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What Are Decaf Coffee Beans? Recommended Low-Caffeine Coffee Beans and Where to Buy Them in Guangzhou

Published: 2026-01-28 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/28, Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). As early as the Stone Age, humans had already begun using caffeine. Early people discovered that chewing the seeds, bark, or leaves of certain plants had the effect of reducing fatigue and providing refreshment. It wasn't until many years later that people discovered using hot water to brew these plants could increase the caffeine extraction.

The History and Effects of Caffeine

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

As early as the Stone Age, humans had already begun using caffeine. Early people discovered that chewing the seeds, bark, or leaves of certain plants had effects of reducing fatigue and refreshing the mind. It wasn't until many years later that people discovered using hot water to brew these plants could increase the effectiveness of caffeine. Many cultures have myths about ancient people discovering these plants.

Understanding Caffeine

Caffeine is an alkaloid found in natural beverages such as hot cocoa, post-workout functional drinks, cola, coffee, and tea, all containing certain amounts of caffeine. Even in nature, most plants contain this substance. Caffeine has certain effects of stimulating the central nervous system and temporarily restoring physical strength.

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant and a metabolic stimulant. Caffeine is used both as a beverage and as a medication, with its effects being to refresh and relieve fatigue. The precise dose of caffeine needed to produce effects varies for each person, mainly depending on body size and caffeine tolerance. Caffeine can begin to take effect in the body in less than an hour, and for a moderate dose of caffeine intake, the effects disappear within 3 to 4 hours. Consuming caffeine does not reduce the required sleep time; it only temporarily weakens the feeling of drowsiness. Because of these effects, caffeine is a performance enhancer: improving the capabilities of the brain and body.

For humans, caffeine is safe, but caffeine is toxic to certain animals, such as dogs, horses, and parrots, because these animals' livers have much weaker ability to break down caffeine than humans. Caffeine has significant effects on spiders, far exceeding other drugs, so here's a reminder: don't give your coffee to pet dogs.

Caffeine Content in Coffee Beans

Generally, among the two major coffee bean species, Arabica coffee beans have lower caffeine content, containing 1.1% - 1.7% caffeine, while Robusta coffee beans contain 2% - 4.5% caffeine. Decaffeinated coffee is regulated to have caffeine content not exceeding 0.3% in brewed coffee. This means that a cup of decaf coffee must contain no more than 5 milligrams of caffeine to be called decaffeinated coffee beans or decaf coffee.

Decaffeination Processes

The processing steps for decaffeinated coffee beans must be carried out when the beans are in their raw state. Currently, there are three main processing methods to remove caffeine: the traditional/European processing method (European Process), Swiss Water Process (SWP), and supercritical carbon dioxide processing method (CO₂ Process). These three methods can effectively remove most of the caffeine, leaving only 2-3% of the original caffeine content in the coffee beans.

There are three main methods to remove caffeine. Removing caffeine reduces coffee flavor.

1. European (Solvent) Processing

There are two subdivisions:

1. Direct solvent method. Steam opens the pores of raw beans, caffeine solvent is sprayed directly, and the "steaming" method continues to remove the solvent and caffeine.

2. Indirect solvent method. Raw beans are soaked in hot water, extracting everything that can be dissolved. Water and beans are separated. Solvent is used to extract caffeine from the hot water, and the remaining "flavor" is sprayed back onto the bland bean shells...

This method generally uses dichloromethane. This is a relatively common organic solvent with lower toxicity. Soaking coffee raw beans in a dichloromethane solution causes the caffeine component in the beans to dissolve into the solvent, thereby separating from the coffee beans. Finally, when removing the coffee beans, the solution cannot be completely removed and will have some residue. However, dichloromethane has a very low boiling point (40 degrees), so residue can be easily removed by heating. Moreover, this temperature is much lower than coffee roasting temperature. Therefore, the safety of the direct contact method is internationally recognized.

2. Swiss Water Processing

Using this commercially developed high-efficiency processing method, there are two main steps.

In the raw coffee bean state, they are poured into hot water. At this time, the hot water removes almost all flavor factors from the raw coffee beans, including caffeine. This batch of initial raw coffee beans is discarded and not used. Afterward, the hot water carrying all flavor factors is filtered through activated carbon to remove caffeine, leaving hot water full of pure flavor factors. In the Swiss Water Process, this water is called "Flavor-charged Water." This water contains saturated flavor factors that should be present in raw coffee beans, lacking only caffeine. This special water is the most important medium in the subsequent decaffeination process.

A new batch of raw coffee beans is soaked in flavor-charged water that contains flavor factors but no caffeine. The beans release caffeine from the raw coffee beans but do not release flavor factors. In this way, the original flavor of the raw coffee beans is not significantly diminished. Obviously, the flavor factors in the flavor-charged water are already close to saturation, so they cannot dissolve more flavor factors, but there is still plenty of space to dissolve caffeine.

