not so simple as that, but yeah. The chemical aftertaste on decaf is absolutely shit. I heard there'd been some progress in engineering a coffee plant which does not produce caffeine, which carries the full flavor of coffee and no chemical aftertaste... any ideas?
The general decaffeination processes includes soaking the still green coffee beans in hot water (160-210 degrees Fahrenheit) and then some sort of solvent or activated carbon. u don't use "supercritical carbon" to make decaf coffee
Yes, you moisten the still green beans as a first step, but the most recent process absolutely does use supercritical CO2, it is more environmentally friendly and leaves more of the flavor intact.
"The third approach, supercritical carbon dioxide decaffeination, is very similar to the direct solvent methods, except that in this case the solvent is carbon dioxide. High-pressure vessels (operating at roughly 250 to 300 times atmospheric pressure) are employed to circulate the carbon dioxide through a bed of premoistened, green coffee beans. At such pressures, carbon dioxide takes on unique, 'supercritical' properties that enhance its usefulness as a solvent."
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-is-caffeine-removed-t/
"Most recently, food scientists have turned to supercritical carbon dioxide as a means of decaffeination. Developed by Kurt Zosel, a scientist of the Max Planck Institute, it uses liquid CO2 to extract caffeine"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decaffeination
"The third approach, supercritical carbon dioxide decaffeination, is very similar to the direct solvent methods, except that in this case the solvent is carbon dioxide. High-pressure vessels (operating at roughly 250 to 300 times atmospheric pressure) are employed to circulate the carbon dioxide through a bed of premoistened, green coffee beans. At such pressures, carbon dioxide takes on unique, 'supercritical' properties that enhance its usefulness as a solvent."
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-is-caffeine-removed-t/
"Most recently, food scientists have turned to supercritical carbon dioxide as a means of decaffeination. Developed by Kurt Zosel, a scientist of the Max Planck Institute, it uses liquid CO2 to extract caffeine"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decaffeination