Coffee is the second most popular beverage in the world, after tea.
Caffeine is the component of coffee that is responsible for its mild stimulatory effect on the central nervous system. For people who are sensitive to caffeine, even 10 milligrams can cause discomfort. Today decaffeinated coffee accounts for approximately 12 percent of total worldwide coffee consumption, or nearly 1 billion pounds per year. The first process for decaffeinating coffee was invented by Ludwig Roselius in 1905. Roselius's method used benzene, a potentially toxic hydrocarbon, to remove caffeine from premoistened, green coffee beans.