A Behind The Scenes Look At The Coffee Decaffeination Process
Wanna hear a joke? Decaf. (Not anymore)
In the days of Sanka, the humor in the line above was real. The lowest quality beans, making the lowest quality decaf.
Times have changed, and whether you drink coffee to wake up or wake up to drink coffee, there has been a revolution in decaf coffee.
Modern technology can bring you a great-tasting decaffeinated cup of Joe that won’t introduce other harmful chemicals to your body. If your doctor has advised you to cut the caffeine, read on for great news.
Let’s start with the three main methods used to decaffeinate coffee.
The 3 Methods Used to Decaffeinate Coffee
1. Solvents
Ludwig Roselius, a German businessman, is most often credited with creating the first decaf coffee around 1906. He steamed open the beans in saltwater and soaked them in benzene which acted as a solvent to the caffeine. Please don’t try this at home.
This process is of course no longer used because benzene is a known carcinogen.
Yet the idea of using solvents on coffee seemed logical and thus followed another similar process that instead used ethyl acetate. This process is still used and ethyl acetate or methylene chloride are used widely in decafs around the world.
According to the FDA website, the potential of these chemicals for risk to human beings is “so low as to be non-existent.” The basic process sees the green unroasted beans steamed open, put into water, and all of the oils, flavors, and caffeine extracted from this liquid. The solvent is introduced which binds with the caffeine and then scrubbed through filters. The beans are re-introduced to the extract, flavors return home and the coffee is dried and sent to roast.
2. Water
Swiss Water Process (what we do at Greenwell Farms) requires us to send our green beans to Canada. At the Swiss Water Factory there, water, time and temperature are used to create a truly unique and high quality decaffeinated bean. Beans are dried and sent to roast. This produces certified organic, 99% caffeine-free coffee. Remember, FDA requires only 97% removal to call it decaf.
The Swiss Water Website states: “We use only water, temperature, and time to gently remove caffeine while preserving all the coffee’s original characteristics. Our seal means you’re getting the very best cup of decaf, free of chemicals or residual processing flavors.”
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3. Super Critical Carbon Dioxide Method
There is another method called Super Critical CO2. At a certain pressure and temperature, what is normally CO2 gas becomes a supercritical fluid (sCO2) which can act as a solvent on other materials. Here again, green coffee beans are soaked in water, put into a sealed vessel and the sCO2 is pumped in. It will dissolve the caffeine and that liquid is circulated through scrubbers that remove the caffeine from the mix. This method tends to be the most expensive and also uses no chemicals on the coffee.
No matter what you do, testing shows that each of these methods will indeed slightly alter the taste, aroma, and color of the coffee bean. The quality of the beans that you started with will be the biggest factor in the final taste after decaf.
More to Know
If a regular 8-ounce cup of coffee has 120 milligrams of caffeine, and it is 97% decaf, it will still have 3.6 milligrams of caffeine. For many that is fine, but if you are truly off caffeine for serious medical reasons, this caffeine can still produce undesirable effects, especially when multiple cups are consumed. Larger cups mean more caffeine.
Caffeine is a phytochemical – a chemical produced by a number of plant species for two principal reasons: To kill predatory insects that might want to eat them, as a natural insecticide. Also, caffeine decomposed around the trees can prevent the sprouting of seeds from neighboring plants that would otherwise compete for sunlight and water.
Caffeine sensitivity is a real medical condition that is both genetic and can be triggered by a weakened liver or metabolic disease. If you experience headaches, a racing heart, jitteriness, restlessness, feelings of anxiety, difficulty sleeping, or similar symptoms after consuming coffee, tea, or chocolate, please consult with your doctor.
Darker roasted coffees contain less caffeine than lighter roasts by about 5-7%
Different extraction methods change the amount of caffeine in your drink. The general rule is short contact between water and grounds equals less caffeine (espresso shot). Longer contact equals higher caffeine. (cold brew)
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, it takes about 30 to 60 minutes for caffeine to reach its peak level in the blood. The body typically eliminates half of it in 3 to 5 hours, and the remainder can linger for 8 to 14 hours.
If you are required to give up caffeine, remember that caffeine is a psychoactive drug, and the withdrawals are hard. Expect an inability to concentrate, headaches, and even flu-like symptoms, digestion issues, fatigue, irritability, and even tremors. Depending on the person you can expect these to last 2-9 days.
The Decaf In-between
There are a variety of techniques to lower caffeine without going full decaf. For many, reduction is a perfectly workable solution as opposed to elimination. Consider:
Home Blending:
60% Decaf beans and 40% regular and play with those percentages until the balance is just right.
Smaller Cups:
Caffeine is increased by the volume of liquid in the cup. The bigger the cup the more caffeine you are consuming. A 12-ounce cup of coffee has roughly double the caffeine of a 6-ounce cup.
Americano:
Typically a one-ounce (single shot) of expresso has 40-70 milligrams of caffeine. An 8-ounce drip brew might have 95-120 milligrams. So if you brew espresso, and then add hot water to taste, caffeine stays low.
Eat First:
Having something to eat first, followed by a small coffee will slow down the absorption rate of the caffeine into the bloodstream. You’ll still get the caffeine, but it won’t give you the jolt.
Power Naps:
Some suggest that morning coffee is fine but that the afternoon cup is what wrecks their biorhythms. During your 10-minute afternoon break, find a quiet place, drink a glass of water, close your eyes, and breathe slowly and deeply. Either sitting or laying down, tell your body to let all stress and negativity melt away, and then just float. Many report an immediate boost to energy levels.
Whatever you decide to do, listen to your body, and experiment with a workable solution for you!
Matt Carter is a retired teacher (1989-2018), part-time musician, farmer, and currently manages Greenwell Farm’s Tour and Retail Store Operations.
