Lye (or another similar alkali) and fat (or another similar lipid) are the ingredients in the making of soap. Those ingredients when combined chemically react. The product of that reaction is soap. There is no lye in soap- if there were it would burn your skin.

I suspect that the article is referring to detergent, which is not soap.

I brew coffee with dark roasted beans. I measure the beans by volume before grinding. Been doing that for decades. I guess I’m just making coffee improperly