Which Tastes Better: Decaf Coffee or Regular Coffee? How is Decaf Coffee Made?

Coffee has become the third most popular beverage, an integral part of modern life. Some drink it for its stimulating effects, others for the enjoyment it brings, while for many it has simply become a habit. Being able to drink coffee without being affected by caffeine is a wonderful experience, but some people who crave coffee avoid it due to caffeine-induced insomnia, which can be truly frustrating. It is precisely for this reason that decaffeinated coffee, or low-caffeine coffee, has become a new favorite for these individuals.

The Science Behind Coffee's Stimulating Effect

The reason coffee can stimulate is because of caffeine. Caffeine, with the chemical formula C8H10N4O2, is a xanthine alkaloid compound that acts as a central nervous system stimulant. It can temporarily drive away drowsiness and restore energy, and is clinically used for coma resuscitation. Excessive consumption can lead to symptoms such as insomnia and palpitations.

Decaffeinated coffee has had almost all its caffeine removed through chemical solvents. The remaining approximately 3% of caffeine is barely detectable to most people. Decaffeinated coffee is also called low-caffeine coffee because it's impossible to remove 100% of caffeine. Low-caffeine coffee refers to coffee with only trace amounts of caffeine, where a cup of low-caffeine coffee must not exceed 5mg of caffeine (typically a 236ml cup of coffee contains 50mg to 200mg of caffeine). "Decaf" is the abbreviation for decaffeinated coffee. Low-caffeine coffee doesn't mean it contains absolutely no caffeine, and standards for low-caffeine coffee vary by country. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standard requires that decaffeinated coffee have a caffeine removal rate of no less than 97%, while the European Union standard requires a caffeine removal rate of 99.9%.

Although low-caffeine coffee has had most of its caffeine extracted, it still retains 2%-3% caffeine residue, meaning each cup of low-caffeine espresso still contains about 0-7 milligrams of caffeine. While caffeine is still present, compared to regular espresso, the caffeine in low-caffeine coffee has no effect on most people.

The Origin of Low-Caffeine Coffee

Historically, the first person to extract caffeine from coffee beans was Runge, but he didn't conduct further research or commercialize it. The first person to commercialize decaffeination was German Ludwig Roselius, who, along with his colleagues, invented a decaffeination method in 1903 and patented it in 1906. However, because their method used benzene as a solvent, this method is rarely used today.

The process of removing caffeine from beans is quite simple. In all cases, it requires green coffee beans that haven't been roasted yet. The green coffee beans are soaked or steamed in a series of solvents, typically along with a water bath, to extract most of the caffeine.

There are three methods for extracting caffeine from coffee beans: Swiss Water Process, direct solvent method, and high-pressure carbon dioxide extraction. The most commonly used method for caffeine extraction is the Swiss Water Process, which is a commercially developed high-efficiency processing method. Swiss Water Process, abbreviated as SWP, is called "Swiss Water" not because the water comes from Switzerland, but because it was first invented and successfully tested in Switzerland, later widely used for commercial decaffeination. Currently, most Swiss Water decaffeination processes worldwide are carried out at a processing plant in Canada. The decaffeination process targets green coffee beans rather than roasted beans. The challenge during decaffeination is how to remove caffeine without affecting other substances in the coffee, such as sugars, cellulose, proteins, citric acid, and fruit acids.

Swiss Water Process Steps

The steps of the Swiss Water Process are as follows:

Green coffee beans are soaked in hot water, which in the Swiss Water Process is called "Flavor-charged Water." This water contains saturated flavor factors that should be present in green coffee beans, lacking only caffeine. This special water is the most important medium in the subsequent decaffeination process. After forming the flavor-charged water, the coffee beans are filtered out. The flavor-charged water is then filtered through activated carbon to remove caffeine, leaving behind hot water full of pure flavor factors. Then, the hot water containing pure flavor factors is used to re-soak the filtered coffee beans, allowing them to reabsorb the coffee flavor.

We often say that coffee flavor has a certain direct relationship with its processing method, and the decaffeination process of coffee beans will also change its original flavor to some extent, but not so significantly.

FrontStreet Coffee's Decaffeinated Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee's decaffeinated coffee comes from Colombia's Swiss Water Process decaffeinated coffee. Colombia is located in the northwest of South America, bordering Venezuela and Brazil to the east, Ecuador and Peru to the south, connected to Panama to the northwest, facing the Caribbean Sea to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The country covers an area of approximately 1.142 million square kilometers, ranking fourth in South America.

Colombia is the only country in South America with both North Pacific coastline and Caribbean Sea coastline. It has a predominantly tropical rainforest climate, rich natural resources, and historically has been an agricultural country focused on coffee production. Colombia has a mild climate and humid air. Its diverse climate allows harvesting seasons throughout the year, with different types of coffee maturing at different times.

