om the beans by benzol or chloroform,
but a variety of solvents may be employed, such as petrolic ether,
water, alcohol, carbon tetrachloride, ethylene chloride, acetone, ethyl
ether, or mixtures or emulsions of these. After extraction, the beans
may be steam distilled to remove and to recover any residual traces of
solvent, and then dried and roasted. It is said[142] that by heating the
beans before bringing them into contact with steam, not only is an
economy of steam effected, but the quality of the resultant product is
improved.

One clever but expensive method[143] of preparing caffein-free coffee
consists in heating the beans under pressure, with some substance, such
as sodium salicylate, with the resultant formation of a more soluble and
more easily steam-distillable compound of caffein. The beans are then
steam distilled to remove the caffein, dried, and roasted.

Another process of peculiar interest is that of Hubner,[144] in which
the coffee beans are well washed and then spread in layers and kept
covered with water at 15 deg. C. until limited germination has taken
place, whereupon the beans are removed and the caffein extracted with
water at 50 deg. C. It is claimed by the inventor that sprouting serves
to remove some of the caffein, but it is quite probable that the process
does nothing more than accomplish simple aqueous extraction.

In the majority of these processes the flavor of the resultant product
should be very similar to natural roasted coffee. However, in the cases
where aqueous extraction is employed, other substances besides caffein
are removed that are replaced in the bean only with difficulty. The
resultant product accordingly is very likely to have a flavor not
entirely natural. On the other hand, beans from which the caffein is
extracted with volatile solvents, if the operation be conducted
carefully, should give a natural-tasting roast. Any residual traces of
the solvent left in the bean are volatilized upon roasting.

Some of the caffein-free coffees on the market show upon analysis almost
as much caffein as the natural bean. Those manufactured by reliable
concerns, however, are virtually caffein-free, their content of the
alkaloid varying from 0.3 to 0.07 percent as opposed to 1.5 percent in
the untreated coffee. Thus, although actually only caffein-poor, in
order to get the reaction of one cup of ordinary coffee one would have
to drink an unusual amount of the brew made from these coff