green decaf'd beans - taste and chaff

[djneill]

Hey,
I got a few samples from Sweet Maria's for my FreshRoast. I wanted a few decaf just to see.

So far, the decaf beans do not give off chaff during the roasting process like the regular beans do, and they seem to have much less taste and aroma. Is this normal? I am a newb.

Thanks,
Dan

 

[CafeBlue]

Your experience is typical.
The decaffeination processes wash away most of the chaff (which is largely the "silver skin" layer on the green surface) - and also wash away some of the flavor components. A top notch commercial roasting machine (operated by a skilled roaster) can yield a decaffeinated coffee with flavor and aroma so good that you may not believe it is decaffeinated, but you do not have the capability to finesse the roast that well using a freshroast type of home roaster.