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The History and Processing Methods of Decaffeinated Coffee

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The history of decaffeinated coffee is said to date back over a hundred years, but decaffeinated coffee has become more mature only in recent decades. Decaffeinated coffee was created to satisfy coffee lovers who enjoy the mellow flavor of coffee but worry about caffeine affecting their health. Especially in recent years domestically, numerous topics have discussed how caffeine is detrimental to human health. Whether these claims are factual or hearsay, many coffee enthusiasts remain concerned. Decaffeinated coffee will meet the needs of these friends.

Official Definition and Processing Methods

According to the "Customs Import and Export Regulations of the People's Republic of China," the official customs name for decaffeinated coffee beans is: coffee beans with caffeine extracted. From the literal meaning, we can clearly see that the processing method for decaffeinated coffee beans involves soaking raw coffee beans in liquid to remove caffeine, because caffeine is a white crystalline powder that is highly soluble in water. So what kind of liquid is used to extract caffeine? These are the three processing methods most commonly adopted worldwide today:

1. Solvent Extraction Method

This is a traditional and relatively early method of caffeine extraction. However, residual substances from solvents, such as benzene or other harmful substances, can affect the health of consumers.

2. Swiss Water Process

This method involves soaking raw coffee beans in higher temperature water for a period of time, then using activated carbon to adsorb caffeine. The greatest advantage of this approach is avoiding the residue of harmful substances or heavy metals from solvents, allowing consumers to drink safely.

3. Carbon Dioxide Extraction Method

This is the most recent and expensive extraction method. Gaseous carbon dioxide becomes liquid under more than 300 times atmospheric pressure. Using such liquid carbon dioxide to extract caffeine from raw coffee beans can maximize the removal of caffeine content while preserving flavor. However, due to the high cost of processing, decaffeinated coffee processed by this method is quite expensive on the market and rarely available domestically.

Comparison of Three Caffeine Processing Methods

The Swiss Water Process is the healthiest and moderately priced decaffeinated coffee bean option.

Decaffeinated coffee beans have their caffeine removed through a soaking process, and before extraction, they require pre-treatment processes such as steaming, boiling, and soaking in high-temperature water. These processes inevitably affect the coffee's flavor to some extent. Most decaffeinated coffees exhibit characteristics such as aromas similar to roasted meat or roasted butter, and acidity that is barely perceptible. However, if the roaster has excellent skills, they can still produce decaffeinated coffee with rich body and strong sweetness. Under current processing technology levels, decaffeinated coffee flavor still presents a situation where you cannot have both fish and bear's paw. If you fear caffeine but cannot bear to push away that cup of coffee by your side, you may need to tolerate sacrificing some coffee flavor as a price.

About FrontStreet Coffee

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

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473