Caffeine.
The world consumes more caffeine than any other pharmacologically active substance. It’s not only present in coffee and tea, but also in cocoa (and chocolate products) and in more than sixty other plant species. Everyone knows coffee helps combat tiredness and boosts physical performance; but it has also been shown to be an excellent source of antioxidants, and has many other health benefits.
Did you know?
The caffeine in tea has less effect than that in coffee. The caffeine in the two drinks is exactly the same; but tea contains a great deal of tannin, which slows the diffusion of caffeine. That is why the effect is gentler and less sudden, though the substance is just the same. Coffee has a high antioxidant content, giving it the potential for many beneficial effects on health such as helping to prevent heart disease and cancer. According to Professor Joe Vinson of Scranton University, coffee is the biggest source of antioxidants in the US diet.
A much-loved alternative: decaffeinated coffee.
Some people prefer to drink decaffeinated coffee, many because they have difficulty sleeping. Often this improves matters; but it should nevertheless be pointed out know that for technical reasons caffeine is never 100% removed. So – as with everything – coffee should be taken in moderation. Balance is all. There are many ways of removing caffeine; Másalto, of course, has opted for the gentlest, most natural method.
How is coffee decaffeinated?
Caffeine is removed from the coffee beans while raw (before roasting). Great care is always taken to remove only the caffeine, and keep everything that contributes to the coffee’s aroma. Before decaffeination, coffee contains between 1% and 2.5% caffeine; no more than 0.1% remains afterwards: so an average cup of ordinary coffee contains 75mg of caffeine while an average cup of “decaf” has no more than 3mg.
It is technically very difficult to remove every last bit of caffeine from the coffee.
