SOME CAFFEINE FACTS
FROM “HEALTHY FAMILY”--BETTER HOMES & GARDENS, AUGUST 2003

GROUNDS FOR CELEBRATION (Coffee no longer a health villain)
Since there are so many bad habits to feel guilty about, it’s awfully nice when one of those vices actually turns out to be something of a virtue. Take coffee: Over the years, it has been accused of causing everything from birth defects to breast cancer. Now, with thousands of medical studies showing little or no adverse health effects from coffee, all the decades of naysaying are finally coming to a close. In fact, there are a number of proven benefits to partaking in a daily cup or two of joe:
Coffee drinking may lower your risk of colon cancer by up to 25% because of its ability to help keep you regular. Two observational studies found that regular coffee intake reduced the risk of developing kidney stones. People w/asthma who drink coffee can have up to 25% fewer symptoms because one of the compounds in coffee--theophylline--acts as a bronchodilator. Other diseases that coffee may help prevent: cirrhosis of the liver, Parkinson’s, skin cancer & gallstones. Now, this doesn’t mean that you should measure your daily coffee consumption in gallons. But research shows that 3-4 cups a day (under 2 cups for pregnant women) aren’t going to do any harm. And they might just do some good.

Decaffeinated Coffee Info
Caffeine is virtually odorless and tasteless.

Direct Contact Decaffeination immerses the green beans in warm/hot water, raising their moisture content and bringing the caffeine to the surface. Methylene Chloride is used to remove the caffeine and wax. The beans are then rinsed, dried and shipped to the broker or roaster. Methylene Chloride boils and evaporates at 114 degrees Fahrenheit. Since the beans reach 200 degrees F in the first four minutes of a roast and the heat continues to climb to well over 400 degrees F, with total roast times lasting between 15 & 19 minutes, all traces of the solvent disappear. Residual amounts of solvent in green beans (before roasting) are less than 5 parts per million. The F.D.A. has set the limit for Methylene Chloride at 10 parts per million in brewed coffee. There is virtually no solvent left after roasting.

Water Process Decaffeination uses hot water and steam to remove caffeine from the green beans, then runs the solution through active charcoal filters to remove the caffeine. The beans are then soaked in the decaffeinated solution, dried and shipped to the broker/roaster.

Diva uses direct contact decaffeinating.