What is decaffeinated coffee? All information about the decaf hype

Coffee, coffee, coffee! Germany is crying out for the black gold. We drink 167 liters a year, making it the most popular hot drink in our country. And we don't just need it in the morning to start the day off right, but also in the afternoon, in the evening, and at any other time. More than half of all coffee drinkers reach for a cup several times a day - not because we need our hourly caffeine kick, but because it simply tastes so delicious. But if we're only interested in the taste, why don't we reach for a cup of decaffeinated coffee, when it's known to have fewer side effects? And what exactly is decaffeinated coffee?

Even though the decaf variant is only now really gaining ground, decaffeinated coffee was invented over a hundred years ago. The Bremen coffee merchant and founder of the well-known coffee brand Kaffee HAG, Ludwig Roselius, attributed his father's death to his immense caffeine consumption and started a new coffee movement: He extracted the caffeine from the bean and brought the first decaffeinated cup onto the market! In fact, his process is now considered outdated and has been replaced by a healthier method, and the coffee is not completely free of caffeine - but at just 0.1 percent, the caffeine content is so low that it hardly has any effect on our bodies. The all too familiar coffee side effects of nervousness, heart palpitations or gastrointestinal problems have no chance with the decaffeinated version!

Unfortunately, there is (still) no decaf bean from which decaffeinated coffee can be brewed directly after harvest. Instead, the Arabica coffee bean must first have its caffeine removed. There are various processes for this, which are as follows:

1. Steaming: The green coffee is brought into contact with steam and water so that the surface and cell structure of the bean becomes permeable.
2. Decaffeination using solvents: The beans are decaffeinated by extraction using solvents. Today, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, carbon dioxide or water are used for this purpose. In order to guarantee the limit of 0.1 percent caffeine content prescribed by the EU, several extraction processes are necessary.
3. Drying: Low temperatures restore the original moisture content of the coffee beans without breaking down the aromatic substances.

The process of decaffeinating coffee is not exactly straightforward. Various technologies and solvents are necessary to extract the stimulant from the bean.

• Chemical method: The caffeine is extracted from the bean using chemicals such as methylene chloride or ethyl acetate. Chemically decaffeinated coffee often raises questions about safety and quality. In general, however, the consumption of chemically decaffeinated coffee is considered safe,
• Swiss Water Process: The green coffee beans are steeped in water, which is then passed through an activated carbon filter to extract the caffeine. It is then mixed back into the beans.
• CO2 method: A tank filled with coffee beans, water and steam is pressurized. The addition of carbon dioxide extracts the caffeine from the bean.
• Triglyceride method: The caffeine is extracted from the bean using triglycerides derived from vegetable oils.

In fact, the decaffeination process has now been perfected to such an extent that it no longer has any influence on the taste. The delicious aroma comes from roasting the beans! That's why there are now many high-quality decaffeinated coffees that taste just like the original - such as This Is Real Coffee , which offers every coffee connoisseur a full taste experience.