Now many kinds of superior coffee beans are being decaffeinated in ways that conserve strong flavor. But the public suffers from a groundless fear of chemical decaffeination and prefers instead to buy water-processed decaf.

(A) The solvent comes into direct contact with them, carrying the caffeine with it. The drained solvent is then mixed with water, and the caffeine is drawn out to be sold.

(B) In the water process, however, no solvent touches the beans. After the beans are steamed, they are soaked in water, which removes the caffeine―along with all the soluble solids in the beans. The solution is drained off to a separate tank, where the caffeine is drawn out from it.

(C) Every process of decaffeination, whether chemical- or water-based, starts with steaming the green beans to loosen the bonds of caffeine. In the chemical process, a solvent circulates through the beans.