Colombian coffee is a quite representative variety among Arabica coffee species. It has a rich and thick aroma with clear, high-quality acidity, high balance, and sometimes a nutty flavor with an endless aftertaste. Both in appearance and quality, Colombian coffee is considered superior.

Colombian Decaffeinated Coffee Bean Varieties

FrontStreet Coffee's decaffeinated coffee includes three coffee varieties: Typica, Caturra, and Castillo. Typica, as one of the oldest Arabica varieties in the world, is deeply loved for its delicious and sweet flavor, but due to low yield per unit, it has been replaced by many high-yield coffee varieties in Colombia. Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon. Its flavor is comparable to or slightly inferior to Bourbon beans, but more importantly, it has extremely strong adaptability. It doesn't need shade trees and can thrive directly under intense sunlight, commonly known as "Sun Coffee," and can adapt to high-density planting.

Castillo was developed based on the Colombia variety, hybridized with Caturra until the tenth generation was successfully created. Although it wasn't well-received by industry practitioners when first introduced, in recent years, there have been batches with elegant and delicate flavors in the market.

What's the Difference Between Decaffeinated and Regular Coffee?

The main difference between decaffeinated and regular coffee is the caffeine content. Decaffeinated coffee contains a small amount of caffeine, while regular coffee contains relatively more caffeine. Decaffeinated coffee is usually made from coffee beans with high fat content, while regular coffee is made from traditional coffee beans.

In addition to caffeine content, there are some other differences between decaffeinated and regular coffee. First and foremost is the difference in taste. Today, the decaffeination process of coffee beans has improved and can still retain most of the flavor and strength. However, a large portion of these characteristics will disappear in decaffeinated coffee.

Many people who have drunk low-caffeine coffee say that it doesn't taste good. FrontStreet Coffee believes this might be related to the coffee bean varieties. For example, many companies that produce low-caffeine coffee naturally prefer coffee bean varieties with high caffeine content (such as Robusta beans) when selecting raw materials. Before low-caffeine coffee beans undergo decaffeination treatment, the coffee beans themselves may already taste bad. Like other coffee beans sold in coffee shops, if low-caffeine coffee beans start with high-quality Arabica coffee beans from the beginning, then even after decaffeination treatment, low-caffeine coffee can still have very good performance.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Suggestions

To brew a cup of delicious coffee, you still need to pay attention to the freshness of the coffee beans. FrontStreet Coffee has always believed that the freshness of coffee beans has a great relationship with the flavor of coffee. Therefore, the coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are all within 5 days of roasting. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "freshly roasted good coffee," ensuring that every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee when it arrives. The coffee's resting period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive it, it's at its optimal flavor.

For friends who need ground coffee, FrontStreet Coffee kindly reminds you: if the coffee beans are ground in advance, there's no need for a resting period, because during transportation, the pressure created by carbon dioxide inside the packaging can also help the coffee flavor become mellow. Therefore, you can immediately brew a cup when you receive the ground coffee. However, ground coffee needs to be brewed promptly because it oxidizes relatively quickly after exposure to air, meaning the coffee flavor will dissipate more quickly, and the coffee won't taste as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee suggests purchasing whole beans and grinding them fresh for each brew to better appreciate the coffee's flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee's Low-Caffeine Coffee Brewing Parameters

KONO dripper, 88°C water temperature, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, 15g coffee grounds, grind size (75% pass-through rate on a #20 standard sieve), three-stage extraction.

Using segmented extraction, bloom with twice the amount of water as the coffee grounds, meaning 30 grams of water for 30 seconds. The reason for the blooming process is to allow the coffee grounds to release internal carbon dioxide gas, thereby making the subsequent extraction more stable. With a small water flow, pour in a circular motion until reaching 125 grams, then continue pouring until reaching 225 grams and stop. Remove the dripper after the water has finished dripping through. Time from the beginning of pouring: extraction time is 2'00". Next, pick up the entire cup of coffee and shake it evenly before pouring into a cup for tasting.

FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian Swiss Water Process decaffeinated coffee flavor characteristics: brewed flavor - dark chocolate, caramel, nuts, with a rich and mellow mouthfeel.

Low-caffeine coffee typically contains similar amounts of antioxidants as regular coffee. Low-caffeine coffee has antioxidant effects without affecting sleep, which is an advantage that regular coffee doesn't have, making low-caffeine coffee another choice for many people. Although decaffeinated coffee is mainly aimed at people with caffeine intolerance, decaffeinated coffee doesn't truly contain no caffeine but rather contains small amounts of caffeine, so it's best not to drink too much of it either. FrontStreet Coffee believes that whether it's decaffeinated coffee, low-caffeine coffee, or regular coffee, none should be consumed in excess. There should be a limit, as going beyond it will be harmful to the body.

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

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