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Scientists Work Towards Naturally Caffeine-Free Coffee
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?"
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.
If it has no caffeine it isn't coffee. Yes, this includes decaf.
Wicked, tricksy, false! It chokeses, burnses us! Gollum! Gollum!
"Scientists Work Towards Naturally Caffeine-Free Coffee"
Why would anyone do such a thing?
So you have a brown bitter liquid which lacks the characteristics of coffee?
We already have that, it's called E150
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.
Non caffeinated coffee is like non alcoholic beer! And you can't tell me you drink either for the taste!
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I wonder what other abominations they'll come up with next...
Non-alcoholic beer?
Sugar-free candy?
Fat-free milk?
Oh, wait...
We have to stop science!!
I've heard/read that most caffeine that ends up in soda and energy drinks is the caffeine that's pulled out of coffee during the decaffeination process. If all coffee growers switch to naturally caffeine-free coffee, won't that drastically reduce the supply of caffeine as an ingredient, causing its price and therefore Mt. Dew's price to spike? Uh....
... gone to stock up on Mt. Dew ...
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scientists are working on orgasm-free sex, first person shooters with blank bullets, and political discussions free of nazi-references. Next up: soccer games where swearing at the referee gets muffled with anti-sound.
10 ?"Hello World" life was simple then
The new strain invariably produces something that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike coffee.
you know which one I mean, just imagine I put it here.
I've been drinking coffee for 50 years. No grandchildren yet, and I intend to be around to watch them grow up.
Yeah, yeah -- not a reason most people on /. can identify with.
I on the other hand, intend to be awake *sip*.
I used to love the stuff, 2 a day on most work days. I stopped cold turkey at the start of February, giving in to a quarter cup after 3 weeks after a big breakfast when up north. Had half Starbucks "short" this morning because I was just too damn tired.
I was partly inspired by this blog article, partly by health concerns that had developed over the previous few months including a feeling of over-sensitivity to the caffeine, and partly just to see if I could do it.
After the first week of withdrawal symptoms, mostly slight headaches in the afternoon, I was pretty much operating as normal. I think it's good to force one's self out of a habit for a while.
It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
If they farm it and it cross-contaminates the world coffee DNA, there will be an apocalyptic uprising of caffeine deprived people.
Almost twelve years ago, Slashdot posted an article about the caffeine gene in coffee plants being isolated. At that time, the Futurama references were fresh, but what we all wanted was caffeinated bacon (and baconated grapefruit). Or at least caffeinated apples. An apple with caffeine would solve 100% of the problems in my life. The future was promising. We all believed that genetic engineering would allow this gene to be spliced into other vegetables, animals, and yes, even minerals by now.
Now, over a decade later, the last great promise of the pre-9/11 world has been broken. We are using science not for good, but for evil. Our only hope is that the scientists committing this blasphemy drink their own creation and fall asleep before they can finish their work.
- Jeff Albertson
For every benefit you receive a tax is levied. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
That's probably because according to Mayo Clinic at least, a 12oz bottle of coke has 30-35mg of caffeine, and a cup of brewed Starbucks coffee has 330mg. A cup of Starbucks decaf has 25mg, so you're essentially drinking slightly more than what regular coffee drinkers would consider decaf.
That said, coffee doesn't always taste like crap. I'm pretty picky myself and wouldn't touch the sludge you get at work or restaurants for the most part that's been sitting there all day. However, $25 gets you an Aeropress which makes coffee that tastes excellent, quickly. Of course you'd also want a coffee grinder and ideally 175F water on demand, but hey, you don't need an expensive coffee maker.
Don't think of it as a flame---it's more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage
While there are plenty of people that fit your descriptions of 1 and 2, the idea that coffee tastes bad because some people don't drink it straight is like saying that salt tastes bad because some people don't eat it straight. I like the taste of coffee, just like I like the taste of salt. I don't want to drink coffee straight any more than I want to drink salt water.
I've been drinking coffee for 50 years. No grandchildren yet, and I intend to be around to watch them grow up.
Then you should start drinking coffee. It has a lot of health benefits, including warding off dementia and slowing the brain's aging process. Of course, if you have a medical condition that precludes it, you shouldn't drink it, but barring that, coffee is good for you.
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