Natural Decaffeination

There are a handful of natural decaffeination methods. Some use CO2, others are heavily water intensive, and still others utilize plant-derived decaffeinating agents. The specific decaffeination method we employ varies. What does not vary, however, is our commitment to exclusively naturally decaffeinated coffees. Each method has its strengths. Some of these are listed and expounded below:

In the CO2 method 99.9% of caffeine is extracted from the coffee without altering the carbohydrate or protein (the two primary flavor carriers) structure of the beans in any way. Additionally, there are no strange aftertastes because the process is all natural, and any extra CO2 simply dissipates into the air.

The various water-processed decafs extract a similar level of caffeine. This is accomplished through the soaking of green coffee in flavor-saturated water, slowly diffusing the caffeine from the beans and removing it from the flavor-saturated water by means of a carbon filter. The official Swiss Water Process is recognized as organic by the USDA.

The third method begins with sugar cane. The sugar cane is naturally fermented, forming ethyl acetate. This ethyl acetate is used in a steam and liquid wash the remove the caffeine from the coffee. The beans are then thoroughly washed ensuring that “less than trace amounts” of EA remain.