To celebrate the launch of our new Decaf coffee range, let us show you the steps involved in making "caffeine-free" coffee! From chemical to natural extraction methods, discover a fascinating process that puts the bean through its paces.
What is decaf?
A marvelous invention from the early 1900s, decaffeinated coffee offers us the comforting taste of coffee without its stimulating effects. We drink it like some people drink herbal tea or hot chocolate. So much so that we no longer ask ourselves: is this strong-tasting beverage truly caffeine-free? Its name doesn't suggest it, but "decaf" coffee still contains 0.1% caffeine after extraction, unlike Arabica, which contains up to 1.5%, or Robusta, which contains 3%. It is therefore not recommended for people who cannot tolerate caffeine, but remains an excellent choice for those who are simply sensitive to it.
Just like regular coffee, decaf comes in four forms: whole beans, ground, instant, or in pods. It also offers the same health benefits as regular coffee, as it remains just as rich in antioxidants.
The key difference between regular and decaffeinated coffee lies in the process of extracting caffeine from the coffee beans. This process is carried out on fresh beans, before roasting, regardless of the roasting method used.
The choice of chemistry
The coffee industry primarily uses solvents in its caffeine extraction process. Chemical compounds such as methyl acetate, methylene chloride, and dichloromethane bind to caffeine, facilitating its extraction from the coffee beans before roasting. However, direct contact between the solvent and the coffee beans is not always necessary; within the industry, two methods are used side-by-side.
Direct contact with the solvent
This solution is the least expensive and most widely used by manufacturers. It begins by steaming the beans to make them porous. They are then immersed in a vat of water and solvent. Once retrieved, and to remove chemical residues, the beans are either steamed again or rinsed for half an hour before being dried and roasted at 396°F (200°C).
The "European" method
This method also uses solvents, but does not bring them into direct contact with the coffee beans. While still green, the beans are immersed in a vat of very hot water to extract the caffeine and oils. The beans are then removed from the vat, and the water is retained by adding the solvent. This water is then brought to a boil so that, through evaporation, only the coffee oils remain. These coffee oils are then added to a fresh vat of water where the beans are re-immersed to absorb them.
Solvent-free options
Natural caffeine extraction processes are more expensive and generally take longer than the methods described above. However, they have the advantage of not using any solvents.
The CO2 method
This method is ideal for processing small quantities of coffee. The green beans are first soaked in airtight hot water tanks where CO2 is diffused under high pressure – also known as a “supercritical” state – and binds to the caffeine in the beans to extract it. The beans are then filtered, dried, and roasted.
Swiss water
This process, created in Switzerland, is the one we have chosen for our Decaf range.
We begin by soaking the green beans in hot water to extract the caffeine and oils. The water is then passed through an activated carbon filter to remove the caffeine while preserving the oils that give coffee its flavor.
After this step, the soaking water is reused to extract caffeine from new beans. Since the water is saturated with oil, the beans retain their own oil while releasing their caffeine. This process is water-intensive and takes dozens of hours to set up! However, it allows for the best possible preservation of the coffee's flavors.
Water by the cup
