Decaf Coffee Price Characteristics How to Make Low-Caffeine Coffee Are Decaf Coffee Beans Expensive

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During pregnancy, strict control of caffeine intake is essential (no more than 200 milligrams daily). In the process of selecting coffee, I particularly focused on whether products were decaffeinated, until one day I saw someone say in a discussion forum: "I won't drink decaffeinated coffee because the production process is very chemical!" It was then that I realized I had previously overlooked whether the decaffeination process was natural.

The History of Decaffeinated Coffee

The history of decaffeinated coffee beans can be traced back to 1903, when a German named Ludwig Roselius discovered that "benzene" could be used to separate caffeine. However, because benzene is a carcinogen, this method has long been discontinued. Nevertheless, the practice of extracting caffeine by adding chemical solvents remains common today.

Some producers will soften and then heat the coffee beans to expand them, or soak the beans in water, adding "dichloromethane" (considered a possible carcinogen) or "ethyl acetate" (which is irritating) to remove caffeine from the beans. Processing with such methods inevitably leaves some chemical residues on the beans, which is therefore frequently criticized.

Natural Decaffeination Methods

Later, two relatively natural production methods emerged in the market: one is called the "Swiss Water Process," which involves soaking coffee beans in water, allowing caffeine and other components to dissolve into the water, then using activated carbon to filter out the caffeine, and finally pouring this "coffee essence liquid" back into the coffee beans to let them reabsorb the previously lost components. However, the disadvantage of this method is that it diminishes the coffee's flavor.

Another method has quite an impressive name: "Supercritical Carbon Dioxide High-Pressure Extraction." Producers add high-pressure liquid carbon dioxide to the coffee beans, then convert the carbon dioxide to gas and release it, which carries away the caffeine. This method costs more but has relatively less impact on the coffee's taste.

Next time you shop for decaffeinated coffee beans, you might want to pay attention to what method the relevant brand uses to process the coffee!

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online shop services: https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473