What do we do if we like a drink but it doesn't do us any good? Simply not consuming it would be the easiest option, but people don't give up that easily. That's why we now have non-alcoholic beverages, milk without animal ingredients, and decaffeinated coffee. And that's what we're talking about here. What exactly happens, what methods are available, and how these methods affect the taste. We'll tell you.
Decaffeinated coffee – what exactly is it?
So what is decaffeinated coffee? This is coffee from which the caffeine is usually removed before roasting. To do this, the green coffee beans undergo a complex process to remove the caffeine. There are many different processes for this, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. What is certain is that in Germany, coffee can be called decaffeinated if it contains less than 0.1 percent caffeine. This doesn't work in one decaffeination process. That's why green coffee is usually decaffeinated several times – at least for the German market, as other countries are less strict about the caffeine content of decaf coffee.
Decaffeinated coffee – Roselius process
The first – at least commercially used – process for removing caffeine from coffee was the Roselius process. It was named after its developer, Ludwig Roselius. He developed the process between 1903 and 1905 because his father, who had died before his death, had consumed a lot of coffee. Roselius suspected that his father had died of caffeine poisoning. In this process, the coffee beans are soaked in salt water, and then the caffeine is extracted using a solvent. Initially, the carcinogenic and toxic benzene was used for this purpose – which is also the reason why this process is no longer used in this form today.
Decaffeinated coffee – Swiss water process
In the late 1970s, the Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company developed the following process: Coffee beans are taken and treated with hot water until all the caffeine and other components are dissolved in the water. The beans from this step are discarded, and the caffeinated water is passed through an activated carbon filter, which removes the caffeine from the water. New beans are added to the now decaffeinated water. Since the water still contains all the other components of the coffee, only the caffeine is removed from the new beans. This process is repeated until the correct degree or percentage of residual caffeine is reached. The beans are then dried.
The disadvantages of this process are high costs—primarily because the extracted caffeine cannot be used or sold as with other processes, as it is permanently bound in the activated carbon filters. Furthermore, some coffee experts say that certain nuances of the coffee suffer as a result of this process. Only a few factories worldwide still use this process.
Decaffeinated coffee – Direct process
In the so-called direct process, the green coffee beans are allowed to swell in steam. A solvent, often dichloromethane or ethyl acetate, is then added and the beans are immersed in it for several hours. This extracts the caffeine from the beans. The solvent is then poured off, and any residue disappears during the drying process. With dichloromethane, special care should be taken to remove all residues, as it is suspected of being carcinogenic. Overall, the direct process is a relatively inexpensive decaffeination method.
Decaffeinated coffee EA Sugarcane process
The EA Sugarcane process is also a direct method, but this one uses a natural solvent. EA stands for ethyl acetate, and in this case, it's derived from sugarcane, making it a natural and non-toxic substance. Furthermore, this process preserves almost all of the coffee's flavors, and you can barely taste any difference between decaffeinated and regular coffee. Our decaffeinated coffee is produced using this process.
Decaffeinated coffee – Indirect process
The indirect process also works with extraction agents such as dichloromethane or ethyl acetate. However, all of the coffee's water-soluble components are first extracted from the beans using hot water. The extraction agents then remove caffeine from this solution. The decaffeinated solution is then heated with new beans, extracting only the caffeine from the beans to achieve solubility equilibrium. This process is similar to the Swiss water process, but uses different solvents.
Decaffeinated coffee – carbon dioxide process
In this process, the beans are pretreated with steam. They are then flushed with supercritical CO2 under pressure of 73 to 300 bar. This dissolves the caffeine and expels it. The carbon dioxide then evaporates, leaving pure caffeine. This process is repeated until the beans have the desired residual caffeine content. The beans are then gently dried so they can be roasted.
What does supercritical CO2 mean? This means that the carbon dioxide, which is actually a gas, is in "liquid" form. The critical point of pressure and temperature is exceeded, which changes the state of the gas. This allows the beans to be flushed with CO2, and it even develops excellent solvent properties. The advantages of this process are that the carbon dioxide is non-toxic and is completely removed. Furthermore, pure caffeine remains, which can be used for medicinal purposes, for example.
Decaffeinated coffee – triglyceride process
The triglyceride process is also sustainable, as it requires only one step to decaffeinate the coffee. The green coffee beans are treated in a hot water-coffee solution, which causes the caffeine to rise to the surface of the beans. The beans are then immersed in hot coffee oils, where the triglycerides remove only the caffeine, leaving the aromatic compounds in the beans. The beans are then separated from the oils and dried.
Decaffeinated coffee – what happens to the taste?
Any decaffeination takes place while the coffee is still green. Decaffeinating roasted coffee would result in a significant loss of flavor, as many of the distinctive flavor compounds are only created during the roasting process. Caffeine itself has no flavor, meaning decaffeination itself doesn't affect the taste of coffee. However, the solvent used can affect the flavor—either through solvent residue or by simply dissolving and leaching too many flavors from the beans during the process.
Furthermore, any decaffeination process removes some of the coffee's flavor, usually bitterness, making decaf coffee generally milder in taste. However, it also removes fats, carbohydrates, acids, and melanoidins. These substances influence how a drink feels in the mouth.
Decaffeinated coffee – roast level
Once the green coffee has been decaffeinated, the roaster can treat it almost as if it were regular green coffee. However, a few things must be kept in mind, as decaffeinated coffee has usually been treated with heat and pressure, which often makes it more porous and less compact. It's up to the roaster to take this into account and achieve a great roast. Our decaffeinated coffee is medium roasted, making it suitable for all preparation methods—for example, in a French press or as an espresso. Of course, decaffeinated beans can also be dark roasted to create a decaf espresso.
Decaffeinated coffee – is there also specialty decaf?
Yes, of course. Here you'll find only specialty coffees. And since we also have a decaf version, it's logically a specialty decaf. With our decaf version, you get the full flavor package—with notes of milk chocolate and hazelnut—without the caffeine. You probably won't even notice you're drinking decaf. And that's exactly how a good decaf coffee should taste.
Decaffeinated coffee – the science
There are currently scientists in Glasgow, Tokyo, and Hawaii working on developing a caffeine-free coffee variety—through cross-breeding or genetic engineering. Currently, there is no commercially viable caffeine-free coffee variety. Brazilian researchers discovered several virtually caffeine-free varieties in 2004, but these would have to be made viable by cross-breeding with other coffee plants—and this hasn't happened yet. If this or a genetically modified variant were to work, the sometimes very complex and expensive decaffeination processes could be dispensed with in the future.
Decaffeinated coffee – Conclusion
You don't have to forgo taste if you want or need to avoid caffeine. For example, women should consume no or very little caffeine during pregnancy. Therefore, it is recommended to drink decaffeinated coffee. Some people simply cannot tolerate caffeine but still like the taste of coffee. There are many reasons. There are now also many decaffeinated specialty coffees. If you drink coffee primarily for the caffeine, then decaffeinated coffee is obviously not for you - but you never know when the time will come when you don't want or aren't allowed to consume caffeine - in which case it is good to know that our Decafe also tastes absolutely great without caffeine.
