House Blend DECAFFEINATED

Decaffeinated coffee.

What is the Swiss Water Decaf method?

Swiss Water Decaf is a method used to decaffeinate coffee beans without the use of chemicals.

It was introduced in the 1970s by the Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company and has since become one of the most popular ways to produce decaffeinated coffee.

Here is a simplified description of the process by which 99.9% of the caffeine is removed from unroasted coffee beans:

1. Formation of aqueous extract for decaffeination:The process begins with soaking unroasted coffee beans in hot water. All soluble components, including caffeine, are extracted from the beans into the water.
2. Caffeine extraction:After soaking, all the soluble coffee compounds and caffeine are in the water. This water, known as "Green Coffee Extract" (GCE), is then passed through a special filter called a carbon filter. This filter captures the caffeine molecules, while all other soluble substances remain in the water. In the first step, a decaffeinated water extract (GCE) is created, which is now ready for further use.
3. Decaffeination:GCE, which is decaffeinated, is used to steep a new batch of green coffee beans. Since GCE still contains soluble coffee substances, these are not removed from the coffee beans due to the saturation of the aqueous extract, only the caffeine is removed.
4. Soaking and decaffeination:The coffee beans are steeped for approximately 8 to 10 hours. During this time, 99.9% of the caffeine is removed from the coffee beans, while the remaining soluble substances are not removed, meaning that the coffee beans retain most of their original flavor.
5. Drying and packaging:Once the decaffeination process is complete, the beans are taken from the GCE, then dried and packaged for distribution.