The problem with this thinking... which to me used to be fine, till I noticed, that all is fine and dandy till something goes wrong....then people scream... For example, you may want to take any drug you want, then your cousin dies of an ephedra problem.... then all of a sudden your thinking is changed. Personally, I generally agree. I think that the stupids who mess with something they don't understand.... just weeds out their genes from the gene pool. But apparently, others don't see it this way. I see this in almost all aspects of American life... ANOTHER example... You all want a freemarket system... till you pay $3 a gallon for gas... then you scream. People seem to want what they want with no concern for the consequences... I just do it... and unlike Cacye, I LISTEN when someone says there is a danger... some don't... that's why they try to beat trains in train crossings.... ANOTHER way to weed certain genes from the gene pool.

My recipe for simple syrup: A 2:1 ratio. Start with twice as much sugar as water. Depending on what you plan to store it in, start with 2 cups sugar, to 1 cup water. Four cups of sugar and two cups of water will fill a 32-oz. container to the top when finishing your simple syrup. Over low heat, stir until sugar is no longer laying on the bottom on the pan and mixture is cloudy. Increase heat to medium/high and bring to a boil, giving it a stir with a wooden spoon occasionally. Boil for 3 minutes. Mixture will now be perfectly clear and of a thin, syrupy consistency. Remove from heat. While still VERY hot add: Citrus zest or rind...If using zest, drop thin strips in hot mixture, allow to steep until mixture is barely lukewarm. Strain through a seive and store in bottle in refrigerator. If using rind (for instance, by using a vegetable peeler), be careful not to get any of the pith (the white) of the fruit with the rind. Crush rind with the palm of your hand on flat surface to release oils and drop into the hot syrup mixture. Follow as above. For herbs....basil and sage, for instance....take several large leaves (I find 4-5 are enough) and roll up and crush with the palm of your hand to release to oils (bruise). Mint will vary, depending on type and it's potency. Your nose will tell you. Drop into hot mixture. Steep until barely lukewarm and remove whole leaves. Store in bottle in refrigerator. Rosemary...leave on stems, crush stem (again, to release oils), drop into mixture, same as above. Thymes are also best kept on the stem, because of their small leaves. Just be sure to bruise the stem to crush to herb to release it's oil. Some people use a 1:1 ratio with sugar and water, and I've tried it, but find it to be more of a "simple water" than I do syrup. Also, the 2:1 ratio seems to take less to sweeten beverages, be it a single glass, or an entire pitcher or pot. The 2:1 ratio will become a even thicker when allowed to get cold in the refrigerator, but dissolve instantly in cold or hot beverages. When the ODD occurrence presents itself and I find I don't have lemons or oranges in the house for citrus SS, I use lemon or orange oil. 1/4 tsp. = 1 tbs. fresh zest. I use even less, finding the culinary lemon and orange oils to be intense in flavor. A little goes a long way. And they are just as good as the real thing. Not lemon or orange juice, but the culinary oils. Whatever you do, don't boil your zest/rind or herbs with the syrup. It brings out the bitterness and the result won't be pleasant. Gently coaxing out the flavor by steeping and being patient is always the way to go and will always reward you with a flavorful syrup. :-) The amount of zest or herbs you would use actually depends on your taste. I find one large lemon or orange is fine with my 4 cups to 2 cups ratio, and provides the simple syrup with more than enough flavor. After all, you want a hint of the flavor, not an overwhelming one. The beverage is the star of the show, the syrup is just a sweetener, an accompaniment. Like a lemonade flavored with basil simple syrup. You want the tang of the lemon to shine through with just a hint of basil. I find 4-5 leaves of a healthy, potent basil or sage is just fine. A couple healthy stalks of rosemary will do you well, also. Pick a nice bouquet of thyme if using it. In my experience, it takes a little more to get the job done. As I said, mint will depend on type and potency, but I've found I never have to overwhelm the pot with any single ingredient to get the flavor out of it, if it's fresh and healthy. Trust your nose and tastebuds....but don't burn yourself. When making simple syrup, it's always a good idea to have a bowl of ice water nearby, in case of any accidental splashing or accidents that may occur. This stuff is H-O-T and WILL burn your skin on contact and it sticks!

Snookums, interesting find. But the abstract just says the researchers found small amounts of formaldehyde in commercially brewed and instant coffees in aqueous forms. It doesn't explicitly say anything about decaf coffee, and it certainly doesn't prove that formaldehyde is used to decaffeinate coffee (or rather, we can't discern that from the abstract.) As this report is 27 years old, I wonder why there has been no follow up or more extensive research if there is a formaldehyde issue. Too bad we can't read what's in the report to know if the coffees sampled were a broad spectrum of brands or even if it's an American study (brands readily available to us in our markets). I'd like to know if the study team postulated how the formaldehyde got into the coffee. Perhaps it occurs naturally? I found this in article via library online databases: "Natural carcinogenic and DNA damaging chemicals present in a cup of certified organic coffee (4) Aectaldehyde, benzaldehyde, benzene, benzo (a) pyrene, benzofuran, caffeic acid, catechol, 1,2,5,6-dibenz (a) anthracene, ethylbenzene, formaldehyde, furan, furfural, hydroquinone, d-limonene, 4-methylcatechol, styrene, toluene." ( Gold LS, Slone TH, Stern BR, Manley NB, Ames BN. Rodent Carcinogens: Setting Priorities. Science 258, 261-265, 1992., cited in "Organic Food Sales Increasing 20% Annually Last 20 Years," Hale, Jamie. McClatchy - Tribune Business News [Washington] 05 Nov 2009.) In researching, I thought this was interesting: "Another argument raised against formaldehyde as a human leukemogen [cause of leukemia] has been the presence of potentially significant amounts of formaldehyde or formaldehyde precursors in food. However, food is a complex mixture of chemicals. For example, coffee contains caffeine that would be metabolized to formaldehyde, but among the close to a thousand other chemicals components identified in coffee, some are antioxidants that might well have anticarcinogenic activities. It is difficult to predict the toxicological effects of simple mixtures, let alone mixtures that have thousands of chemicals nor can the possibility be ruled out that formaldehyde derived from food intake plays a role in the existing background incidence of leukemia." (Hematological and toxicological evaluation of formaldehyde as a potential cause of human leukemia Goldstein, Bernard D. Human and Experimental Toxicology30.7 (Jul 2011): 725-35. )

Another recommendation for Upton Tea Company. They have an excellent selection and their shipping dept is awesome. The package arrives in two or three days. DH likes flavored iced tea and drinks it all year round, so I order various flavored teas from Upton, i.e., apricot, black currant or mango. I make it in a coffeepot. They sell iced tea makers but I think a coffeepot works just as well. I like brewed hot tea, especially Nilgiri and Irish Breakfast. They have so many types, it boggles the mind! I'd love to try lots of them.