Can Science Finally Create a Decent Cup of Decaf?:
Who cares about decaf coffee? I do. I'm a slow caffeine metabolizer, like many millions of others. We folks with a particular type of CYP1A2 gene may adore a perfectly pressed single-origin Arabica but cannot drink a fully caffeinated cup without the caffeine accumulating too quickly, making our hearts beat like bass drums and our brains feel momentarily vaporized. [...] But now there's a chance for us, the metabolically mismatched. A whole new kind of coffee may be on the horizon.
[...] "We begin our time today with a coffee that has faced an extinction of its own: Eugenioides," she said into a light pink jawbone microphone. She went on to explain that the Coffea Eugenioides plant, the genetic parent to Coffea Arabica, was almost extinct until recently. Arabica is the earthy, full-bodied, chocolatey coffee that most of the world finds delectable. Eugenioides is a bit different—still strong, but with hints of citrus fruit and marshmallow. The kicker: Eugenioides has half the caffeine.
Although Eugenioides helped Eckroth win second place, it's unlikely we mortals will ever enjoy its pleasantly light buzz. It's tough to grow. Even in the lush soil of Inmaculada Farms in Colombia, where Eckroth's coffee was sourced, it struggles along. But Eugenioides might offer another path toward a quaffable coffee we can all enjoy. Now, Eugenioides is giving scientists clues about how to make a more metabolically friendly Arabica, to tweak the way it makes caffeine, and create a half-caff or decaf plant in the laboratory with the same full flavor of the ones found in nature.
[...] In 2021, Schaart and one of his students, Nils Leibrock, became particularly interested in coffee and using the CRISPR system to quiet the caffeine-making pathway inside Coffea Arabica. "When it comes to the genetics, it seems quite easy," Schaart says. "And coffee will taste much better because you don't need a chemical process to get rid of caffeine in the coffee beans."
[...] Coffee is a moody fellow. The only way to potentially get around this caffeine conundrum (other than just drinking less, but who wants to do that) is to find a way to reduce caffeine in the coffee beans without affecting the leaves. (And don't say Swiss Water—more on that in a moment.)
"We think when we treat it in such a way that caffeine is still produced in leaves but not in the beans, and then you can have a solution to this problem," says Schaart. CRISPR machinery along with a wealth of public knowledge about the coffee genome may allow them to do it, or at least come up with a plan. [...]
How idyllic, the thought of sipping a full-strength, robust latte in one sitting, start to finish, no jitters (and no hundred-dollar price tag). Of course, no one has grown a mature CRISPR-edited coffee plant yet (or if they have, they're not disclosing). Perhaps more crucially, nobody yet knows whether consumers would buy genetically engineered coffee. Schaart is optimistic. "I like to call it inspired by nature," he says. [...]
For now, there's only one method of making decaf coffee for the masses—harvesting fully caffeinated beans and running them through a caustic or scalding solution, wrestling away hundreds of flavor molecules along with the caffeine. Now you can say Swiss Water. [...]
[...] And of course, living in California, I couldn't help but hear about a new West Coast startup company focused on decaffeinating coffee after it has been pulled or poured. Founded by Andy Liu, Decafino makes a teabag-like product that can 80 percent decaffeinate any 16-ounce cup of coffee in less than four minutes. Inside is microbeads made from algae with pores that bind the caffeine molecule exclusively, they say, leaving all other flavor molecules untouched. It's up for pre-sale on their website. Although I can't imagine dunking a perfectly poured cappuccino and watching it grow flat and cold while it decafs, I will try it anyway. In the meantime, I'll keep ordering my half-caffs and enduring the ever-present barista wince.
Decaf drinkers may have a future.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 30 2023, @12:52AM
Betteridge says no. Thanks for playing.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 30 2023, @02:44AM (2 children)
WTF? Seriously, what the actual fuck? If there was a serious article here, someone lost the thread early on. Or, someone screwed up and sent the papparazi to cover a serious story.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 30 2023, @03:05AM
Saw that too and wondered about the author.
On the other hand, this seems like an improvement on the traditional comments on clothing and hair style...that lead off most articles about successful women. Progress??
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday January 30 2023, @06:40PM
I mean, how else was the author supposed to reach their minimum word count?
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 1) by pTamok on Monday January 30 2023, @07:36AM (1 child)
It's great there could be a better choice available for people with caffeine intolerance.
But for people like me, the caffeine is an essential part of the experience. I used to drink far too much coffee. Strong, without sweeteners or milk products. Litres per day. Eventually, I went cold turkey. After a period of several years, I started up again - but I have one cup made with an Aeropress every few days. It has to be good coffee, and that includes the caffeine.
