![]() ![]() ![]() You’ll rarely see this explained on the packaging of supermarket coffees, so we recommend the many craft roasters, like us, who describe both the process and the beans. So, if you want to find a good quality decaf coffee bean, or ground coffee, we recommend you look for a coffee that is explicit about the bean type, ideally Arabica, and the decaffeination process. Most of the larger coffee bean manufacturers still do use a chemical decaffeination process because it’s less time consuming and cheaper than the alternatives. We roast our decaf beans slightly darker than our other coffees to create a body and depth of flavour which we believe makes it indistinguishable from caffeinated coffees. Our beans come from Peru and they are decaffeinated using the Sparkling CO2 method. Ironically, Robusta beans, commonly used in freeze-dried instant coffee and cheap blends, contain twice the caffeine of pricier Arabica beans and don’t taste as good.Īt Spiller & Tait, like other speciality coffee producers, we use only top-quality Arabica beans for our decaf. The decaffeination process has always been expensive and time-consuming, so some coffee manufacturers use the cheaper, inferior Robusta beans to keep prices low. The quality of decaf has as much to do with the quality of the beans as the way the caffeine has been extracted. Green coffee beans are soaked in liquid CO2, the same gas as used in sparkling water, and under certain conditions the caffeine can be extracted and filtered out, leaving the flavour compounds unaltered. The other non-chemical process is Sparkling CO2. The caffeine is then filtered out of the water and the process repeated until the beans are 99.9 per cent caffeine free. Natural coffee components are then added to the water to make up for the flavour that leaches out of the beans along with the caffeine. Green coffee beans are soaked in water, which dissolves the caffeine. The Swiss Water process is perhaps the best known. Which is why methods that don’t involve chemical solvents are becoming increasingly popular. ![]() This process also ensures that traces of solvent left on the beans are below the safe limits set by European legislation.īut some people still have concerns about drinking a coffee treated by chemicals, and many coffee experts believe the chemicals damage the beans and negatively impact the flavour of the coffee. The water is then drained off, and the process repeated until the caffeine content of the beans is at or below 0.1 per cent, which is the legal maximum for decaffeinated coffee beans. ![]() Green coffee beans are soaked in water to soften them, and then the solvent is added to draw the caffeine out. Two “direct” methods employ chemical solvents – either ethyl acetate or methylene chloride. There are four different methods used to extract caffeine from beans. But benzene hasn’t been used for decades to decaffeinate coffee, and the process is now generally regarded to be safe. He used benzene, a solvent now known to be a carcinogen, which probably helps explain decaf’s reputation for being loaded with chemicals. How is decaffeinated coffee made?Ī German, Ludwig Roselius, first discovered how to extract caffeine from coffee beans in 1903. Coffee roasters have also mastered how to roast decaffeinated beans to maximise flavour. Chemical-free decaffeination methods protect the beans and high quality, single-origin, beans are being used to create great flavour. It’s hardly surprising the resulting decaf coffee tasted appalling.īut now the reputation of decaf is on the rise. They extracted the caffeine using harsh chemicals for inclusion in the fizzy drinks, then sold the remaining decaffeinated beans to coffee roasters for their use. Freeze-dried instant decaf coffee was first manufactured in the 70’s and 80’s from low quality coffee which was a by-product of the fizzy drinks industry. However, for many years the poor reputation of decaf coffee (which was well deserved) meant it wasn’t a good option for those with a caffeine sensitivity. Pregnant and breast-feeding women are advised to limit their intake, while many find that caffeine disrupts sleep, raises blood pressure, or makes them feel anxious. It has also become a popular after-dinner drink at home.Īlthough the health benefits of moderate coffee consumption are generally understood, many people don’t get on with caffeine. Recent research suggests around six per cent of us now regularly order a decaf when we visit a coffee shop. But, decaffeinated coffee is now having a renaissance. Decaffeinated coffee has long been considered an inferior drink in the coffee world, denounced for being full of chemicals and ridiculed for tasting awful. ![]()
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