How Much Caffeine is in Starbucks Decaf Coffee Beans? Can Pregnant Women Drink Lattes Made with Decaf Coffee Beans?

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When it comes to decaffeinated coffee, most people probably think of Starbucks. Starbucks introduced decaffeinated espresso coffee more than a decade ago, providing customers who want to drink coffee but don't want to consume too much caffeine. As the specialty coffee market becomes increasingly mature in China, more people have started to explore specialty coffee, and gradually, decaffeinated coffee has gained more attention. So can only espresso blend coffee beans be made into decaffeinated coffee beans? Not quite~ FrontStreet Coffee recently acquired three decaffeinated single-origin coffee beans from Colombia and Mexico. Through roasting, cupping, and brewing comparisons, we finally decided to launch a decaffeinated coffee bean from the Huila region of Colombia.

FrontStreet Coffee - Colombia Huila Decaffeinated Coffee Beans

Region: Colombia Huila

Altitude: 1750 meters

Varieties: Typica, Caturra, Castillo

Processing Method: Swiss Water Process

Grade: Supremo

What is Decaffeinated Coffee?

Decaffeinated coffee, as the name suggests, is coffee with only trace amounts of caffeine. Coffee contains many components and substances, among which caffeine has a significant effect on the human body. For many coffee lovers who cannot consume too much caffeine due to health conditions, decaffeinated coffee is the best choice.

Caffeine Content in Decaffeinated Coffee

Generally, Arabica coffee beans contain 1.1%-1.7% caffeine, while Robusta coffee beans contain 2%-4.5% caffeine. The EU standard for artificially processed decaffeinated coffee is that the caffeine content after processing should not exceed 0.1% of the raw beans, while the US FDA standard is to reduce it to less than 3% of the original caffeine content. So decaffeinated coffee ≠ caffeine-free~

Can Pregnant Women Drink Decaffeinated Coffee?

FrontStreet Coffee's review of research on caffeine's effects on fetuses shows that if pregnant women consume more than 500mg of caffeine daily, the fetal heart rate and respiratory frequency will be faster, affecting fetal development. The effect of caffeine on fetuses is not absolute - it only occurs when the dose reaches a certain level. So as long as you don't drink coffee every day, pregnant women can occasionally have a cup of milk coffee. When choosing, select caffeine-free coffee if available; if not, use less espresso. However, if you're still worried, it's better to refrain~ after all, the baby's health is most important!

Decaffeination Processing Methods

Decaffeination methods are divided into four types: direct/indirect solvent processing, supercritical carbon dioxide processing, Swiss Water Process, and mountain spring water processing. The most common methods are direct solvent processing and Swiss Water Process. The Colombia Huila decaffeinated coffee beans acquired by FrontStreet Coffee use the Swiss Water Process. This method soaks raw coffee beans in hot water, during which stage some caffeine is already partially removed. The soaked solution is then filtered through activated carbon, and finally the solution is poured back into the coffee beans. This series of steps more effectively removes caffeine. Besides not requiring chemical solvents, the soaked solution can be reused in different batches of processing, but the coffee still loses some flavor during the filtration process.

Flavor Profile of Colombian Decaffeinated Coffee

Colombia is blessed with high mountains and good water, rich topography, clusters of volcanoes, fertile soil, and abundant rainfall. FrontStreet Coffee believes this is a naturally created coffee paradise. Rich minerals nourish the nutrients in coffee fields, helping coffee develop more flavors and aromas. Through cupping coffee beans from different regions in Colombia, FrontStreet Coffee believes they have full-bodied, heavy-textured profiles. Nut, chocolate, and caramel aromas with smooth, pleasant fruit acidity are the flavor characteristics of this producing country. The Colombian decaffeinated coffee beans acquired by FrontStreet Coffee have lost much of their flavor due to the Swiss Water Process. The main flavor characteristics are dark chocolate aroma, slight berry and citrus acidity, and caramel aftertaste.

How Does FrontStreet Coffee's Roaster Roast This Decaffeinated Coffee Bean?

FrontStreet Coffee's roaster uses medium heat and then steadily increases it. The yellowing point occurs at around 6 minutes 15 seconds, then the heat is reduced and the airflow is opened to enter the Maillard reaction. At first crack, the airflow is opened wide while maintaining heat at approximately 183.2°C. The beans are removed 2 minutes 30 seconds after first crack.

Preheat the roaster to 200°C before loading, set airflow to 3. After 30 seconds, start the fire and adjust heat to 130. Return to temperature point at 1'32". Maintain heat, yellowing at 6'15", grassy aroma disappears, entering dehydration stage. Increase heat to 140, open airflow to 4. When reaching 151°C, reduce heat to 110 again. Dehydration completes at 8 minutes. Wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, toast aroma turns to coffee aroma, which is the prelude to first crack. At this time, maintain constant heat, open airflow to 5, and listen carefully for first crack sounds. First crack begins at 9'57", open airflow fully to 5. Development time after first crack is 2 minutes 30 seconds, remove at 194.2°C.

How Does FrontStreet Coffee Brew Decaffeinated Coffee?

Decaffeinated coffee beans, after releasing caffeine through soaking, have different fiber structures from regular coffee beans. Their strong water absorption leads to slower extraction speeds, so brewing parameters need to be adjusted.

Dripper: Kono dripper

Water Temperature: 88.8°C

Dose: 15g

Coffee to Water Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: Coarse grind / raw sugar coarseness (62% pass rate through China standard #20 sieve)

FrontStreet Coffee's Multi-Stage Brewing: Pour in coffee grounds, inject 2 times the water amount (30ml) and bloom for 30 seconds. Then perform the second water injection, gently pouring in circles 150ml of hot water to push up the coffee bed, creating a golden foam surface on the surface. Wait for the water level to drop slightly, then inject the final 45ml. Once all coffee liquid has flowed into the lower pot, remove the dripper to finish extraction. Extraction time is 2 minutes 10 seconds.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473