Decaf Coffee vs Caffeine-Free Coffee: What Are the Flavor and Price Characteristics of Low-Caffeine Colombian Coffee Beans?

It is common knowledge that coffee contains caffeine! Consuming an appropriate amount of caffeine helps to refresh the mind, but excessive intake can affect health. The general recommended caffeine intake for adults should not exceed 400mg, which is approximately equivalent to 5 cups of pour-over coffee (calculated with 15g of coffee powder per cup). In other words, caffeine limits the amount of coffee you can drink, which led to the emergence of decaffeinated coffee.

Understanding Decaf Coffee

Decaffeinated coffee is a relative concept, which can be understood as having lower caffeine content than regular coffee. Decaf coffee is divided into two categories: natural and artificially decaffeinated. Taking common coffees on the market as examples, Arabica coffee beans contain 0.9%-1.4% caffeine (with an average of 1.2%), while Robusta coffee beans contain 1.8%-4% caffeine (with an average of 2.2%). However, the Laurina Pointed Bourbon variety, a mutation of Bourbon coffee discovered on Réunion Island (formerly Bourbon Island), contains only half the caffeine of Arabica, thus earning its name as decaffeinated coffee.

However, due to its weak resistance to diseases and pests, it once faced extinction and is rarely seen in the commercial market. Therefore, what is commonly referred to as decaf coffee on the market generally means artificially decaffeinated coffee.

Standards for Decaffeinated Coffee

Artificially decaffeinated coffee is more thorough in removing caffeine. The European Union standard for this type of decaf coffee is that the caffeine content after processing should not exceed 0.1% of green beans. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standard is to reduce it to less than 3% of the original caffeine content, which is roughly equivalent to the European standard.

Methods of Decaffeination

Artificial decaffeination methods are generally divided into three categories: direct/indirect solvent processing, supercritical carbon dioxide processing, and Swiss water processing.

The direct solvent method uses chemical solutions such as dichloromethane and ethyl acetate to dissolve caffeine. First, steam is used to open the pores of green coffee beans, and dichloromethane solvent is added directly to the coffee beans. After the solvent merges with caffeine, the caffeine-filled solvent is washed away, and the coffee beans are steamed again to remove all residual solvent.

The process using ethyl acetate as a solvent is the same. Ethyl acetate is usually derived from sugarcane, so when used, the direct solvent method is sometimes called the sugarcane decaffeination method. Most decaf coffee processing in Colombia uses this method.

The supercritical carbon dioxide processing method first allows coffee beans to absorb water and expand, making caffeine molecules in the coffee beans loose. Liquefied carbon dioxide is added and more than 100 atmospheres of pressure is created in water. Carbon dioxide has high selectivity, dissolving caffeine while not "damaging" the carbohydrates and proteins in the coffee beans, ensuring that the flavor of the coffee beans is not destroyed. The liquid carbon dioxide that carries away the caffeine can also be reused after removing caffeine. The only disadvantage is the high processing cost, making it difficult for the market to support such high prices.

The Swiss water processing method was developed by the Swiss company Coffex in the late 1970s, and SWISS WATER® is now a registered trademark. This processing method soaks green coffee beans in hot water. During the soaking stage, caffeine is actually partially removed. The soaked solution is then filtered with activated carbon, and finally the solution is poured back into the coffee beans. This series of steps more effectively removes caffeine. Not only does it not require chemical solvents, but the soaked solution can also be reused in different batch processing procedures. However, the coffee still loses flavor during the filtration process. This method is also currently the mainstream decaffeination method.

Flavor Profile of Decaf Coffee

Decaffeinated coffee indeed achieves almost caffeine-free content, but the current flavor performance of decaf coffee is relatively mediocre. FrontStreet Coffee also has a Colombian decaf coffee that uses the Swiss water decaffeination process. Its flavor profile is no different from traditional Colombian coffee flavors, with balanced, mellow notes of nuts, cocoa, and caramel. This may be related to the coffee beans themselves or to the decaffeination processing technique.

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