Decaffeinated coffee without dichloromethane - an absolute quality feature
Caffeine is a natural component in most coffee plants: Robusta coffee contains about 2-2.7% caffeine, Arabica varieties about half: 1.4-1.6% and the relatively recently discovered low-caf varieties around 0.7%.
To decaffeinate coffee beans, a subsequent processing step is necessary to remove the caffeine from the beans. In the past, various solvents were used for this purpose, including harmful ones such as dichloromethane. Accordingly, the coffees tasted bad after decaffeination.
Finding a good decaffeinated coffee has not been easy. This is because coffees often taste somewhat flat after decaffeination and have less complex flavor profiles. This is due, among other things, to the method used for decaffeination. Decaffeinated coffee without dichloromethane is an absolute quality feature for us. Our coffee from Colombia is not decaffeinated with dichloromethane or other chemicals. The so-called Swiss Water Process is used for our beans. This is also called "the natural decaffeination method" and because absolutely no chemicals are used, these decaffeinated coffees can even be certified organic.
Anyone who wants to avoid caffeine for a variety of reasons should pay special attention to how decaffeinated coffee has been decaffeinated when buying it: it is important that it is decaffeinated coffee without dichloromethane.
Other good methods for decaffeination are:
- Suiss Water Method
- Water Method
- Sugar cane method