Are you drinking so much coffee that it's disrupting your sleep schedule? It might be time to look into non-coffee alternatives. The solution? Decaf, which is a great way to get the delicious taste of coffee without the caffeine boost. Here is a quick guide to help you choose the best decaf coffee from the market.
The Process Of Making Decaf Coffee
There are various methods for decaffeinating coffee beans, but all of them begin with the same caffeinated coffee beans. Any coffee bean can be decaffeinated using one of these methods.
Swiss water processing
If the Swiss Water Company processes the water, it is referred to as Swiss water processing. Green beans absorb pure water, which is subsequently drained. The water is filtered to remove caffeine, which the green beans absorb to restore their natural flavor. That's a very simplistic explanation, but you get the concept! It's free of all chemicals.
CO2 processing
Liquid CO2 is poured into a container of coffee beans steeped in water. It extracts the caffeine molecules while leaving the bigger taste molecules to remain. Small-batch roasters rarely employ it because it is the most expensive and modern process.
Solvent processing
The coffee beans are steeped in a solvent either directly or indirectly (the beans are soaked in water to draw out caffeine and flavor, then that water is mixed with solvent). The solvent is then steamed out of the beans or evaporated from the water.
CO2 processing is the cleanest and most efficient, followed by water processing. If not all of the flavor is absorbed back in, water processing can reduce flavor. This is why dark roast and strongly flavored beans work best with this procedure.
The Different Types Of Decaf Coffee Beans
Coffee beans are divided into four categories:
Arabica
This is by far the most widely farmed and used bean on the planet. It has a sweeter, more delicate flavor than the others on our list and is less acidic. Arabica farms are frequently found at higher elevations when rainfall is abundant.
Robusta
The Robusta bean is the second most common bean. This bean is rougher and more powerful than arabica, and it contains a lot of caffeine. Robusta is significantly easier to plant and farm than arabica.
Liberica
Liberica coffee beans are extremely rare and can only be grown in a specific climate. Fruity and flowery aromas are present. These beans are unlikely to be found in your neighborhood grocer.
Excelsa
A member of the Liberica family, the Excelsa bean is mostly farmed in Southeast Asia. This bean has a tangy, fruity flavor and is commonly used in light and dark roasts.
The Benefits Of Decaffeinated Coffee
The most obvious argument is that you do not want to be kept awake by caffeine. For an after-dinner or late-night treat, decaf coffee is a terrific option.
Regular coffee can have a negative impact on your cardiovascular system since caffeine can cause an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center discovered that taking 500mg of caffeine (equivalent to four cups of coffee) raised participants' blood pressure and that this impact continued throughout the day. However, decaf coffee is harmless in this sense.
Furthermore, the flavor will be comparable to that of regular beans (assuming you purchase a high-quality product), allowing you to enjoy more wonderful coffee while avoiding the bad effects of caffeine.
Decaf coffee is also a wonderful alternative for individuals who don't want too much caffeine, as scientists have discovered that increasing coffee consumption reduces the risk of diabetes by 11%. Even so, you shouldn't consume too much coffee, whether regular or decaf, because it can disturb your stomach.
How To Remove Caffeine From Coffee
Caffeine can be removed from coffee in a variety of ways.
Because caffeine dissolves in ordinary water, this is the most usual approach. Decaffeinating coffee used to be done using chemicals, but now it's done with water and other natural ingredients.
The finished decaf coffee is not as unpleasant to your stomach as before because caffeine is now removed without chemical additives. The negative effects of decaf coffee on the body are minimized.
One can remove caffeine in a variety of ways. These are the fundamentals:
The direct approach
The best coffee beans are steeped in water mixed with a specific solvent in this procedure. After the caffeine has been removed, the beans are dried and roasted. The solvent stays on the surface of the beans after drying, which is a disadvantage of this approach.
However, subsequent roasting virtually evaporates the solvent completely.
This is the cheapest approach, but there's a chance your drink will include a trace amount of the dangerous solvent.
The water decaf method
This method differs from the previous in that the hot water used to soak the beans is pumped into a separate container where the caffeine solvent is added. The water is pumped back to the beans once the caffeine and solvent have been removed. It allows the beans to reabsorb their oils and flavor.
Some of the taste and aromatic characteristics are lost during the round trip. As a result, to preserve the flavor, the maker is forced to use artificial flavors. We don't recommend buying coffee that has been decaffeinated using this approach because the flavor will never be as nice as the natural flavor.
The Different Levels Of Caffeine
Arabica and robusta are the two most common varieties of coffee beans. Robusta beans are less expensive and easier to grow than other types of beans. Arabica beans produce superior coffee. Green beans are turned into coffee that is ready to grind and brew after roasting. The roast kind is usually indicated on the label, but you may have to experiment to discover the one you like best. Moreover, different companies may describe their roasts in different ways. Here are several coffee varieties to think about.
Roasted lightly
Beans that have been lightly roasted are light brown in color and have a sour flavor.
Medium roasted
Medium brown beans are used in medium roast coffees. In this roast, the beans do not have an oily surface. The coffee beans may have high acidity, but the varietal aromatics (floral, fruity, vegetable, berry, etc.) are still discernible.
Dark roasted
This roast has some oil on the surface of the beans, and the color is richer and darker. Caramelization elements such as nuts, bread, or baked goods, or chocolate compliment the coffee's characteristics, and the acidity has disappeared slightly, leaving a slightly bittersweet aftertaste. A nice example is a French roast.
