For many of us, it's the highly-caffeinated cup of joe that gets our mornings underway or rejuvenates our afternoon slump. Still, there are many that prefer it's less jittery cousin, commonly known as decaf. While its existence is commonplace, few stop to think about how we get to the decaffeinated version.
There are several methods used in reducing or eliminating the caffeine content of the coffee bean, but they are all pretty similar. First, processors use water or steam to swell the green beans, then they extract the caffeine using a solvent. Water, ethyl acetate, methylene...
