Wake-up tea

On Sep 22, 8:21 pm, klu...@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) wrote:
> These days it's expected that wineries and distilleries will have a
> small analytical laboratory, at least enough to do run of the mill testing.
> Now, I will admit that there's no simple titration test for xanthines, but
> still it's something that you'd expect at least a big growers co-op to be
> able to do on site.

Perhaps, when HPLCs drop substantially in price, and when more teas
are bulked or blended at source (less measurements per tonne). But
most 'interesting' teas are still from individual production that
varies from field to field and day to day amd not bulked and sold
through grower's co-ops.

> A couple of years ago the folks at Wash U. were all agush about having
> come out with a simple dipstick test for caffeine.... I am surprised that
> nothing seems to have come out of that work yet.

I remember the hype on this in 2006. It was an immunoassay test but
results were only qualitative - caffeine present or absent. Main
problem was that hot liquids destroy the antibody, so they found a
thermostable one from blood of llamas!

Nigel at Teacraft