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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?"

6 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 Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's like taking the cocaine out of Coca-Cola.

    2. 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?

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

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

  3. You RUINS IT! by Warhawke · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wicked, tricksy, false! It chokeses, burnses us! Gollum! Gollum!

  4. Wrong Direction by ari_j · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.