After the raw coffee beans undergo this decaffeination and flavor factor preservation process, they are directly dried and sold. The flavor-charged water that has absorbed caffeine can be repeatedly filtered through activated carbon to remove caffeine and reused.

It mainly uses flavor water that is already full of coffee flavor components but has no caffeine. The caffeine in freshly brewed beans will diffuse into the water. Theoretically, the flavor will not be lost, but in reality, if you've tasted it, you know there's definitely some loss.

3. Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Processing Method (CO₂ Process)

The supercritical carbon dioxide processing method involves soaking raw coffee beans in liquid carbon dioxide. Under high pressure, carbon dioxide exhibits a semi-gaseous, semi-liquid state. In this state, carbon dioxide can actively combine with caffeine, and the caffeine is finally filtered out through a suction-type activated carbon filter.

Understanding Decaffeinated Coffee

Actually, decaffeinated coffee beans are a special processing method of coffee beans, with caffeine content below 1%. In other stages of coffee picking, processing, roasting, and brewing, there is no difference between them and non-decaffeinated beans, except for an additional step during raw bean processing.

Theoretically, the flavor of decaffeinated coffee should not be lost much. But in reality, this doesn't mean that decaffeinated and non-decaffeinated versions of the same bean taste exactly the same (there's still a significant difference in taste after decaffeination, especially a noticeable decrease in body). It just means that if this bean has herbal or citrus flavors, the decaffeinated beans will also maintain those herbal or citrus flavors.

As for the flavor of decaffeinated coffee, this editor can only say it's unimpressive. Even if some special methods are used to extract and filter caffeine, they still take away some flavor factors, likely resulting in unsatisfactory flavor in decaffeinated coffee. Decaffeinated coffee tastes relatively light, with a less prominent aroma, which I don't particularly like. I still prefer regular coffee beans. Actually, a few cups of coffee's caffeine per day is not harmful to ordinary people (except for special groups). There's really no need... As the saying goes, you can't have your cake and eat it too. Since what's more needed is decaffeinated coffee, then flavor must be sacrificed.

(The above processing method information is sourced from: Kenneth Davids' "Home Coffee Roasting, Revised, Updated Edition: Romance and Revival" (2003))

Health Benefits of Caffeine

The following information is sourced from Baidu Encyclopedia to illustrate that moderate caffeine is beneficial to human health. Interested friends can refer to it.

Health Value

Currently, the known specific components of caffeine and their physiological effects on the human body are as follows:

1. Antioxidant Protection

It can effectively resist free radicals that threaten our health. Free radicals are the main cause of many diseases (such as cardiomyopathy, arteriosclerosis, stroke, emphysema, Parkinson's disease). Excessive free radicals can affect body metabolism, damage cells, and consequently affect organs and tissues.

2. Cardiovascular Protection

Containing high levels of polyphenolic compounds, this type of compound is a powerful antioxidant that can delay the oxidation time of low-density lipoprotein by up to three times. It can dissolve blood clots and prevent thrombosis; coffee can also enhance vasoconstriction, avoiding vasodilation that causes headaches. Additionally, small amounts of coffee can enhance myocardial contractility, promote blood circulation, and help prevent cardiovascular diseases.

3. Mental Alertness

It stimulates the central nervous system of the brain, prolongs brain wakefulness time, makes thinking clear and sharp, and improves concentration, which can increase work and learning efficiency.

4. Anti-depression

Small amounts of caffeine can make people feel refreshed, happy, and relieve depression.

5. Weight Management

Caffeine can increase the rate at which the body consumes calories. One study found that 100 milligrams of caffeine (about 1 cup of coffee) can accelerate fat breakdown and increase the body's metabolic rate by 3-4 percent, increasing calorie consumption. Moderate consumption has weight loss effects.

6. Digestive Support

Caffeine stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and increases gastric juice secretion. Moderate consumption after meals aids digestion.

7. Diuretic Effect

Coffee has diuretic properties, can increase urine output, thereby increasing the frequency of urination.

8. Constipation Relief

Coffee can stimulate gastrointestinal hormones or peristaltic hormones, producing laxative effects and can serve as a quick laxative.

9. Cancer Risk Reduction

May reduce the risk of colon or rectal cancer: Coffee contains natural antioxidants.

10. Pain Relief

When used as a medication, caffeine can enhance the effects of certain pain relievers.

11. Enhanced Physical Agility

Caffeine also helps during exercise by lowering exercise thresholds, increasing physical agility, and enabling athletes to achieve better performance.

12. Reduced Risk of Gallstones

A recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health indicates that people who drink 2-3 cups of coffee daily have a 40% lower average chance of developing gallstones compared to those who never drink coffee. Additionally, the tannic acid contained in coffee has astringent, hemostatic, and deodorizing effects.

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. Online store services are also provided. https://shop104210103.taobao.com