Fairly recently scientists discovered a type of coffee tree which produces coffee with very little caffeine. This type of coffee is not currently available to buy, so we are currently relying upon the current methods of removing the caffeine from the coffee. However sometimes these methods are thought to be able to affect the taste of coffee. There have been a number of different blind taste tests which have looked at the tastes of decaf coffee. These blind taste tests have shown that people can't tell the difference between the two. Just as long as you brew the coffee well it should taste nice. The most common method for removing caffeine from the coffee is to treat it with hot water and rinsing it with a chemical called methylene chloride. Decaf coffee has actually been soaked in water several times before it reaches your cup. The coffee grounds are then dipped into diluted hydrochloric acid, it's just amazing what happens to your coffee! If there is a difference in taste would be caused by the effects of the chemicals rather than the absence or presence of caffeine. The caffeine removal process begins when the beans are green and unroasted. This process is started by soaking the beans in hot water, this causes the beans pores to open up. Methylene chloride is then used to rinse the beans which removes the caffeine from the beans. Another alternative is where the beans are soaked in hot water for a number of hours. The caffeine soaks out into the bath, methylene chloride is used to remove the caffeine from the bath. The beans are then soaked in the bath again to absorb the flavor that leached out of the beans before. When this process is complete the result should be a caffeine free bean. Another technique known as the Swiss method doesn't use methylene chloride. The beans are soaked in hot water for a number of hours, the water is then filtered through charcoal filters in order to remove the caffeine. This charcoal is altered so that it is pretty much pure carbon with a large surface area which can bond to other molecules, specifically caffeine. The first method is most common because it is not as expensive, many manufacturers use this method. Nobody knows for sure whether or not this treatment affects the taste of the coffee. Coffee experts believe that it does affect the taste, however industry experts claim otherwise. There are other ways of reducing the amount of caffeine in your coffee. Drinking coffee made with beans which are darker roasted and less acidic contain less caffeine. You can also purchase decaf blends which keep the same taste without as much caffeine. There are many different types of coffee, which one people prefer will be completely personal. Caffeine is quite bitter and so it's only sensible to assume that removing the caffeine will detract from the taste. Whether you prefer decaf or regular blends is all down to personal taste.
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