It was in the 20th century by Mr. Ludwig Roselius that decaffeinated coffee was discovered by chance. He was carrying a cargo of grains that was covered with sea water.

After analyzing the condition of the beans, he was able to determine that the caffeine had been extracted without altering the taste of the coffee we love so much.

what is caffeine?

Consumed for decades for its stimulating properties, caffeine is an alkaloid found in coffee beans, cocoa and tea leaves.

What are the characteristics of a decaffeinated coffee?

A decaffeinated coffee is born when caffeine is extracted from green coffee beans. Often, and wrongly, it is thought that it loses all its flavor and aromatic qualities when the caffeine is extracted. But the decaffeination process, when carried out with water, preserves the aromatic richness of the decaffeinated coffee beans.

There are several processes to remove caffeine, however they all work on green (unroasted) coffee. However, it is important to note that decaffeinated coffee never loses all of its caffeine content, the decaffeination processes can remove up to 97% of the caffeine from the beans, so a small dose remains.

Good to know: the caffeine removed during this process is used by pharmacies to relieve certain pains, such as a migraine.

does organic decaffeinated coffee exist?

L'Arbre à Café's decaffeinated coffee beans come from organic agriculture and are decaffeinated without solvents. They are therefore labeled Organic Agriculture. A coffee coming from a pesticide agriculture cannot claim to be AB even if its decaffeination process is done in a natural way.

Does a decaffeinated coffee retain the aromas of a coffee?

Many people still think that decaf loses all its flavor and taste when the caffeine is extracted. It is true that a coffee bean decaffeinated by a chemical process will lose all its flavor.

And if you drank a tasteless, flavorless decaf, it was most likely chemically decaffeinated coffee.

However, the water decaffeination technique, like the one used at L'Arbre à Café, preserves the taste of specialty coffee, to the delight of coffee lovers who can now enjoy a cup without any effects.

Decaf is a traditional, caffeine-free coffee that can be drunk at any time of the day.

A good alternative to reduce caffeine consumption!

Learn more about caffeine in coffee.

Which grind to choose for your decaffeinated coffee?

As for a traditional coffee, different grinds are available to consume its decaf:

• - If you have a grinder, the best choice of grind to prepare a decaffeinated coffee is the bean, especially for the conservation of its aromas which will be much longer.

Our selection of coffee beans 

• - If your preparation habits are the filter, Italian or piston coffee maker and you do not have a coffee grinder, you can opt for beans already ground by us, as an espresso grind.

Our selection of ground coffees

At L'Arbre à Café, we offer our coffees in airtight bags to preserve the taste quality of the decaffeinated coffee, regardless of the grind.

Our practical guide on how to make a good grind.

What are the decaffeination processes? / How is decaffeinated coffee made?
 

Find a solvent-free decaffeinated coffee bean? It is possible and this is the process we use at L'Arbre à Café with Swiss Water. To offer you the best of decaffeinated coffee and keep all the flavors of the bean intact. A longer and more expensive process, but the health and satisfaction of our customers is priceless!

- Natural extraction of caffeine
The so-called natural methods are in fact those that do not require any chemical input in the process. They are also the only ones that can claim that the coffee beans that come out of this process are organic and that their flavors are the same.

- Water decaffeination (Swiss Water Process used by L'Arbre à Café)

This is the most neutral decaffeination process since no chemicals are involved. It is used for organically grown coffees to preserve their aromas. To do this, the green coffee beans are immersed in water for 10 consecutive hours.

The caffeine is then dissolved in the water. The next step is to boil the water in order to preserve the taste quality of the decaffeinated coffee beans. The water is then recovered and filtered through activated carbon which will extract the caffeine dissolved in the water. The final step before drying the beans and roasting them, it is essential to reintegrate the water into the beans to recover all the aromas.

Chemical extraction of caffeine

- Decaffeination with solvents:

It will increase the porosity of the beans using a steam bath, then soak the beans in water composed of a chemical solvent such as ethyl acetate (organic solvent) and dichloromethane (chemical solvent). The advantage of this process is that it will dissolve only the caffeine without altering the other components of the bean.

- Decaffeination with supercritical carbon dioxide:

Fast and without harmful effects for the body, it is the most modern process but also the most technical since it requires certain facilities.

First, the beans are subjected to a steam bath to facilitate the insertion of carbon dioxide. Finally, the CO2 is rinsed to recover the caffeine.

Is a decaffeinated coffee completely caffeine free?

According to European regulations, a decaffeinated coffee should not contain more than 0.1% caffeine, 0% being practically impossible to reach (Decree n°91-340 of April 3, 1991).

A decaffeinated coffee has some traces of caffeine, to give you an idea, a traditional coffee has between 70 and 140 mg of caffeine per cup, for a decaf it reduces considerably since it represents between 0 and 7mg.