Which Decaf Coffee Beans Are Best? Where to Buy Low-Caffeine Coffee? Does Decaf Coffee Taste Good?

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Can Pregnant Women Drink Decaf Coffee?

I have two pregnant friends who couldn't resist my daily coffee temptations and asked me for coffee. I told them they couldn't drink it and refused. They weren't convinced and went to research it themselves, then came back to ask me: "Isn't there decaf coffee (coffee with very low caffeine content)? Why won't you let me drink it?"

How should I explain this? Theoretically speaking, for friends who have poor caffeine tolerance and experience sleep disturbances after drinking coffee, decaf is indeed a good choice. However, decaf is still not completely caffeine-free, and everyone's tolerance to coffee is different. If a pregnant friend happens to have naturally low tolerance to coffee and feels uncomfortable after drinking it, that would be a serious problem.

There are indeed friends who during pregnancy never avoided anything—still drinking cold beverages, coffee, and even crabs—and their babies were born smart and healthy. But as I said before, everyone's physical constitution is different. Therefore, for safety reasons, I ask for forgiveness from my pregnant and breastfeeding friends for not selling coffee to you, because the responsibility is too great, and I'm quite cautious. Additionally, when people experience physical discomfort, the first things to be suspected are always the items they don't consume regularly. Just like my friend who drank a few sips of coffee at my place and had stomach pain at night, asking if it was because of the coffee. If we weren't such good friends, I probably would have blocked her at that moment. Why don't you consider the three ice creams, two peaches, one durian, and a bunch of other miscellaneous snacks you had in the afternoon!

So, my dear sisters, let's wait until the babies can run, and then we can enjoy coffee together happily.

Introduction to Decaf Coffee

But since we've mentioned decaf coffee, let's give it a simple introduction.

There will certainly be friends, just like me before, who are curious about why coffee beans can be decaffeinated.

Caffeine, as a natural substance, is widely present in our daily foods, such as coffee, tea, chocolate, and even cold medicine. Generally, the caffeine content in raw coffee beans is between 1-3%. The Arabica coffee beans mentioned in my previous articles have relatively lower caffeine content, about only 1%, while Robusta coffee beans used for instant coffee have higher caffeine content.

Decaffeination Methods

Currently, there are two processing methods for decaf coffee beans on the market: EP and SWP.

EP (European Process)

Coffee beans are soaked in water, and a solution of methylene chloride (an organic solvent) is used to absorb the caffeine. The beans are then rinsed clean, dried, and proceed to the roasting process. The decaffeination process only absorbs caffeine and does not affect other components in the coffee beans. It is generally believed that after roasting, EP-processed coffee beans will not have any residual solvent. However, people emotionally still mind the involvement of chemical components.

SWP (Swiss Water Process)

The other method is currently the most commonly used and is also the processing method for the decaf coffee we're tasting today.

SWP, Swiss Water Process, has the biggest advantage of not involving any chemical agents during decaffeination—only hot water and steam are used. Raw coffee beans are soaked in water, and all soluble components, including caffeine, are absorbed by the water. Then, the coffee beans that have had their "essence" absorbed are set aside, while the water that completed the dissolution task and became "essence liquid" passes through activated carbon filters. The filters absorb the caffeine from the water. The decaffeinated water meets the raw coffee beans again, and the beans bathe in the water, reabsorbing their lost essence. Then, the beans are dried and proceed to roasting.

The biggest advantage of SWP is that no chemical solvents are involved throughout the process. The disadvantage is that while water absorbs caffeine, it also dissolves other components of the raw coffee beans, including some natural coffee oils that cannot be reabsorbed by the beans. SWP-processed raw beans lose some of their flavor.

Tasting Decaf Coffee

Let's taste this decaf coffee today. By the way, this is also the first time I'm trying decaf coffee beans.

21st Cup: Decaf Coffee

First, let's look at a comparison between decaf coffee and regular coffee beans.

The roasted coffee beans look no different from normal coffee beans and have a strong aroma of roasted sweet potatoes or roasted chestnuts.

Skip the brewing process and let's talk about the taste directly.

The mouthfeel is very balanced and clean, with no uncomfortable flavors. The acidity is very light, with almost no bitterness, and it has a sweet taste similar to roasted bread. Objectively speaking, it's not bad to drink, but compared to other specialty coffees, it确实 lacks some richness in flavor complexity.

Friends who like coffee, don't have high requirements for mouthfeel, and worry about sleep disturbances at night might want to give it a try.

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 :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473