Decaf coffee has most of the caffeine removed through various processes, including soaking in chemicals or water. Some argue that decaf coffee tastes different, but efforts are being made to create an all-natural decaf coffee. Decaf is not caffeine-free and should not be viewed as a substitute for those who need to cut out caffeine completely. However, good decaf can be found at finer coffee shops, and many gourmet coffee companies are working to perfect decaffeination processes using natural methods.
Decaf coffee refers to any coffee bean, ground, or in brewed form that has had most of the caffeine removed from it through a variety of decaffeination processes. These processes don’t make decaf coffee caffeine-free, but they do significantly reduce the amount of caffeine in the average cup of joe. Some people choose decaffeinated coffee to avoid most caffeine based on dietary recommendations, to reduce nervous response, or simply out of personal preference.
The first styles of decaffeinated coffee were made in the early 20th century. Early decaffeination methods soaked green coffee beans in a solution of benzene, which helped remove the caffeine. This process has been one of the most popular for many years and in the United States, people may remember that the Sanka brand was made this way. The chemicals used weren’t particularly healthy, and eventually other processes replaced the benzene soaking method.
These additional methods included using other chemicals to process the beans and remove the caffeine. Alternatively, repeatedly soaking coffee beans in water, called the Swiss Water Method, has become an especially popular means of creating decaffeinated coffee. This method is actually almost as old as benzene solution treatment and was developed in the first third of the 20th century. Today, many people prefer water decaffeination methods since they skip the addition of chemicals and are believed to be purer.
For coffee purists, it can be difficult to get a cup of coffee that tastes good and has been through any chemical treatment. This is still a developing issue, but some people argue that decaf coffee tastes different. There have been a few breakthroughs in this area that could ultimately be of use to those with a discriminating palate when it comes to coffee. For some time there has been discussion of a coffee bean discovered in Africa and free of caffeine. It is grown and developed to try to obtain a higher quality and good bean for an all-natural decaffeinated coffee.
While people wait for this development, several other things should be noted about decaffeinated coffee. The most important of these is that decaf doesn’t really mean unaged. Depending on how much caffeine is left, about five to ten cups of decaf is roughly equivalent to the average cup of caffeinated coffee. People who really need to cut out caffeine completely, especially for medical reasons, shouldn’t view decaf coffee as a viable substitute unless a doctor approves it.
On the other hand, those who just need to reduce can find good decaf, especially where finer coffees are sold. There are ongoing efforts to perfect decaffeination processes, and many gourmet coffee companies are sensitive to people’s wishes to avoid extra chemicals. They continued to remove the caffeine from the beans either by the water method or by chemical applications which are naturally derived from common foods.
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