What is Decaf?

What is decaf coffee and how does decaffeination work? A common question that I have been unable to provide a good answer to for a long time. Until now.

Decaffeinated coffee is no different to every other coffee whilst on the tree, they don't occur naturally but come around due to a process before the beans are roasted. Until then it is just a regular coffee seed. There are three processes that lead to decaffeination of a coffee bean:

1. CO2 Processing
1. Through the opening up of the pours of the unroasted coffee seed via submerging in warm pressurised water, caffeine is extracted through carbon molecules binding to the caffiene. The CO2 and water are removed and coffee dried before roasting.
2. Sugarcane
1. Can be referred to as a 'Natural Decaf' and mostly conducted in Colombia. Ethanol Acetate (EA) is a natural organic compound that is found in tropical fruits such as oranges, bananas and pineapples. Also a by product of sugarcane fermentation, EA and water are rinsed over steamed coffee beans (opening their pours) for around 10 hours. Following this the coffee is dried to the desired moisture content.
2. A pro of the sugarcane process is that it helps preserve the coffee's flavours whilst adding new fruity notes to create a complex cup.
3. Water Process
1. A celebrated decaffeination method due to it's ability to maintain rich and nuanced flavours that we are all here for. The process involves crystal-clear water from natural sources used to extract the caffiene. Again, coffee is prepared using steaming to open the pours before being sunk into the fresh water and circulated for 8-10 hours. The molecules within the water extract the caffiene which is removed and the bean is dried. A simple water-based method ensures no flavours are altered and coffee retains it's full bodied taste, complex aroma and vibrancy.

See for yourself with a 200g bag of our decaf roast - click here to shop.