Everything you need to know about decaf (decaffeinated) coffee

Before we started our collection of Decaf coffee beans, we had a lot of questions about Decaf coffee. Does it just grow in the wild? Or are Decaf coffee beans decaffeinated afterwards?

And how do you do that? I also heard from many people that decaffeinated coffee is not tasty at all? But what if you have a really good Decaf bean?

In short, a lot of questions about decaffeinated coffee. Through this blog I will tell you more about Decaf coffee. I'll start with the subject of caffeine, what exactly is this? How is Decaf coffee made? What Are The Health Benefits Of Decaf Coffee?

And finally, the difference between 'regular' coffee and decaf coffee.

What is Caffeine

The substance that is not in Decaf coffee is caffeine, but what is caffeine actually? Caffeine is a bitter substance that occurs in the coffee plant.

Caffeine is also found in other plants, but let's focus on coffee for this article. Caffeine protects the coffee plant against intruders, pesticides and also insects. A useful and very valuable substance for the coffee plant.

This can of course also be a valuable substance for people, it makes you energetic, wakes you up and fresh and focused.

But too much caffeine in your body  can also have side effects. And that's why coffee can be less good for their health for some .

That's why decaffeinated coffee. Well the benefits, not the burdens, so to speak.

How is Decaf coffee made?

Coffee can be decaffeinated in several ways. The most common methods are by soaking the coffee beans in a solvent.

Usually dichloromethane or ethyl acetate is used for this. Chemical agents that are used, for example, to remove paint residues or to degrease surfaces, but also as a means to remove caffeine from coffee beans.

In addition, you have the natural methods of making decaf coffee. These are the Swiss Water method and the critical CO2 method .

Ethyl acetate method

In this method, which uses a solvent, the raw coffee beans are soaked in water and then immersed in a solution containing the solvent ethyl acetate. This agent, as it were, pulls the caffeine out of the coffee beans.

The water infused with this solvent is reused again and again until it is full of coffee aromas. Because the coffee beans are currently soaked in water with coffee aroma, they lose little taste.

Soaking coffee beans in chemical solvents doesn't sound like a very healthy undertaking.

However, since 1985 this method has had a health clearance from the FDA (US Food Safety Authorities) that the amount used in the decaf coffee making process is not harmful to health.

However, we personally prefer to work with more natural methods. Fortunately, there are. The Swiss Water method and the critical CO2 method are the best known of these.

Swiss Water method

The Swiss Water method of making decaf coffee has been used on a commercial scale since 1979.

Since then a preferred method because it was the first method that did not use chemical solvents to make decaf coffee.

Critical CO2 method

Our decaffeinated coffee beans are decaffeinated using the CO2 method , which is also known as the critical carbon dioxide method.

In this method, the green coffee beans are immersed in water and then placed in a stainless steel container that is then sealed.

Liquid CO2 is pumped in under high pressure, which binds the caffeine molecules and removes the caffeine from the unroasted coffee beans. Finally, the CO2 is removed by decreasing the pressure, leaving the caffeine in a separate chamber.

Below you can see how this looks schematically.

CO2 decaffeination: The Coffee Quest

Health Benefits of Decaf Coffee

There are now many studies that show that coffee is good for your health . For example, coffee lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes, is good for the heart and is packed with antioxidants.

This also applies to Decaf coffee with an extra important and valuable health benefit that you just get as a bonus.

Type 2 diabetes

Many health benefits of coffee are attributed to the caffeine. But thankfully, some studies have also shown that it 's not just caffeine that lowers the risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

In fact, in that same study, decaf coffee has been shown to have the same lowering properties without dousing yourself with caffeine on a daily basis.

Antioxidants

In the article nutritional value in coffee, I explained to you that coffee is a great source of antioxidants. In fact, it is the most realistic way to get high amounts of antioxidants.

In 4 reasons why coffee is good for your health you can read that Norwegian and Finnish studies have shown that coffee can provide up to 64% of the antioxidant intake.

Simply because you need quite a lot of coffee beans to make a cup of coffee. Fortunately, decaf coffee only extracts the caffeine from the coffee beans. The antioxidants simply remain intact.

Sleep

Of course you now know what caffeine does in your body and that an excessive amount of caffeine can lead to insomnia due to the production of adrenaline.

But because decaf coffee contains no caffeine, you sleep great on it. So you do have the benefits and not the burdens, so to speak. If you also have a very tasty decaf coffee, it is an extra reason to leave the 'regular' coffee more often.

In addition , just like 'regular' coffee beans, decaffeinated coffee beans contain hardly any calories and fit into a balanced and healthy diet.

Decaf coffee vs regular coffee

The main difference between 'regular coffee' and decaf coffee is, of course, the absence of caffeine in the latter.

Although decaf coffee is increasing in popularity, it is currently still a lot less popular than regular coffee. This also means there is less choice when you want to buy decaffeinated coffee.

Some claim that decaf coffee tastes the same as regular coffee. Our experience is that decaffeinated coffee has slightly more acidity than regular coffee, but gives a full mouthfeel with a sweet aftertaste.

When I drink a good decaf, sometimes I really don't taste the difference.

Conclusion

Decaf coffee has been on the rise in recent years. Increasingly better specialty coffees are released with caffeine, which has given the quality a huge boost. Coffee beans can only be decaffeinated if they have not yet been roasted.

This can be done chemically or naturally, such as the critical CO2 process that our decaf coffee beans have undergone to remove the caffeine from it.

Decaf coffee beans have the same health benefits as 'regular' coffee beans and you sleep a lot better on them too. In short, more and more reasons to drink decaf coffee more often.

Have you ever tried really good decaf?