The Details of Decaf Coffee
Here in Philadelphia, we are happy to gave days that aren’t 1,000 degrees. Maybe I am crazy, but I am already craving that fall weather. I hope you are having a great summer. Hopefully you are crushing iced lattes, hitting the beach, and having some fun. I want this newsletter to be the most helpful coffee newsletter in the world. I want it to help you learn the basics in 5 minutes or less. So today I wanted to teach you about one of the sketchiest areas of specialty coffee… decaf.
Why Decaf?
I mean this is obvious. A lot of people have to abstain from caffeine but still grave delicious coffee. Others just want a third coffee but don’t want to be jittery. I get that. I respect that. As Specialty Coffee has grown, companies are buying high-quality beans and roasting them in such a way that their best and most delicate properties shine in the cup. Top Hat is no different. The issue for companies like us is that a lot of the processes for decaffeinating coffee greatly change the taste. These days, there are great people processing decaf in some really interesting ways.
How Decaf?
Coffee is decaffeinated through several methods. The most common ones are:
Chemical Solvent Method: Beans are soaked in a solvent like methylene chloride, which selectively removes caffeine. The beans are then steamed to remove any residual solvent. This may sound sketchy but some of these methods really help preserve the integrity of the coffee bean.
Swiss Water Process: Beans are soaked in hot water to dissolve the caffeine and other compounds. The water is then passed through a carbon filter that removes the caffeine while retaining other flavors. The beans are re-soaked in this flavor-rich water to reabsorb the flavors.
Sugar Cane: sugar cane decaf coffee is like the hero of the decaf world, but with a twist! Instead of using the usual chemical processes to strip the caffeine away, they use sugar cane. Because, obviously, the only thing more thrilling than drinking coffee without caffeine is drinking coffee that’s been deflated by sugar cane.
Each method has its own impact on the flavor and quality of the coffee.
A newer and more exciting method uses Ethyl Acetate for the solution.
Imagine this: you've got a bunch of coffee beans that are just dying to stay up all night, but you want to put them on a strict caffeine-free diet. So, you toss them into a big water bath—think of it as a spa day for beans, but without the relaxing part.
Next, you introduce ethyl acetate, which sounds like a fancy name for something you’d use to clean up spilled nail polish. Ethyl acetate is a solvent that’s really good at convincing caffeine to leave the beans and go elsewhere, like a bad date running for the door.
After the caffeine is good and gone, the beans are steamed, probably to make sure they’re not harboring any leftover ethyl acetate, which is the solvent equivalent of an uninvited guest who still smells like the party they left.
Here at Top Hat we have been trying all sorts of decaf processed coffee. Currently we have a Colombia coffee that is sugar cane processed. Stop by the shop and get your favorite espresso drink with it! And make sure to subscribe for more helpful coffee knowledge!
New Coffee Coming Soon
We just got our hands on a Kenya AA Washed coffee. This coffee is bright with high acidity and sweetness. It’s been a minute since we’ve had a coffee like this. It makes a great cup of black coffee and is great for pourover lovers. I also can’t wait to brew some iced coffee with it. You are going to experience a flavor similar to apple, grapefruit, and apricot. It will be available for order soon on our website.
Have a great rest of your summer! I hope to see you soon <3
__ Vince
