At least part of the reason coffee plants produce caffeine is as a defense mechanism from insects. If you genetically engineer out the caffeine, your effort to farm the plant just went up if you aren't also able to genetically engineer insect resistance.
On HN only the other day in a discussion about caffeine and coffee consumption I pointed out that caffeine was one of the more innocuous toxins plants use to protect themselves against insects—innocuous to humans that is, there being many more that are very much more toxic to humans.
What I've never seen quoted is a comparison of caffeine's toxicity to insects compared with other common plant toxins (pyrethrins, terpenes etc.) and whether its toxicity is aimed at insects that specificly attack coffee beans.
As far as I'm aware caffeine isn't used as an insecticide whereas pyrethrins are commonly used (but both have comparatively low toxicity in humans). Why I ask is that pyrethrins are effective against a broad spectrum of insects, that caffeine isn't used could imply its action is narrow and only targets a specific species of insect.
No doubt this info is buried somewhere deep in the scientific literature and or within pesticide manufacturers' papers but it's curious it isn't common knowledge given the ubiquity of caffeine.
Perhaps those in the coffee business don't want it known in case it affects business. :-)
Thanks. I don't drink decaffeinated coffee not because I don't get any effects but because of its tase, which I reckon is horrible. Caffeine is bitter (well slightly so) and I reckon removing it makes it unpalatable for me, it's likely why caffeine-free tastes bad. (I'd add I drink both coffee and tea without milk or sugar, that'd make the taste of the caffeine more noticeable I'd reckon).
Incidentally, I was unaware there is wild coffee sans caffeine.
OK. This is off topic a bit but it's like this: I don't much like tea or coffee—except when they're very good. But anyway I drink both and that includes really bad stuff—with one exception, I will not drink either with milk/cream or sugar. I'll tolerate maybe a single teaspoon of sugar in coffee but any sugar in tea I find repulsive and just won't drink it. So, decaffeinated coffee falls within the range of 'acceptable' beverages I'll drink, but I'd prefer the real thing. (I lied a bit there, I also find decaffeinated tea truly repulsive and I never drink it but then it's so rare (at least in my circles) that I never come across it.)
As I said I really enjoy really excellent tea and coffee but I find getting what I like very difficult at a price I can afford. With tea, I used to drink good quality Darjeeling but it's almost impossible to get nowadays (it's over $1,000/kilo). Adding anything to that except perhaps a slice of lemon would be a crime. The cheap stuff that's now sold under the name is little more than tea dust, a good cheap Orange pekoe is a much better deal. I also love good green tea but again the only way I can guarantee to get what I want at a reasonable price is in the tea markets in Japan and I'm not there very often.
Similarly, truly good coffee is also very difficult to get, and it's fiddly to prepare. Even with good beans and an espresso machine I'll more often than not make a suboptimal brew.
I've this theory that many people who add milk and sugar to tea and coffee do so to mask their bad quality although they're not necessarily aware of the fact as it's so rare to get truly good product.
Incidentally, I was introduced to tea somewhere about 4/5 years of age when my mother gave me a weak brew with milk and sugar. I recall that about the time I started school telling my mother to stop putting milk in the tea, the following week I told to stop adding sugar. I've taken that way ever since.
It can have a bit of a taste yeah, but I found mine and I'm sticking with it. Have both with and sans and they are quite good (if anyone's from Germany and wanna try: Brazil mild decaf from Tchibo, actually really good)
Not from Germany so it's not available where I am (or perhaps it's not common).
You say it can have a bit of a tase but was it notably different to the caffeinated one? Reason for asking, I've not compared the two types from the same company together to get an objective comparison.
