Which is of course why you must increase the steep time, each time. I
always thought I lost almost all the caffeine in the first steep. But
now,
if those studies are right, it seems that you can get fairly consistent
caffeine on subsequent steepings by increasing the time a minute or so
each
time.

In fact, now that I mention it, I'd love to see an experiment where they
compare the caffeine in 4-5 different cups, all steeped from the same leaves
with the same amt of water. First steep is for (say) 2 minutes, second is
for 3 minutes, third is for 4, etc. I bet you'd get fairly consistent
caffeine in all the pours.