Coffee! The word itself brings the memory of its aroma into our noses. Originated in Africa, this energy-boosting beverage has become the most popular drink in the world, with 400 billion cups consumed each year. 450 million cups are being consumed every day in the US alone, making coffee the most popular beverage there. But like everything, our dear coffee too has its cons. That is when caffeine addiction comes up. Regular and excessive use of coffee leads to addiction, just like drugs, along with withdrawal symptoms. Even though coffee is not as addictive as drugs, it does create troubles like disrupted sleep and anxiety. So what’s the solution? We already have it – Decaffeinated coffee.
What is Decaf Coffee?
Like the name says, decaf coffee is prepared through decaffeination, which is the removal of caffeine from coffee beans. But it won’t be 100% caffeine-free. Decaf coffee contains up to 5% caffeine when compared to regular coffee.
Decaf coffee appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. The coffee beans aren’t genetically modified. Decaf coffee uses the same beans used to prepare regular coffee. Harmless methods are used for the removal of caffeine.
What makes decaf coffee different?
It’s the amount of caffeine in it. We can savour the taste of coffee without worrying about sleeplessness, high blood pressure and fatigue caused by excessive caffeine intake. Another difference is that the process of making decaf coffee starts with unroasted beans. But no worries coffee lovers, the flavour is still exact. The extra processes are done to decaffeinate the beans never affects the flavour of the coffee.
However, we should not mistake decaf coffee for caffeine-free coffee. Caffeine-free coffee is a different product, made by different processes. While decaf coffee is 95% caffeine-free, “caffeine-free” coffee is 99% caffeine-free. While caffeine-free coffee cuts down caffeine consumption almost completely, decaf coffee is consumed when you don’t need a full dose of caffeine. i.e., a strong coffee boost.
Benefits of Decaf coffee
The major benefit of decaf coffee is the escape from caffeine addiction. Along with that, there are several other advantages of decaf coffee, proved by recent studies.
- Decaf coffee consumers have a decreased risk of developing rectal cancer when compared to regular coffee consumers.
- A study on rats showed that those supplemented with decaf coffee performed better in cognition related tasks. i.e., coffee reduced age-related mental decline.
- The above study also proved that caffeine content doesn’t influence coffee’s ability to prevent Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
- Coffee favourably affects inflammation, lung function and depression, further reducing mortality risk.
- Decaffeination makes coffee milder.
- Even though regular coffee has a long list of health benefits, doesn’t mean that it’s healthier.
Buyer’s Guide to choosing the Best Decaf Coffee
It is always important to know the pros, cons, quality and reliability of every new purchase that you do. The same is for coffee. But when it comes to decaf coffee, you have to be wary. Even though it’s not a new product in the market, it’s gaining popularity only recently. Even giant coffee companies don’t have much more variants when it comes to decaf coffee. There are several ways through which decaffeination is done. It’s good to have an idea about those processes and the quality of the outcome.
Solvent method: In this method, liquid solvents are used to remove caffeine from coffee beans. Solvents like ethyl acetate and methylene chloride are used in this process. Here ethyl acetate is a compound naturally found in fruits. But methylene chloride is toxic. There is a low probability that the chemical might remain in the beans after roasting. Roasting is the same for both decaffeinated and caffeinated beans.
Carbon Dioxide Method: In this method, carbon dioxide is added to water to dissolve caffeine molecules and remove them from the beans. It’s a recent method and it might replace other methods of the decaffeination process.
Swiss Water Process: In this method, no solvents are used. It’s a method developed by a company in Switzerland. In it, caffeine-free green coffee extract is used, in which green coffee beans are soaked. Swiss water process is one of the best methods of decaffeination resulting in coffee that’s 99.9% free from caffeine.
Mountain Water Process: This process is also chemical-free. This process uses pure and clear water for decaffeination. The Mountain water process is also one of the best methods of decaffeination.
We can bring it to a conclusion that it’ll be better if you choose Swiss water processed or Mountain water processed decaf coffee. These methods result in the best tasted decaffeinated coffee. It’s still obvious that none of these processes affects the taste of coffee in a significant manner. So you can confidently go with your usual preference like a medium roast, dark roast, fine grind or whatever.
Remember to follow the common rule, don’t buy cheaper products even if they offer you a larger quantity. It’s coffee! No need to feel guilty about spending a little more on your favourite beverage. Also, remember not to buy “instant coffee” labelled packs.
Another thing to take into consideration is the Fair Trade certificate. While shopping for American brands of decaf, you can check whether the product has USDA Organic and Fair Trade Certificate.
Several studies show that caffeine wasn’t the contributing factor in coffee, which reduced health risks. One research proved this fact showing that people drinking coffee seem to have a significant lowering risk of type 2 diabetes. Decaf coffee is also proven to improve insulin sensitivity in men and prevent obesity (HFD-induced far accumulation)
Decaf coffee is that light beverage that you can choose when you don’t need a full dose of caffeine. Another best part is that you can still enjoy the heavenly taste of coffee, without worrying about ‘caffeine addiction’. We can tell you, decaf’s worth it.
