"Brent" > wrote in message
...
> > So, now I'm in the position of wondering if the myth about DIY
> > decaffeinating is a myth since apparently anybody can put up a webpage
with
> > the scientific basis for whatever's being touted.
> >
> > "I know it's true; I read it on the Internet!"
>
> The difference is that there are published journal articles in support
> of the fact that DIY decaffeination is a myth.
>
> I refer you he http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=2477703
>
> "The overall average caffeine released in the first through third
> brews were 69%, 23%, and 8%, respectively." Though it doesn't say so
> in the abstract available at the link above, in the full article it is
> said that the infusions were 5 minutes each. So... if 5 minutes
> removes 69%, how much do you really think 30 seconds will?

Thinking it over makes me question:

Did Hicks et al measure and report the amount of caffeine released in the
first 30 seconds, 45 seconds, 1 minute, or at any other point before the
first 5-minute steep was over?

What if the "myth" is correct - that up to 80% of tea's caffeine is released
in the first 30 seconds and there's no point to a longer DIY decaffeinating
steep because the rate of caffeine is greatly slowed and the amount of
caffeine released after 30 seconds isn't enough to warrant sacrificing
flavor?

If Hicks et al didn't measure the amount of caffeine released before 5
minutes had passed and if caffeine is as highly water-soluble as purported,
there's no evidence to support that a 30-second steep is significantly less
effective at releasing caffeine than a 5-minute steep.


--
~~Bluesea~~
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