluid laced with coffee. The theory is the caffeine stimulates them. One Harvard study followed over 100,000 individuals for almost 20 years, drawing the conclusion that moderate use can help reduce diabetes. Others show reduction in cirrhosis of the liver and decrease of asthma severity.

As with wine, the antioxidants in coffee have been touted as helping keep hearts healthier, though debates rage about whether the pros outweigh the cons. Coffee is a diuretic and encourages more frequent urination, and some assert that the stimulation from caffeine leads to long term nerve degeneration. Caffeine withdrawal can lead to increased sleeplessness. And, caffeine is a natural insecticide.

But for good or ill – or both – coffee is here to stay. The economics alone virtually guarantee that, since as a commodity coffee is second only in dollar volume to oil.

Whether traded on exchanges in London, New York, Hong Kong or Lima with over 400 billion cups consumed annually, this other ‘black gold’ only grows in popularity. Though only 10-20% (depending on country) of adults drink one or more cups daily, the total retail sales hovers near the $9 billion level annually.

Add to those figures the number of raw beans, grinders, roasters, brewers and cups bought for the home and the figures become astounding.

With the rise in both basic commodity and specialty retail prices, the future for coffee businesses continues to look bright. Starbucks alone has over 10,000 outlets around the world.

And specialty coffee shops are not the only outlet for a wide choice of blends and styles. Home roasters and brewers also can enjoy espresso, invented in 1901 and growing ever since. Straight shots, long shots or double shots are a snap now with home machines.

Mocha, Latte, and Cappuccino – all available by the addition of a few ingredients at the touch of a few buttons. Flavored coffees in as great a variety as wines are easy to make, with just a dash of vanilla, caramel or fruit flavorings.

With all that history, money, and delicious variety maybe the legends weren’t so far off after all.

Coffee – From Beans To Shelf

From its origins over two thousand years ago, coffee bean processing has grown to a worldwide market whose output as a commodity has a dollar value second only to petroleum.

Though there are dozens of bean varieties, the plants fall into two main classes: the arabica, first cultivated on the Arabian Peninsula, and the robusta which contains about twice the caffeine.

By contrast to wine, the coffee berry (called a ‘cherry’) is not valued for its fruit, but only for the bean inside. It’s that bean that is aged, roasted, ground and brewed to make the 400 million cups per day consumed around the world.

The beans come in two main varieties, green and red, with the latter – with its higher aromatic oil and lower acid content – used to produce the finer coffees. Hence one of the most important stages in the life cycle of bean to shelf is the picking.

Since most beans are hand picked by laborers, at the rate of a few baskets per day, separating the red and green is a valued skill and has a large effect on the final product.

After picking, the fruit is removed by soaking, scouring and mechanical rubbing. Then the beans are washed to remove any remaining flesh. This ‘fermentation’ stage produces beans which are then dried in the sun over large concrete or rock slabs, until they have about 12% water content.

From there the beans are sorted by color and size, sometimes by hand increasingly often by machine. Some of the beans are discarded, others polished to remove the skin. For select types, the beans are then aged anywhere from three to eight years, while others go to be roasted within a year.

During the 400-degree Fahrenheit roasting the beans expand to about twice their dry size, crack and change color from green to brown as oil in the interior is released. It’s this oil that gives the different coffees their basic flavor.

Naturally a wide variety of in-house techniques have developed for roasting. Beans from Java and Kenya, for example, are often lightly roasted producing a distinctive flavor. After roasting, the beans produce carbon dioxide for several days so the beans are ‘de-gassed’ either by airing or packaging in semi-permeable shipping bags.

The resulting beans, up to a few weeks later, are then ground where again there are variations in styles and results. In some cases, ‘burr’ grinders are used to crush the beans to a consistent-sized granule. In others, choppers are used to chop the beans into small pieces with a less homogeneous-sized result. Turkish coffee is made by pounding the beans to a powdery consistency, using mortar and pestle.

The final result is then brewed, where the variety of styles and techniques is almost as great as the number of brewers. All these fine differences fall into one of four categories, however: boiling, pressure, gravity and steeping.

In ‘boiling’, hot water is run through the grounds then filtered or settled. In pressure methods, such as espresso, the slightly-less-than-boiling-hot water is forced through the grounds at high pressure. Gravity or ‘drip brew’ drips hot water onto coffee grounds and filters. Steeping is similar to the method of tea bags, though the bags are much larger.

Through its long journey from mountains or jungles, coffee beans go into making up one of the world’s most treasured drinks. And with the new research demonstrating the health benefits of moderate consumption, one has even greater reason to be grateful for the effort. Cheers to coffee!