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Decaffeination

The Four main types of decaffeinated coffees are:

  1. Methylene Chloride
  2. Ethyl Acetate
  3. Charcoal or Carbon (Swiss Water Process)
  4. Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

Basic coffee facts and FDA requirements:

  • Arabica coffee has approximately half the caffeine content of Robusta coffee.
  • Depending on brewing method one 5 ounce cup of regular coffee will have between 70 to 155 mg of caffeine.
  • Coffee must have 97% of its caffeine removed to qualify as decaffeinated coffee.
  • Coffee is decaffeinated before it’s roasted.
  • The decaffeinated process was first developed just before World War I.


Decaffeinated processes in more detail:

  1. Methylene Chloride

There are two methods of decaffeinating; Direct and Indirect.

In the direct contact method, the green coffee is placed in a rotating drum and softened by steam for approximately 30 minutes. They are then rinsed for about 10 hours with methylene chloride, which removes the caffeine.

The solvent is drained away and the beans are steamed again to evaporate any remaining solvent. Virtually no solvent residue remains after roasting the coffee.

In the indirect contact method, sometimes referred to as the ‘water process’, the green coffee soaks in a water/coffee solution near boiling for several hours. The solution draws out the caffeine and unfortunately flavor elements and oils.

The caffeine/water mixture is drained away and treated with methylene chloride, which absorbs the caffeine. The mixture is then heated to evaporate the solvent and caffeine. The newly treated mixture is then reunited with the green coffee and allowed to regain most of the coffee oils and flavor. The solvent never touches the green coffee.

  1. Ethyl Acetate

Often referred as a ‘natural’ process, ethyl acetate is a compound found in many fruits, such as apples, peaches, and pears.

This process is similar to the indirect method using methylene chloride. The only major difference is that ethyl acetate requires more time to absorb the caffeine.

  1. Charcoal or Carbon

In this indirect method, un-roasted green coffee soaks in hot water to draw out the caffeine. The solution, which contains caffeine as well as the important flavor and oil components, is then filtered through a bed of activated charcoal or carbon filters to remove only the caffeine.

The next process is the same as all the other methods where the water solution minus the caffeine is reintroduced to the green coffee.

  1. Supercritical Carbon Dioxide
In this method green coffee beans are first softened by steam to bring the caffeine to the surface. Next they are soaked in carbon dioxide at a high temperature and pressure. In this ‘supercritical’ state the carbon dioxide acts like a liquid while remaining a gas. It penetrates the beans to extract the caffeine.

The process removes about 97% of the caffeine and any remaining solvent dissipates as a Gas when the green coffee returns to room temperature.

Gaviña uses the Methylene Chloride method.