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Decaffeinated Coffee...What is it anyhow?
Well, the other day I was re-reading an article in my Roast Magazine and thought you might find it somewhat interesting...it was concerning decaf coffee and the wheres and what fors of the process for getting the coffee bean convinced to let go of the caffeine.
We all have heard a number of horror stories about how caffeine was/is removed from coffee using formaldehyde. Well, to tell you the truth, I have heard that so often that we backed waayyy off from roasting decaf for a long, long time until we could be sure that the green decaffeinated bean we ordered underwent a natural water process. We now get a great Peruvian water based decaf and roast it using a variety of indicators for getting it to just the right roast for your pot.
But I am gettin' a bit ahead of myself here...the article I mentioned was written by the good writers of the mag and does a good job of telling the decaf story. As it turns out, there are a number of ways that caffeine is extracted from the green bean prior to roasting. There is the chemical method, however, the chemical (or chemicals) is not formaldehyde. Now, I am not sure if that is good or bad since the chemical in question has the same characteristics as acetate...matter of fact one has a name of ethyl acetate. I don't know about you, but I may not want to corrupt my good ol' coffee brewer with an acetate! To be honest, they do have a process to remove the acetate and other chemicals from the green bean...almost! :o)
In this method, they use a process to enlarge the surface of the bean so that the chemical can penetrate while the bean sits in a solvent filled vat for a few hours. The chemicals then bond with the caffeine molecules (I reckon a marriage of sorts), while leaving the flavor molecules alone...when this occurs 97.2 percent of the caffeine is removed from the bean leaving only a trace of the chemical. They then sell the caffeine to folks that need it for soft drinks, and such. Sounds just yummy...huh?
There is another method called the water-based process. To prepare to decaffeinate coffee using this method, a solution is created by soaking a huge quantity of arabica beans in water until all the soluble components, including caffeine, seep out of the beans. (Roast Magazine, March/April 2011) They then take out the caffeine by passing the liquid through carbon filters, leaving all the other components. This fluid, according to the folks at Roast Magazine, is referred to as "green coffee extract". They then actually chunk (that is Southern for discard) the original spent beans. Now this is where the process gets tricky...they take another batch of green coffee and soak it in this extract to get the caffeine out...they leave this batch in the "extract" for around eight to ten hours to slowly bring down the caffeine level to the desired point. Since the only thing that differs between the batch coffee beans and the liquid is now caffeine...well, the caffeine migrates out of the bean and the flavor remains behind for you and I to enjoy once the coffee is roasted! Now ain't that grand!?! Well, yes it is matter of fact, and all of you folks that have tasted our Peruvian Decaf can testify to that fact!
So you have a choice...either go the chemical route or the water route...it is up to you and your sensibilities! When you do decide the direction you want to go...fill up that mug and take a sip of (hopefully) delicious coffee. If it is delicious, say a silent thanks to the roaster, cause roasting decaf can be a tricky process as well...
Just always remember, "Life is too short....to drink a bad mug of coffee!"
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