How Coffee Becomes Decaffeinated

For those who love coffee but not caffeine, there is decaffeinated coffee. Whereas some people feel that the whole point of coffee is the caffeine, to others coffee decaffeination allows them to enjoy the flavor without the guilt.

One misconception, however, is that decaffeinated coffee does not have any caffeine. It does contain a small amount of caffeine--1/40th the amount of regular coffee.

Some people think that removing the caffeine from coffee also removes its flavor. Technology, however, has made it so that there is only a minimal loss of flavor, and some say none at all.

The Drawback of Decaffeinated Coffee

Some people have had some really bad decaffeinated coffee. The problem, however, is not in the coffee itself. The problem is that it is very difficult to roast. When someone drinks some bad decaf coffee, more than likely they are getting a badly-roasted decaf.

Many methods are out there for decaffeinating coffee, but only two of them are prominent.

The Solvent Method of Coffee Decaffeination

The oldest way of decaffeinating coffee is the solvent method. It is also called the European or traditional process. The solvent method works like this:

Beans are steamed.

Then they are soaked in an organic solvent. This solvent combines itself with the caffeine in coffee.

The beans are then steamed again to remove the residue.

The beans are then dried and roasted like any other green coffee bean.

Different solvents are used during this process. Some people worry about health risks because of solvents, but no one is really sure if there are any risks involved. Some of the solvents that have been used in this process include:

trichloroethylene,

methylene chloride, and

ethyl acetate.

Trichloroethylene was linked to cancer in the 70s and was replaced by methylene chloride. Methylene chloride is not known to have any harmful effects. Some Europeans are using ethyl acetate, which some feel is more environmentally friendly than methylene chloride.

Swiss Water Process of Coffee Decaffeination

In the 80s the Swiss water method of decaffeination was developed . It uses the same kind of process as the solvent method, but without the solvents. This method was developed by the Swiss firm Coffex S.A., hence the name "Swiss.

Here is how the Swiss water process works:

The bean is soaked in water.

The water is percolated through activated charcoal, which strips the caffeine from the bean.

The beans are then returned to the water.

In the water, the bean reabsorbs the remaining flavor.

This process is more expensive than the solvent method. Some also say that coffee that is decaffeinated by this method doesn't taste as good.

Carbon Dioxide Method of Coffee Decaffeination

A newer method of decaffeination uses carbon dioxide, which is more natural than the substances used in the solvent method and the Swiss water process. The carbon dioxide method uses liquid carbon dioxide that has been compressed up to 200 times the standard atmospheric pressure to extract caffeine from coffee. The major drawback to this method at the moment is that it is used only for large-scale decaffeination, meaning that it cannot be used for many top-grade beans. It's too early to tell if this method preserves the flavor well enough to please coffee drinkers, but the carbon dioxide method may be the future of coffee decaffeination.