Not All Decaf is Created Equal; Why You Should Switch to the Swiss Water Processed Method

Coffee is naturally caffeinated. For some (about 10% of coffee drinkers) caffeine is not a desired participant in their coffee drinking; This can be due to personal preference or for health reasons. The latter reason makes choosing which decaf coffee you consume super important. Why you ask? Let’s dig in!

Chemicals in Your Decaf

One of the most popular forms of decaffeinating your coffee is, well, not savory. How do a little chemicals with your morning cup sound? Removing caffeine by way of a solvent-based process is pretty standard, but it involves the use of some pretty harsh chemicals and solvents: methylene chloride and ethyl acetate. One or the other of these compounds is essentially used to directly or indirectly remove caffeine from coffee beans. Unfortunately, when the process is complete, there are traces of these chemicals left behind in the finished product. Chemicals are the last thing you want in your all-natural coffee! Yuck!

Loss of Flavor

Aside from the health-factor, a common issue with chemical decaffeination processes is loss of flavor. The reason for this has a lot to do with processing solutions being used. Essentially, the coffee is washed in the chemical solvents and goes through a series of steaming and evaporation steps; In the end, all of the flavors that comprise each unique coffee batch are separated from the beans, leaving a tasteless and bland product.

The Solution

So, what’s the solution? A little thing called the Swiss Water Process - the first developed method of decaffeination that didn’t use any chemical solvents. The development of the Swiss Water Process is so important because it allows coffee roasters, like Angelino’s Coffee, to provide a healthier and tastier decaf coffee to our customers. Here’s how it works:

• Natural green coffee beans are soaked in hot water, which dissolves the caffeine. 
• Next, the water used is removed and run through a charcoal filter. The filter has pores just big enough to capture the caffeine particles but still allows the oil and flavor molecules to pass through. This makes a green coffee extract that is packed with flavor.
• Last, the flavorful coffee water is used to wash a new batch of coffee beans. During this process, 99,9% of the caffeine is removed, but the pre-saturated water being used doesn’t remove any flavor and oils from the beans. You’re left with a much more flavorful product!
  
  

At Angelino’s Coffee, we value and treasure each of our decaf coffee drinkers.

It’s important that we provide only the best in decaf coffee offerings; This is why we source all of our decaf coffee direct from all-natural coffee farmers that only use the Swiss Water Process. We have four distinct coffees for your enjoyment:

• Decaf Colombian Nariño
• Decaf Dark Roast
• Decaf French Vanilla
• Decaf Jamaican Me Crazy

Not sure which one to choose? We’ve got you covered with our Decaf Coffee Experience Pack, which gives a delicious variety of both flavored and unflavored decaf coffee!