Dear Mr. Scientist,
I don’t understand why anyone would drink such a thing, but how is decaffeinated coffee made? Is it made from a special kind of bean, or can any bean be decaffeinated?
—Carl J.
There is nothing special about the coffee beans; any bean can be decaffeinated, and there are a number of ways to remove the caffeine. No method is 100 percent effective, however, so there will always be some small amount of caffeine in your coffee. The simplest method is to just soak the beans in water, but it is a lengthy process. A much more efficient way is to use highly pressured carbon dioxide. The caffeine in the coffee beans dissolves in the carbon dioxide, leaving behind coffee beans that will give you a great cup of joe minus the jitters.
Dear Mr. Scientist,
What is it about drinking orange juice after brushing your teeth that makes it taste so bad?
—Jon S.
Ask Mr. Scientist is written by Michael Leitch. If you have a burning science question you want him to answer, tweet @DC_Science or email it to science@dailycardinal.com.
