Decaffeinated coffee.

[Gmbaltrusitis]

Is there a decaf coffee process better for you than another. In another words, when that is not loaded with chemicals and harmful to your body?? If so, where can I purchase a quality decaf espresso bean??

Greg

 

[peterjschmidt]

What you're referring to is a Water-Process decaf, or Swiss-Water-Process decaf. We have an excellent Peru that could be roasted slightly darker, and blended w/ a SWP Guatemala for your espresso.

Here's a great video explaining the decaffeinating process; Swiss Water® Process - YouTube

It's been my understanding over the years (and I could be wrong) that the Methylene Chloride process of decaffeinating coffee is not unhealthy, and to me it usually has the edge in nuance over SWP.

Copied from sweetmarias.com:

Why is Methylene Chloride Decaf not as scarey as it sounds?:

• Methylene Chloride is allowed by the USDA in amounts of 10 PPM (Parts Per Million). The European Union, under whose guidlines the German decafs are performed allows 3 PPM. The coffee tests at LESS THAN 1 PPM ...every time.
• The Methylene Chloride is never absorbed by the bean really. It is a solvent and therfore does not bond with the coffee.
• Methylene Chloride is highly volatile and completely dissapates at 170 degrees. Coffee is roasted for 15 minutes at 500 degrees and brewed at 200 degrees.
• Methylene Chloride warnings concern situations and industries where people use the chemical directly, with over 25 PPM direct contact. Yes, it is nasty stuff.
• I had believed Methylene Chloride use may contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer. It appears to not be true, according to the World Health Organization that states that MC has no environmental impact, outside the chance of a chemical spill. But household bleach would have an impact in a spill too.
• The fact is, MC is mostly employed under the most stringent environmental stadards in the world when it is done in Germany. We may periodically choose to offer an MC decaf because of its outstanding cup qualitites, but will only offer German-processed ones for this reason. EU standards for non-emmisions including vapour-reclaimation from coffee plants (even for roast smoke) is an assurance that this process is being performed with care.

 

[shadow745]

Keep in mind that the decaf process shortens the useful life of the coffee, especially for espresso. I say this after trying numerous decaf coffees (single origins and blends) in a commercial setting. If standard (caffeine) coffees had a good solid useful life of 2-3 weeks, decaf for the most part was along the lines of 8-10 days. The window of opportunity was very narrow with it. Regardless of many storage techniques, etc. I tinkered with it was still very limited.

One thing I also noticed that doesn't seem to be brought up much is to be wary of blended coffees, especially those that are blended after roasting. Different roast levels will mature and become rancid at different intervals and can ruin what would be an otherwise great coffee. For example, my absolute favorite coffee is the Brazil Ipanema that I've mentioned several times which is roasted at two heat levels, then blended after roasting. That particular single origin/blend works and ages very well. Since one of my favorite coffees for drip/press is Ethiopia Sidamo I asked the roaster to blend in a bit of it and possibly balance it with another coffee if needed, which he did. End result was about 60% of the Ipanema, 30% of the Sidamo and 10% of a basic, but dark Sumatra. It was a fantastic blend that worked extremely well for 8-10 days, then the Sumatra began to go rancid due to being quite a bit darker than the other coffees and it simply ruined the entire batch.

 

[Gmbaltrusitis]

Thanks guys, I appreciate all the help. Shadow, I ordered that espresso...man is that good.

 

[shadow745]

The Seda Dulce? Like I said before, I've sampled lots of offerings from nationally recognized artisan roasters. Some were really good, some just OK and some weren't worth the time/money spent for my taste. I used it commercially, which set us apart from everyone else, as well as using it at home for a handful of years now. Great/fresh coffee doesn't have to be expensive.