For some coffee drinkers, enjoying a caffeinated cup comes with adverse reactions. While decaf coffee accounts for only a small percentage of coffee consumption, it's great for people who would otherwise not be able to drink coffee.
Decaf coffee has been around for over a century. In the past, decaffeinating coffee beans involved a pretty bad chemical solvent! Today, you no longer have to poison yourself to enjoy drinking almost completely caffeine free coffee.
So, how is decaf coffee made these days?
What is Decaf Coffee?
There's a common misconception that decaf has no caffeine, but it's still a mildly caffeinated drink with up to 0.3% caffeine.
The history of decaf coffee dates back to the early 1900s when the German entrepreneur Ludwig Roselius developed a decaffeination process that used benzene to create decaffeinated beans. That's why people still believe decaf is made with harmful chemicals.
Today, several different decaffeination processes ensure that decaf is as tasty as normal coffee and free of harmful chemicals.
Decaf vs regular coffee
Decaf and caffeinated coffee have some similarities but also differences.
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How much caffeine? While decaf isn't totally caffeine free, one regular cup typically contains 5-10 mg of caffeine. Caffeinated coffee has lots more caffeine (from 80-100mg).
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Flavor: Modern decaf isn't bad. Decaf can taste great but slightly different.
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Cost: Decaf coffee is typically more expensive.
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Availability: There are more regular coffees than decaf, but coffee companies have plenty of decaf options: From instant coffee, unroasted beans, roasted coffee, and organic coffee beans, there's much to choose from!
Why Go Decaf?
Some people are caffeine-sensitive and experience negative side effects from consuming caffeine. Examples are anxiety, insomnia, and headaches. These people are more sensitive to caffeine's stimulating effects, making them feel jittery or restless.
If you fall into that group and miss the scent and taste of coffee, decaffeinated coffee is the perfect solution. You also don't have to worry about missing out on the health benefits of coffee because decaf still has many of these, which include:
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Reduced risk of type 2 diabetes
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Improved liver health
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Lower risk of Parkinson's disease
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Lower risk of Alzheimer's disease
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Improved mood
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Mildly increased energy levels
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Weight loss
Is decaffeinated coffee bad for you?
Of course, some things with health benefits can also be bad for you, but that's not the case with decaf. Its minor risks are negligible for most people:
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Beans may have residual solvent traces. These levels are considered safe, but some people may be sensitive to them.
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Decaf coffee may contain mycotoxins. That's why you should choose decaf coffee that is tested for mycotoxins.
The Science Behind Caffeine Removal
Caffeine is a natural stimulant in coffee beans and other plants like tea, cacao, and guarana. Before the roasting process, various decaf processes can be used to take caffeine from green beans.
How is coffee decaffeinated? There are different methods, including water processing, solvent-based processes, and a CO2 process. In some of these, green coffee extract is a byproduct that's sold as a supplement (decaffeination happens to green coffee beans before roasting).
Popular Methods of Decaffeination
Solvent-Based Processes
Direct Method
The beans are steamed to open their pores during the direct solvent process. Then, they're soaked in a solvent like ethyl acetate or methylene chloride. This pulls the caffeine out of the bean, but not only caffeine. To finish the direct solvent method, the beans are rinsed and steamed again to remove any remaining solvent.
Indirect Method
During the indirect solvent process, the coffee beans are soaked in very hot water for several hours to create a "coffee extract". This is treated with chemical solvents like ethyl acetate (ethyl acetate is an organic compound) or activated charcoal, reducing caffeine content dramatically. With the caffeine removed, the beans are returned to the fluid to reabsorb flavor compounds like coffee oils.
Non-Solvent-Based Processes
Swiss Water Method (Also: Swiss Water Process)
During the Swiss Water Method, a natural decaffeination method, coffee beans are soaked in water, creating caffeine laden water. This extract is filtered to remove caffeine (which is turned into what's called green coffee extract) but retain flavor molecules.
During the water process, the filtered extract removes caffeine from a new bean batch. This is repeated until the coffee bean is 99.9% caffeine-free. The mountain water process works the same way.
Carbon dioxide process
During the carbon dioxide method, CO2 under high pressure is used to extract caffeine from coffee beans. The CO2 gas dissolves and removes only the caffeine from green coffee beans. If you decaffeinate coffee this way, many of the authentic flavor compounds remain intact.
Pros and cons of decaffeinated coffee
Pros:
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Reduced caffeine intake
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Health benefits (see above)
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Better sleep
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Gentler option
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Can taste great
Cons:
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It can taste different from regular coffee
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Small traces of caffeine because you cannot completely remove caffeine
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Minor health risk concerns
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Slightly fewer health benefits than regular coffee
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More expensive
Does decaf coffee taste different?
It depends a lot on the decaffeination method and the roaster's skill. When you decaffeinate coffee beans, you sometimes remove flavor components that play an important part in the typical coffee flavor. Some processes cause a bean to degrade faster, leading to a horrible taste if you drink decaf coffee that's too old.
So, is decaf coffee bad? No! Some decaffeinated drinks taste just as great as regular coffee. Just avoid old decaffeinated coffee beans!
Health and Safety: Are There Residues?
Decaffeination methods vary; some involve solvents, which potentially leave trace residues. However, strict regulations ensure these levels are safe. Methods like the Swiss Water Process or carbon dioxide use no solvents, minimizing these concerns.
Environmental Impact
Decaffeination processes can impact the environment. Most methods consume water and produce waste.
Sustainability is a concern, but methods like the Swiss Water Process or CO2 method are more eco-friendly by minimizing water usage and reducing chemical waste.
Choosing the Right Decaf for You
One important factor in choosing the right option is the decaffeination method. Each has environmental and taste implications.
Explore different brands to find one that suits your preferences. Look up roasters to check their reputation for producing decaf coffees. Not every roaster is good at this.
Brewing Decaf: Any Differences?
Generally, there's not much difference between brewing a cup of regular or decaf coffee. In both cases, you'll have to consider grind size, brewing time, and water temperature and experiment a little to get the perfect cup.
Conclusion
Decaffeinated beverages are more exciting than people realize. You probably know that because you were wondering: How is decaf coffee made? For many decaf lovers, drinking coffee isn't just about caffeine intake. Enjoying a cup of decaf is a great way to wind down at the end of the day without worrying about a sudden energy kick and the jitters.
While the world of regular coffee is much larger, the world of decaf and decaffeination methods is worth exploring. You may be surprised at what you find!