It might be like beer: to my palette, nearly all low-alcohol and dealcoholised beers taste foul. In much searching, I found one lager, one IPA and one wheat beer that didn't have too much of an 'off' flavour; and the wheat beer is no longer produced.
And just like low/'zero'-alcohol beers, I fully expect caffeine reduced/decaff coffee to be more expensive than ordinary coffee.
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Monday January 30 2023, @06:35PM
Indeed. If a doctor tells me to stop caffeine, I'll just stop drinking coffee. The caffeine is the reason for drinking it in the first place.
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Monday January 30 2023, @08:45AM (7 children)
Seriously, who drinks coffee without the key ingredient? What kind of weirdo actually wants that stuff?
It's like inventing a beer that won't give you a buzz but you can still have that awesome hangover then next day.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday January 30 2023, @06:07PM (5 children)
Considering that coffee generally just tastes bitter and I assume beer just tastes awful. There's pretty much no point of having a decaf / non-alcoholic version. Certainly no one wants to drink a drink that's just designed to cause them pain/discomfort, hangover or otherwise.
Coffee does have a specific flavor and with enough milk/sugar/additives, it can taste pretty decent. Just straight coffee, no sugar, no milk, etc. I mean, sure people can learn to like the taste, same as tea drinkers. It just doesn't make a whole lot of sense for someone who wants a tasty beverage.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Monday January 30 2023, @06:21PM (2 children)
Then why not omit the whole coffee and just go for the milk/sugar/additives you want? It's like putting up with something for the sake of putting up with something.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Freeman on Monday January 30 2023, @06:36PM (1 child)
Uh, that's more or less what I was going for, if I wasn't clear.
Generally, you can get a lot more flavorful options with tea and/or other kinds of beverages.
What I use:
1tsp instant coffee
2tsp or more chocolate
sugar to taste (Honey adds a nice flavor, too.)
milk to taste (I don't use real milk.)
For tea, I use a little sugar, some honey, and milk substitute (Ripple, with pea protein, not the oat milk version).
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday January 30 2023, @11:50PM
The good one: https://www.amazon.com/NESCAFE-Smooth-Mocha-Coffee-sticks/dp/B09279JKWD [amazon.com]
The bad one: https://www.amazon.com/Nescafe-Tasters-Choice-Instant-Canisters/dp/B001EQ4IES [amazon.com]
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Monday January 30 2023, @06:37PM (1 child)
Considering that coffee generally just tastes bitter
If the coffee's bitter, it's either a shitty coffeemaker (or a dirty one) or the grounds are stale. Coffee from a Mr. Coffee sucks donkey balls.
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday January 30 2023, @08:50PM
I've only ever used Instant Coffee, I have one that is super nice (asian packaging), and the other is awful (nescafe taster's choice, forget what version).
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 31 2023, @01:35AM
I like most coffee. I don't care whether it has caffeine in it. I can drink multiple cups of coffee after dinner and have no problem going to sleep at night. But it has to be hot. I don't care much for cold coffee, or coffee with sugar in it. There's something about it that turns me off. I'm fine with dark roasts, but I'm not a fan of the burnt tones with Starbucks or French Roast. I love it when it is a little nutty and chocolatey. Single origin ones can be good. I enjoy the piney notes of Sumatran. I like it black, or with cream (everything is great with cream, in my opinion).
I love beer, but I'm certainly not drinking it for the effects of alcohol. The taste, for sure. I suppose I should try these new zero alcohol beers that are out to see how they've improved, but the last one I tried was probably 20 years ago and I wasn't a fan (tasted sort of like a watered down Malta Goya). If they can make one of these taste like beer, I'd buy it (well, probably not because I'd imagine they'd cost more than regular beer, so it would need to taste pretty good to make it worthwhile for everyday occasions), but alcohol adds not only flavor, but lightens the body and adds sensations to the mouth when drinking, so not trivial to replicate. But who knows. They've got hops-infused waters out now. My sister, who never liked beer, likes those waters (again, a bit pricey for regular consumption).
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Adrian Harvey on Monday January 30 2023, @11:31AM (1 child)
“For now, there's only one method of making decaf coffee for the masses—harvesting fully caffeinated beans and running them through a caustic or scalding solution”
This is not accurate- there are several ways in use for decaffeinating coffee, not all of which involve scalding and most of which aren’t caustic. Supercritical CO2, for example- that is liquid CO2 formed under pressure - is widespread.
https://www.britannica.com/story/how-is-coffee-decaffeinated [britannica.com]
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday January 30 2023, @06:11PM
Funny thing is, "decaf" coffee still (usually/always?) contains caffeine.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/caffeine-in-decaf#what-it-is [healthline.com]
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Monday January 30 2023, @03:50PM
Is an abomination before the Lord.
Washington DC delenda est.