Wake Up and Smell the Nauseating Coffee

jacobjyu writes "The NY Times is running a story about a coffee roasting plant being accused of polluting the air. The city inspector claims the smells are making people sick, however the plant owner retorts, 'This is not a smell that makes people sick ... This is one of those sweet smells like cut flowers, like fresh-baked bread, that's part and parcel of life in every city across the world.' Whatever the case, some people are claiming plastic-smelling fumes coming from the stacks: my only question is what the heck are they putting in this coffee??"

Comments

Decaffeinated

[Strange Ranger]

If they are using a chemical decaffeination process that would likely cause the stink.

The chemical solvent method is the most commonly used method for removing the caffeine from coffee. Common solvents include methylene chloride, ethyl acetate, and highly pressurized carbon dioxide. After the green beans are moistened they are then immersed in the solvent. After the solvent performs its action, the beans are rinsed with water. After the beans have been rinsed, they are steamed. Residual solvents evaporate in the steam. The rinsing and evaporation systems collect the solvent for recycling and re-use. Any remaining solvent will be burned off in the roasting process. The chemical caffeine method will remove 96 - 98% of caffeine.

Re:Decaffeinated

[Stone Rhino]

RTFA--they're not. It's just roasting of coffee that's going on there. However, anything can be unpleasent if you have enough exposure (note my comment below, posted simultaneously with yours)

Re:Decaffeinated

[Strange Ranger]

Actually I did RTFA and it only says they are not using plastics. I also visited his company's web site where they advertise decaffeinated coffee. And read the addendum to the decaffeination link I posted above that Schoenholt wrote himself. He advocates using Methylene Chloride.

"Methylene Chloride

Methylene Chloride is a synthetic chemical solvent. It is not naturally found but must be created by chlorinating methane gas. It sounds terrible but it makes very good tasting decaf.

About The Author:
Donald N. Schoenholt can be reached at:
Gillies Coffee Co.
America's Oldest Coffee Merchant
Toll Free: 1-800-344-5526
Fax: 1-718-499-7771"

Something tells me Methylene Chloride smells like plastic.

Re:Decaffeinated

[zenyu]

If they are using a chemical decaffeination process [ineedcoffee.com] that would likely cause the stink. You know most of the time I have pretty much a live and let live attitude. But something inside me just feels that de-cafe-inated cafe is wrong! I didn't want to write that exclamation point, but I simply could not help it. No one sells "water free mineral water", it just wouldn't be right. Even tofu burgers are clearly labeled. They are not sold as "debeefed beef patties." I think at the very least that drink made from removing the coffee from coffee should be sold under some other name. I propose "nes-yuck" or "nes-crud" for the products of that evil company that makes "instant coffee" or for the generic name, a simple yet descriptive two worder, "nasty crap." But really, if friggin pot and coke can be illegal cuz they make people feel good, why not such a great affront to nature as nasty crap?

Simple simple simple--overexposure

[Stone Rhino]

I read this article in its hard-copy form earlier today. The simple thing is that exposure to anything for long enough will make you sick of it. I'm sure many /. readers have a game they love, but if they played it 24 hours a day and had to play the same level over and over, I think they would be sick of it too. Here, the people are just smelling coffee for hours on end, and while that may a pleasant or at least tolerable smell to you or I, to someone who deals with it for hours on end, it is a very different situation. As the article says, they even get these against Krispy Kreme donuts--and who doesn't love those?

Nuisance

[MacAndrew]

The administrative code under which Gillies was cited specifies that "no person shall cause or permit the emission of air contaminant, including odorous air contaminant . . . if the air contaminant . . . may cause detriment to the health, safety, welfare or comfort of any person."

That's a pretty darn broad regulation once you throw "or comfort" in at the end. The stadard boilerplate formula is "health/safety/welfare" which are considerably less subjective. Badly-worded rule right there.

As for the smell, and to be technical no one has the right to force anyone else to smell anything in particular, it's technically a nuisance and could range from baking bread to sticking offal. Usually we keep conflicts down by zoning where things like pig farming can take place.

Now, I have no trouble regulating it if the coffee really smells like "burning plastic" or even vanilla hazelnut. (Between the two I'd pick the plastic, and that's because I like coffee.) Interesting Q: How do you try this in court? Take air samples and blow them in jurors' faces? I think you'd have to have a field trip.

Anyway ... uh ... why is this a /. story? Are we supposed to think the critical supply of roasted coffee beans is imperiled here?

Bay Bridge

[linuxwrangler]

I remember a few years back when there was a big roasting facility (Hills Bros. ??) at the San Francisco end of the Bay Bridge. The smell was quite strong (and not as pleasant as the smell of a brewing cup). Other than being annoying to some, I have no idea about the health effects of coffee-roasting byproducts.

A number of bakeries were required by the Bay Area air folks to add pollution controls. Everyone likes the smell of baking bread but baking drives off the alcohol created by the yeast and the quantity of alcohol being released into the air was really surprising.

Still, I'd rather go after bad-smelling pollution first - I'm willing to take the risk from bread baking and fireplaces as they bring me sufficient pleasure.

Wimps

[pmz]

Those people in the article should try living in a paper mill town sometime. Yech!

The smell from here.

[wumingzi]

There are several roasting plants near my place, One of which frequently does waft over my house if the wind is blowing the right way.

I can't say I mind much, but there is a difference between the smell of roasted coffee and the smell of a roasting plant at work.

Very strangely, one roaster is kitty-corner from a crematorium. It may or may not surprise you that burned Seattleites smell a lot like roasted coffee.

Roasting Coffee Beans Stinks Bad

[selectspec]

Coffee beans that have been roasted have a wonderful smell and thank the Lord for it, because life wouldn't be worth living without good ole roasted coffee beans.

However, anyone who has every roasted coffee knows, that roasting coffee produces very strong unpleasant odors.

Buying green coffee beans is great because they have a shelf life of several years. Once you roast a been, the whole freshness thing comes into play, and the shelf life is only a few weeks before the coffee goes stale.

Roasting your own coffee is not for the feignt of heart and should be done in a well ventalated area (not your kitchen). Outdoor ovens are perfect.