Beer without the alcohol. Potato chips without the fat. Coffee
without the caffeine.
Beer without the alcohol. Potato chips without the fat. Coffee without the caffeine. Indulge in the vice of your choice, sans the guilt and the consequence that go along with it. Have we finally reached nirvana? Hardly. But this is the age of technology.
There are various reasons for drinking decaffeinated coffee; the challenge is in finding a good one. Currently, there are three ways to decaffeinate coffee.
In the traditional, also called European or direct contact method, the green beans are steamed to open up the “pores” and then brought in contact with methylene chloride – an organic solvent – or ethyl acetate – a solvent derived from fruit. These solvents selectively bond with caffeine. The beans are then steamed again to remove any solvent residue and then dried.
Methylene chloride processed coffees retain the most flavor of all the decaf methods. Unfortunately, it is an ugly and ominous sounding name that turns a lot of people away.
The FDA permits 10 parts per million (ppm) of methylene chloride to be present in green beans. The most sensitive tests to date do not indicate more than one ppm present.
When you consider that methylene chloride evaporates at 104 degrees Fahrenheit, and coffee is roasted at more than 400 degrees Fahrenheit and later brewed at 200 degrees Fahrenheit, it seems very improbable that any trace finds its way in your cup.
In the Swiss Water Process, beans are soaked in near boiling water. The water absorbs the caffeine, and unfortunately the flavors.
The water is then percolated through activated charcoal, which removes the caffeine. In the final step, the beans are returned to the decaffeinated water to re-absorb the coffee flavors.
The Swiss Water de-caffeination process is becoming a popular choice with the ever more environmental and health conscientious consumers. Although the process steals flavor, the company has been making improvements in their process.
Finally, in Supercritical CO2 method, the liquefied CO2 is combined with steamed beans to extract caffeine. CO2 of course is the stuff that we exhale and the plants absorb. It is, therefore, safe to assume that it’s safe to consume.
Since these coffees are not widely available, I have not had the chance to sample it myself, but from what I hear, the taste is inconsistent. The CO2 method, though, does hold the promise of offering methylene chloride superior taste and the peace of mind of Swiss Water Process.
Regardless of the method used, there is a loss of flavor and body in decaffeinated coffee. The best approach to finding a good decaf is to look for the coffees that have intense flavors to begin with. African or Indonesian beans are a good choice. Another trick is to use about 20 percent more coffee to make up for the loss of flavor and body.
If you’re OK with some caffeine, there are some naturally low caffeine beans on the market. Brazil’s Dattera Opus is one such coffee. It has half the caffeine of regular Arabicas. Another way of getting more flavor out of your cup of decaf is to blend decaf with regular coffee.
Recently, there was an exciting announcement made. A San Francisco based start up, The DeCaf Company LLC, announced a new product. It is a stir stick that removes 70 percent of caffeine from any caffeinated liquid. I can’t wait for this product to become available.
Dmitri Fridman is the owner of Vertigo Coffee Roasting Company in San Juan Bautista.
