Decaf coffee: For some it is a great way to enjoy coffee without the effects of caffeine, others see no point in it. But how is decaf coffee made and what are the benefits? Here are all the facts in a row:
What is decaf coffee
Decaf is coffee without caffeine. Well, less caffeine. A cup of decaf coffee still contains 2 to 4 milligrams of caffeine. However, this is such a small amount - a normal cup of coffee contains about 85 milligrams - that you will not notice the effects.
How is decaf coffee made
The decaf process begins before the coffee beans are roasted. The trick, of course, is to extract the caffeine from the coffee beans without losing any of the flavor. There are four ways to do this. Because caffeine is water-soluble, each method uses water. Here are the four ways to make decaf coffee:
Indirect use of solvent
This method uses a solvent to extract the caffeine from the coffee bean. The beans are soaked in almost boiling water for a few hours, which causes the caffeine and all other (flavour) elements and oils from the bean to end up in the water. This water is then washed for ten hours with methylene chloride or ethyl acetate. The molecules of these solvents only bind to the caffeine. By heating the water, the caffeine evaporates with the solvent and the water only contains the flavour and oils. These are then added back to the beans, which gives them back their flavour, but not the caffeine.
Direct use of solvent
This method also uses methylene chloride or ethyl acetate. However, one of these solvents is now applied directly to the coffee bean. By first steaming the bean for 30 minutes, the pores of the bean open, allowing the solvent to enter. The coffee beans are now washed for ten hours with methylene chloride or ethyl acetate. The solvent then binds to the caffeine, causing it to leave the bean. After these ten hours, the beans are steamed again to steam all residues from the coffee bean and thus prepare the bean for roasting.
Swiss Water Process
The Swiss Water process method does not use solvents. In this method, coffee beans are soaked for a few hours, which releases the caffeine and other elements into the water. This water is then filtered. The special charcoal filter is too small for the caffeine molecules to pass through, but large enough for all other elements and oils.
Contrary to what you might expect, this water is not added to the coffee beans. The beans are thrown away and the water is added to a new group of coffee beans. Because this water is already full of (flavor) elements and oils, only the caffeine can dissolve in it. In this way, the beans only release their caffeine and you get decaf coffee beans.
CO 2
The last method uses liquid CO2 to separate coffee beans from caffeine. After the coffee beans have been soaked in water again, they are placed in a steel tube. Liquid CO2 is then added to this at high pressure . The CO2 acts as a solvent here and only binds to the caffeine. The decaffeinated coffee beans are then removed from this and the CO2 with caffeine is transferred to another container. The pressure is released from this container, causing the CO2 to return to a gaseous state and the caffeine to dissolve. The CO2 can now be used again for the next group of coffee beans.
The benefits of decaf coffee
Drinking coffee has many benefits. According to the Nutrition Center, a coffee drinker has a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. If you drink decaf coffee, you still enjoy these benefits, but without the caffeine. For example, the Nutrition Center recommends not consuming more than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day. That is about four cups of coffee per day. As a decaf coffee drinker, you are not stuck with this limit! So you can enjoy a nice cup of coffee much more often.
Additionally, you can of course have another cup before going to sleep, because the caffeine won't keep you awake.
Are you now eager to try a decaf coffee? Check out our selection here!
