What is Decaffeinated Coffee?
Decaffeinated coffee and the regular ground coffee beans commonly contain certain amount of harmful chemicals derived from the presence of non-organic pesticides and fertilizers during the process of cultivating the coffee beans. The presence of dangerous chemicals in your cup of coffee may eventually create a number of health hazards. However, there is a big difference between the decaffeinated coffee with the regular one. Decaffeinated brings the meaning of free from caffeine. When you drink a caffeine-free cup of coffee, it means you are having a safer option compared to the cup of regular coffee.
The best option for decaffeinated coffee would definitely be the organic one. This is because coffee beans that are cultivated the organic way are not polluted by the harmful chemicals that may cause severe illnesses especially cancer. Coffee beans that are cultivated within the United States are safer to consume due to the agriculture laws enforced by the government. However, you can never be sure of the content of imported decaffeinated coffee beans. Therefore, if you are planning to buy imported coffee beans make sure that you look at their brand certification. An organic product should be labeled ‘certified organic’; so don’t buy if you can’t find this on the label.
Why do you need to opt for decaffeinated coffee in the first place? Based on medical research and studies, it was found that caffeine contains a type of stimulant. This particular stimulant may be detrimental to your well being especially when taken in daily basis for a prolonged period of time. As a matter of fact, caffeine is known to be one of the factors that contributes to the occurrence of high BP, anxiety disorder, inability to sleep, chronic fatigue and many other illnesses. Caffeine is present in both tea and coffee, but its content is relatively higher in coffee. That’s why you should consider switching to decaffeinated coffee.
Decaffeinated coffee contains the same amount of benefit as the regular coffee. The level of anti-oxidants in the decaffeinated coffee is not affected at all. As a matter of fact, when you buy coffee made in the United States, you will find that the decaffeinated version is at least 97 percent caffeine-free. Caffeine- free coffee is beneficial for your health because it doesn’t cause any adverse side effects due to excessive consumption. At the same time, many caffeine-free coffee products are organically cultivated and processed.
By consuming organic decaffeinated coffee, you will be able to enjoy as many cups of coffee without worrying about its side effects. At the same time, you are actually supporting the farmers that are genuinely trying to produce organic coffee. Nowadays you can easily buy caffeine-free coffee from various retail and grocery shops. You can also buy decaffeinated plus organic coffee from the internet. Today there are a number of active websites offering various kinds of coffees. Before buying, make sure that you have read the labels. It is very important that you buy genuinely decaffeinated coffee products if you want to preserve your health for many years to come.
Reality is not objective. There is much more to what we see. Take for example a cup of brewed coffee. Only plain black liquid? Well, that is what your eyes will tell you, but a cup of coffee is much more complex than what it appears to be.
Scientists say that there are more than 1,000 compounds in one cup of coffee. And the unarguably dominant one is caffeine. It may play a major role in giving coffee its distinctive flavor. Caffeine is also responsible to the big energy boost that coffee drinkers feel right after downing a good cup of coffee. The downside is that it may make some feel edgy and jittery. That is why such people prefer decaf coffee.
Decaf is coffee without high caffeine content. It still retains coffee’s distinctive flavors but does not taste exactly like pure coffee. Caffeine is responsible for creating that bitter and acidic flavor of coffee, so do not believe someone who says that they sell decaf that tastes exactly like pure coffee. The fact is decaf would taste milder than coffee with 100 percent caffeine content.
It does not mean, though, that you cannot enjoy a good cup of decaf coffee. Critics who say that decaf tastes terrible may have just tried those mass-produced instant decaf coffee. Just like in making regular coffee, it is necessary that you prepare your own decaf brew from fresh decaf coffee beans. That is the only way one can enjoy and appreciate the great taste of coffee minus high caffeine content.
But not all decaf coffee beans are the same. To acquire the perfect decaf coffee, you should have an in-depth knowledge about decaf coffee beans, particularly how they are made.
Picking the Right Beans For Your Decaffeinated Brew
The direct and indirect methods are the most common decaffeination process. In the direct method, beans are steamed for 30 minutes to remove the waxy coating and the open up the beans’ pores. Afterwards, the beans are rinsed with a solvent, usually dichloromethane or ethyl acetate, for 10 hours. The solvent penetrates the beans and forms a bond with caffeine molecules. To make sure that caffeine will be removed, the solvent-soaked beans will be steamed for another 10 hours.
The indirect method works in the pretty much the same way. The difference is that beans are soaked in hot water instead of being steamed. Solvent is applied in the bean-water mixture in order to remove caffeine from the water.
A more natural way to remove caffeine is the Swiss water process. In this method, unroasted beans are put in a huge pot of boiling water. The beans release caffeine and coffee solids into the water. The beans will be removed from the pot and the water will be filtered in order to remove caffeine. The beans are then bathed again with the water. No coffee solids are lost in the process and the beans retain much of their natural flavor and aroma.
The CO2 method is a new promising caffeine removal process wherein beans are exposed to a compressed CO2 form. Caffeine then combines with CO2 and is removed through charcoal filtering. Because the beans were not soaked in a solution, coffee solids and its essential oils are retained, allowing the decaf coffee beans to retain their natural alluring richness.