The Story Behind Decaffeinated Coffee
The Story Behind Decaffeinated Coffee
Do you know how they decaf coffee
As grower’s and seller’s of organic Arabica coffee beans from Costa Rica we can easily explain the positive aspects of organic beans, but it is a little more difficult to explain why we don’t market decaffeinated coffee beans. Do you know the real story behind decaf coffee? We hope this helps explain the downside of decaffeinization.
Most importantly, any decaffeinating process will alter the taste of the final product.. There is absolutely no doubt about this fact. Most decaffeinating is accomplished by repeatedly soaking the green coffee beans in a solvent that bonds with the caffeine and then steaming the beans to remove the solvent/caffeine solution. The solvents used are generally either methylene chloride or ethyl acetate. It is assumed that these chemicals are removed by the steam. The second method, the Swiss Water Method, uses large amounts of water percolated through charcoal to wash the caffeine from the coffee beans. The only downside to this method is that the extensive washing alters that wonderful Arabica flavor. There is also a third method now being employed. It uses carbon dioxide to isolate and remove the caffeine. We don’t think there is enough history to understand how this method may interact with the rather delicate composition of the coffee bean. We shall see.
We firmly believe that Arabica coffee beans generally don’t have a high enough caffeine content to cause health issues. We believe that many of the problems are caused by excessive caffeine and excessive acidity in many of what we call “supermarket” brands. However, having said that, if a person is truly sensitive to any amount of caffeine, then in the near future they may have an alternative to drinking decaffeinated coffee. Brazilian scientists are working on developing a caffeine free Arabica bean discovered in Ethiopia, and Asia is offering an Arabica bean called “Excelsa”, that has such a low caffeine content that, when blended with caffeinated Arabica beans, yields a cup of pretty good Arabica coffee with about a third of the normal caffeine.
Make sure when you grab that cup of coffee in the morning that it is a healthly cup of coffee for you. No chemicals is a great way to start. An organic arabica bean coffee is the best way to finish. Try the organic coffees vs the decaf’s and see what happens. Enjoy your morning brew, without the worries.
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