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Scientists Work Towards Naturally Caffeine-Free Coffee

Posted by timothy on from the preemptive-buzzkill dept.

First time accepted submitter eternaldoctorwho writes "Research has been underway to produce a coffee bean plant that naturally has no or little caffeine content. Now, it looks like that might become a reality in the near future: Paulo Mazzafera of the University of Campinas in Brazil has come closer than ever with a strain containing 'only 2% of normal caffeine levels.' Coffee, anyone?"

13 of 312 comments (clear)

  1. Caffeine-free coffee by Z00L00K · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's like a car without wheels or a computer without a CPU.

    --
    If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
    1. Re:Caffeine-free coffee by Idbar · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Agree. Like I care to get coffee for the taste. If I want something tasty, very likely it will be a smoothie or plain juice. I wonder if Starbucks has statistics about the consumption of decaf?

    2. Re:Caffeine-free coffee by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 4, Insightful

      STOP THESE PEOPLE!

      Decaffeinated, Sugar Free, Low Fat Guardians to the GAtes of Hell!

      Those things are not a problem.

      --
      "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
      Never been known to fail..."
    3. Re:Caffeine-free coffee by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Then stop taking aspartame or you'll also get type 2.

    4. Re:Caffeine-free coffee by neurophil12 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I would love such a drink. I'm extremely sensitive to caffeine, but I enjoy coffee quite a bit. In fact, the stuff is more likely to put me to sleep than keep me awake, so I tend to enjoy coffee after some dinners rather than early or during the day. Occasionally I have a cup of decaf during the day. If this coffee becomes available I'd drink it much more frequently than I drink coffee now.

      I've heard of others like myself, though I doubt we're a particularly large portion of the population, so we are probably not a major reason for this research. Still, why are you so against people having a less processed low-caffeine option? And how is railing against such a possibility with zero facts or specific arguments in any way insightful?

    5. Re:Caffeine-free coffee by jimbolauski · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I would love such a drink. I'm extremely sensitive to caffeine, but I enjoy coffee quite a bit. In fact, the stuff is more likely to put me to sleep than keep me awake, so I tend to enjoy coffee after some dinners rather than early or during the day. Occasionally I have a cup of decaf during the day. If this coffee becomes available I'd drink it much more frequently than I drink coffee now. I've heard of others like myself, though I doubt we're a particularly large portion of the population, so we are probably not a major reason for this research. Still, why are you so against people having a less processed low-caffeine option? And how is railing against such a possibility with zero facts or specific arguments in any way insightful?

      You might have ADHD, caffeine has been shown to treat the effects of ADHD, many people with ADHD claim that drinking coffee before bead calms them down and they fall asleep much easier.

      --
      Knowledge = Power
      P= W/t
      t=Money
      Money = Work/Knowledge so the less you know the more you make
    6. Re:Caffeine-free coffee by Belial6 · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I only drink coffee for the taste. Caffeine has very little effect on me, so drinking it for the drug would be a waste of time. The thing is, coffee is kind of like salt. I love the taste, but I don't want to drink coffee straight any more than I want to eat a bowl of salt straight. Some salt on my steak, and some coffee in my sugared cream.. Now that is tasty.

  2. Blasphemy! by HeavyDDuty · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If it has no caffeine it isn't coffee. Yes, this includes decaf.

  3. Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "Scientists Work Towards Naturally Caffeine-Free Coffee"

    Why would anyone do such a thing?

  4. This Is Just Wrong by Kozar_The_Malignant · · Score: 4, Insightful

    And we wonder why people see scientists as evil, soulless bastards out to destroy the very fabric of society? Doesn't this university have an ethics committee?

    --
    Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
  5. What's next? by mordejai · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I wonder what other abominations they'll come up with next...

    Non-alcoholic beer?
    Sugar-free candy?
    Fat-free milk?

    Oh, wait...

  6. I think I've heard about this before... by Yvan256 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The new strain invariably produces something that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike coffee.

  7. Re:Good lord! by mvdwege · · Score: 3, Insightful

    In some countries beer is actually more than just carbonated piss.

    Mart

    --
    "I know I will be modded down for this": where's the option '-1, Asking for it'?