Decaf with chemicals?

The good, the bad and the chemical

Part 2

Following on from last week with now part 2 of the decaf saga, we will cover the basics of chemical decaffeination, so try not to be freaked out by the science names!

Methylene Chloride & Ethyl Acetate

Now both of these compounds are not great but, the saying “the poison is in the dose” very much applies here.

Methylene Chloride sounds quite scary off the bat but that doesn’t mean its some kind of poison. Don’t get me wrong, this chemical isn’t good for you in large quantities but when used properly by regulated producers of decaf, the amount of this compound used is considered safe by the FSA (Food Standards Agency) here in the UK.

The more popular of the two

Ethyl Acetate is actually a naturally occurring compound usually from sugar cane production but is also found in many fruits, this is why some packaging will say sugar cane decaffeination (it sounds much nicer too). This option has become a far more popular method as of late due to a general push back and fear of methylene chloride.

The Process

Now both of these chemicals are used in practically the same way. Starting off, green beans are steamed or soaked in boiling water to open the beans slightly and allow caffeine to come to the surface.

The beans are then either submerged or sometimes sprayed with either chemical desired, both of which remove the caffeine by bonding with the caffeine molecules. This process is then repeated multiple times until the required amount of caffeine is removed from the beans.

Next up, the now decaffeinated beans are rinsed and steamed again to remove any residual chemicals and are then set to dry to the usual 12% moisture, ready to be roasted!

This week has been tricky to write as I can’t say any recommendations here, these options are seen as not healthy by some but harmless by others. These are both widely used decaffeination processes and are used by many large companies, so even though I swear by Swiss Water Decaf, feel free to choose whichever process you like or you find suits your individual wants.

Next week will be the last of the decaf processes and will go over the “super critical carbon dioxide method”, definitely the coolest sounding of all the methods.

Until next week! I hope you have a great week and some even better coffees!