BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhuanet) -- A Brazilian team has discovered a naturally caffeine-free coffee plant growing wild in 

(Photo:CRIENGLISH.com/Nature.com)

Ethiopia, leading the prospect of a cup of freshly-ground arabica that will not keep people awake.

    The team says they discovered three arabica coffee plants that do not produce caffeine in their leaves or beans among a batch of 6,000 wild samples originally collected in the late 1980s, CRIENGLISH.com reported Thursday.

    The wild plants could be cultivated to produce their own caffeine-free beans, or could be cross-bred with other varieties of arabica coffee to introduce the natural caffeine-free trait into commercial crops.

    About 10 percent of coffee consumed in the world is processed to remove caffeine, a natural chemical linked with heart palpitations, raised blood pressure, and anxiety.

    But the decaffeination process also removes organic compounds that can affect coffee's taste and aroma.     

    (CRIENGLISH.com)