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The Food Chain

Factual: Food & Drink

Examining what it takes to put food on your plate

The Food Chain examines the business, science and cultural significance of food, and what it takes to put food on your plate.

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The Food Chain: Taking the Buzz out of Coffee

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Taking the buzz out of coffee

13/12/2018 GMT

Taking the Buzz out of Coffee

BBC World Service - The Food Chain, Taking the Buzz out of Coffee

The complex art of caffeine extraction and why taste is not the only challenge

The complex art of caffeine extraction and why taste is not the only challenge.

A former-coffee lover goes on the hunt for a decent cup without the buzz, and discovers why it's so hard to get flavour without a fix. 

Emily Thomas delves into the complex art of caffeine extraction and discovers that taste is not the only challenge when it comes to taking the bounce out of a bean. The environmental and economic costs of decaf coffee soon add up, meaning a cup may carry a higher carbon footprint and be made with cheaper beans than the full-blooded stuff. 

Could a caffeine free coffee plant hold all the answers? A botanist explains why finding a suitable candidate is an unpalatable challenge.

Or are we being over sensitive? A scientist explains why some of us react badly to caffeine, whereas others can fall into a slumber after two espressos.

(Photo: Cup of coffee with drop suspended above it. Credit: BBC)

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