Koffee Korner – February 2010

The most important thing to consider about decaffeinated coffee, how was this decaffeinated?
There are several ways to take the caffeine out of coffee, some are better than others. How it is processed will effect the flavor, body and characteristics of the coffee.

Good Coffee Roasters use only certified organic green coffee, that is decaffeinated using the Swiss Water Process, which uses pure water from British Columbia Canada to gently remove the caffeine until the coffee beans are 99.9% caffeine-free, while maintaining the bean’s distinctive origin and flavor characteristics. Swiss Water Process gently removes the caffeine by soaking green coffee beans in hot water, releasing caffeine.

When all the caffeine and coffee solids are released into the water, the beans are discarded. The water then passes through a carbon filter that traps caffeine but lets the coffee solids pass through. The resulting solution, called “green coffee extract” (GCE) The green coffee extract passes through proprietary carbon which captures the caffeine. Green coffee beans are soaked in the water solution and are processed through diffusion, they carefully control the timing and temperature, then filter out the caffeine with a proprietary carbon technology that uses a solution comprised of green coffee extract which contain strong antioxidants. The process repeats, filtering out all the caffeine until the beans are 99.9% caffeine-free. A 100% chemical-free process that takes about 10 to 12 hours.

Caffeine is a natural occurring substance that is present in the leaves, seeds and fruits of more than sixty (60) different plant species worldwide. Many foods and beverage products made from these plants inherently contain varying amounts of caffeine. In addition, caffeine is sometimes added to processed foods and beverages during the manufacturing process to enhance flavor, or in the case of medications, to enhance efficacy.

Many people are choosing to drink decaffeinated coffee for a variety of reasons. However, not all decaffeination processes are the same. In most decaffeination methods, chemical solvents such as methylene chloride or ethyl acetate are used to strip caffeine molecules from the green coffee bean.

Methylene Chloride is a colorless, volatile liquid with a moderately sweet aroma. It is widely used as a solvent, the general view being that it is one of the less harmful of the chlorocarbons. However, in many countries products containing dichloromethane must carry labels warning of it’s health risks. This process is also referred to as the “European process” an often used term to describe methylene chloride decaffeination that is commonly done in European facilities. It is important to note that the Swiss Water Process is the only decaffeination process that guarantees that no chemicals are used in decaffeinating coffee beans.

Companies that advertise a “natural process” decaf sounds pretty good. However, the “natural process” is a food description that has come under much consumer debate because of its vagueness. Often used in decaffeination labels liked to ethyl acetate. Many commercial uses of ethyl acetate are synthetically manufactured. Often used in decaffeination labels linked to ethyl acetate.

Many commercial uses of ethyl acetate are synthetically manufactured. Ethyl Acetate is a colorless liquid that has a sweet smell, (similar to pear drops) like certain glues or nail polish removers, in which it is used. Ethyl acetate is the ester ethanol and acetic acid. It is manufactured on a large scale for use as a solvent and is commonly used to clean circuit boards and as a nail varnish remover, (acetone and acetonitile are also used). Coffee beans and tea leaves are decaffeinated with this solvent.

A typical 12 oz cup of caffeinated coffee contains between 120 mg and 180 mg of caffeine while a decaffeinated cup of coffee the same size has caffeine levels anywhere between 2 mg and 6 mg. The blend composition, extraction rates, water temperatures, grind and roast can all minutely affect the final caffeine levels found in decaf coffee and accounts for the difference.

When you are deciding to change to less caffeine, it is always a good idea to decaffeinate yourself slowly, maybe starting at a 50/50 percentage of caffeinated and decaf. The headache that will appear is very difficult to manage, it is easier if you allow yourself some caffeine for the first few weeks, then reduce the amount of caffeinated coffee a little bit more each time, until you are fully decaffeinated.

Fresh roasted coffee, decaffeinated or caffeinated, is going to have a fuller flavor when it is fresh than when it sits for a few days. We have about 10 to 12 days of full flavor, after that the flavor begins to fade. If you want to decaffeinate yourself and still enjoy your cup of coffee, buy fresh roasted decaf that uses Swiss Water process.

You should store your decaf the same way you store your caffeinated coffee, in an airtight container is best. You do not want to put your coffee in the refrigerator, you loose too much flavor that way, the flavor is in the oils, the refrigerator absorbs the oils, so your coffee will not taste as good as it would in an airtight container on the counter. Let the oils and flavor stay!

There is nothing stopping you from enjoying all your favorite coffee drinks with decaf. You can make an exceptional decaf espresso drink, just use a dark roasted decaf instead of the dark roasted caffeinated coffee, it might be hard to tell the difference.

The need to remove caffeine could disappear if coffee growers begin using a naturally caffeine-free bean first produced in June of 2004.

Georgia Guse is owner and operator of Guse’s Gourmet Coffee Roasters and Coffee House located in Longview on Commerce Ave. Stop on in for a fresh roasted decaf brew and surprise yourself! Call 423-8940