Decaf Coffee: What's Hot with Decaf?

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Why Decaf?

There are two types of coffee. There is the kind that has caffeine while there are those that are decaffeinated. Both these varieties come from the same beans. The difference is in the process of removing it.

The term decaffeinated is a misconception because there is still 3% in the coffee beans. It is like saying cookie companies coming out with products that are fat free.

The Process

Farmers produce decaffeinated coffee by soaking this in water. This can even be mixed with a chemical called ethyl acetate. The only way to preserve the flavor without the caffeine is to dry it before this is packed.

Why ethyl acetate? This is because scientists have proven this chemical to be a natural solvent. There was a time that trichloroethylene and methylene chloride was used but studies have shown that these are carcinogens that later on were abandoned.

There is an indirect way of using this chemical, which is known as natural decaffeination. The beans are still mixed in water but ethyl acetate never interacts with the beans.

The key to this process is water. Most farms use pure water and not the filtered kind because tests have shown that it robs the beans of the desired flavor that consumers still like without the caffeine.

Since it is a hit or miss, when this happens, farmers have tried another method and this involves the use of carbon dioxide. This is heated later on to make this evaporate which has proven to be very effective.

Studies have shown that charcoal and carbon are useful in decaffeinating coffee. This practice originated in Switzerland and thus is called the Swiss Water Process. You can it with things like decaf k-cups and decaf t-discs.

People will be able to know how the coffee was decaffeinated since this is written in the product label. If there are any other questions that the customer would like to know there is usually a customer hotline printed on the package which can be called to speak to a representative.

The process of decaffeinating has paved the way for more to drink coffee. This has allowed coffee companies and cafes to offer this in cold beverages aside from the warm ones always being served.

Decaffeination does not mean teens can start drinking coffee. This is because as stated earlier, there are still elements of this ingredient in it, which is harmful for the growth of the individual. You can make your own decaf coffee using a one cup coffee maker.

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Is Decaf Better?

If you're a coffee drinker you probably know what decaf which is short for decaffeinated coffee is. And because you're a hard core coffee drinker, you (or some of you) will frown on a cup of decaf being offered to you. You might, in fact, get into a huge fuss and begin a tantrum to the surprise of your host.

Two things might happen. One, your host will never ever serve you decaf coffee again or two, you will never ever be invited for a cup again. So if you want to still keep your circle of friends, I would suggest to you to lay low and to tone down the exaggeration with decaf.

Some of you might be asking what's with decaf? Why do coffee drinkers make a big deal out of it? Well coffee contains caffeine. This is a natural supplement and is present in every kind of coffee. Some will have more while some will contain less. Caffeine is where coffee gets that all too famous stimulating power. On the average, depending on the kind of coffee, the caffeine content is from 0.8 percent and 2.5 percent. The caffeine also affects the taste of the coffee.

Decaffeinated coffee has the absence of caffeine in the coffee. The reason for this is that some people have adverse reactions to caffeine. So the market of decaf coffee is really those people who want to enjoy the taste of coffee minus the caffeine. You can try great tasting decaf by using Gloria Jeans k-cups and other coffee t-discs.

Since caffeine is a natural occurring active ingredient, decaf has to be manufactured. Although decaf in essence is a non-caffeine containing coffee, in reality industry regulators can already classify coffee decaf when it contains a mere 0.1 percent caffeine.

Caffeine is extracted from the unroasted green beans. When your roast coffee beans, the flavor comes out so it would be best to remove the caffeine from green beans. Manufacturers use caffeine-selective solvents to get the coffee stimulant out of the beans. Solvents can be water or dichloromethane.

When manufacturers use water as solvent, the green coffee beans are rinsed with it for a long time. After some time, the caffeine dissolves. The water containing the dissolved caffeine then passes through an active carbon filter which absorbs the active stimulant. The beans are then air dried, roasted, ground and packed. Almost the same process is involved when using the dichloromethane process. The solvent just differs and an added step of steaming the beans to remove any remaining solvent is added.

Modern technology has made it possible to extract caffeine from the beans but retain the flavor and aroma of the coffee. This was one of the fears of coffee drinkers when being served with decaf, that the coffee will not taste like coffee at all. But with the current process, the same type of coffee should taste the same even if it is decaf.

For a better way to brew coffee have a look at the Keurig B40 Elite Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing System.

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MrEducation

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