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How is Organic Coffee Decaffeinated?
Decaf coffee from our organic collection contains chemicals. In particular, the Methylene Chloride method and ethyl acetate leave trace amounts in our beans, even though we use organic practices when producing it.
There are methods available which do not involve chemical solvents and instead focus on taste and sustainability; an example being the Swiss Water Process.
Water Process
The Swiss Water Process, also known as Mountain Water Process, is the only 100% chemical free and organic decaffeination method available today. Utilizing hot water, steam and activated charcoal as sources of heat energy, this non-toxic decaffeination technique uses coffee soaking in water followed by green coffee extract (GCE) passed through carbon filters to capture caffeine molecules while sugars, oils and other solubles pass freely through. GCE is then reused in new batches of coffee until all caffeine-containing particles have been eliminated from each batch; repeat until all caffeine-containing molecules have been removed completely.
Pioneers of this process sought an organic way to decaffeinate coffee without using solvents such as methylene chloride and ethyl acetate, which often leave residual flavors behind after decaffeination. Such chemicals had long been banned by many nations due to potential toxic residues; as health concerns became paramount during decaffeination processes. Prioritizing taste over health concerns was of prime concern when seeking an organic approach; organic pioneers prioritized taste by preserving coffee’s unique characteristics through decaffeination processes while decaffeinating it!
Solvent-based methods often left residual flavors and were unpredictable in their results, while water processes delivered more consistent, excellent results. One challenge that remained was finding enough water to properly soak and steep coffee to remove all caffeine; this challenge was eventually addressed in late 1990s with the advent of supercritical carbon dioxide decaffeination technology.
This more advanced and costly technology employs high pressure to force liquid carbon dioxide through soaked coffee beans at such force that only caffeine molecules are affected, leaving the rest intact. While this method can take more time to achieve consistency, it has now become the industry standard and remains 100% chemical free and organic.
Organic products have grown increasingly popular as consumers seek transparency and an alternative to methylene chloride-laden products, and organic certification provides us with confidence in the quality and purity of our products. When shopping for certified organic decaffeinated coffee, make sure that its label displays either of two methods of roasting:
Solvent Process
At this method of decaffeination, soluble compounds in coffee are extracted with an organic solvent such as methylene chloride or ethyl acetate; both of which are manufactured synthetically or naturally produced as byproducts in fruit ripening processes. Although using chemical solvents is controversial due to potential health risks for vulnerable groups like pregnant women and the elderly, current FDA rulings deem these chemicals safe at levels used commercially for decaf production.
The direct solvent process is one of the oldest and most popular coffee processing techniques. First, beans are steamed to open their pores before being immersed in an organic solvent that selectively unites with caffeine molecules in them. Subsequently, it is steamed once more to remove solvent residues before being dried and roasted normally green coffee style. Signs and bags often refer to it by various names such as European or traditional.
There are numerous advantages associated with this decaffeination technique as compared to organic solvent extraction methods, including using nontoxic, nonflammable liquid, increasing caffeine extraction rates without excessive heat treatment, protecting surface waxes and aroma precursors, and recovering purer caffeine. Unfortunately, however, there remain serious concerns that other water-soluble compounds that contribute to taste and aroma may be lost in the extraction solution.
These issues have become sufficiently significant that some coffee producers have made the switch to a “semi-solvent” process using water and either methylene chloride or ethyl acetate as semi-solvent solutions, to dissolve any soluble components while leaving caffeine intact. Once separated from caffeine, water-methylene chloride solutions can then be reused in contactors as semi-solvents for subsequent uses.
Once all methylene chloride or ethyl-acetate has been consumed, decaffeinated beans are washed with water to remove any remaining organic solvent. Although trace amounts of organic solvent remain, this does not pose a health risk – any leftover residue will evaporate during roasting and brewing processes.
At all times, it is recommended to purchase certified organic decaf from roasters that discloses their decaffeination process on their coffee labels and to avoid purchasing decaf processed with direct solvent methods.
Oil Process
Coffee has long been an integral part of culture worldwide, becoming an indispensable morning ritual and beyond. But coffee’s impact goes well beyond this early morning ritual: many turn to it when they need warmth, comfort, or energy – not to mention caffeine and acid intake which may lead to painful stomach conditions like heartburn, indigestion, sour stomach, and even GERD! For these coffee fans that find this acidity too much to bear, low-acid organic decaf coffee offers an excellent solution: harvested and processed without using harsh chemicals so all its flavors can be fully appreciated by every drinker who drinks it.
Decaffeination traditionally has involved using chemical solvents like ethyl acetate and methylene chloride. While FDA has stated that trace amounts of these chemicals found in decaf coffee may not be harmful, they do pose some environmental hazards while stripping coffee of its authentic flavor and aroma.
Recent advancements have transformed perceptions about decaffeinated coffee. The Swiss Water Method uses water-based process that effectively eliminates 99.9% of caffeine while maintaining organic certification – quickly becoming one of the most sought-after methods for producing decaffeinated organic coffee.
Swiss Water Method: With this process, green coffee beans are immersed in water to remove caffeine molecules before being passed through a carbon filter, which filters any remaining chemicals out and can then be reused later on. As this is a highly efficient and sustainable method, many organic and fair trade coffee roasters choose this process to decaffeinate their beans.
Oil decaffeination techniques have also become a popular method for decaffeinating coffee, offering fast and effective decaffeination with limited resources required to sustain them. One such oil process method for decaffeinated coffee production is the oil process; this involves using oil and water together to extract caffeine from beans quickly. However, due to this being such an intensive decaffeination method requiring multiple resources per batch.
Oil decaffeination methods may be costly for smaller coffee producers and more difficult than other methods to produce consistently; making it harder for these businesses to provide high-quality organic decaf coffee.