Decaf coffee has plenty of positive attributes, a few of which are due to its lower levels of caffeine: Whether gulping down caffeine-infused fire or a mellower brew, coffee may help prevent cancer and even type 2 diabetes.īut that’s not all. And though decaf can have slightly lower amounts of those antioxidants, decaffeinated coffee isn’t devoid of the benefits. Whether decaf or regular, coffee is high in antioxidants. No matter your preference, since labels aren’t required to disclose the method used, it’s hard to say what you’re getting - unless you opt for organic, which is solvent-free. Though the latter methods may sound preferable, the amount of chemicals remaining at the end of the first decaffeination method is minimal and has been deemed safe by the FDA. The third process also keeps things chemical-free by using liquid carbon dioxide to dissolve the caffeine.Another method, called the Swiss Water Process, uses a charcoal filter to remove the caffeine from the water, making it 100-percent chemical-free.The final step is the same, which is evaporating the water so the flavor remains in the beans. Methylene chloride, which is used in paint removers (yikes), or ethyl acetate, which is used in glue and nail polish removers (double yikes), are used to remove the caffeine from the water by either adding them to the mix of coffee and water (the “direct” process) or by removing the water from the beans and then adding them to the water mixture (the “indirect” process). First up is the one with those pesky chemicals.Then, it can follow three primary methods. The decaffeination process starts with unroasted beans (fun fact: the beans are green pre-roasting), which are initially soaked in water to dissolve the caffeine. The less good news: Chemicals aren’t fully out of the picture. The good news is: Decaffeinating coffee beans has gotten a lot safer and is no longer carcinogenic (bye, benzene). Shortly after, the merchant who happened upon the mishap recreated these magic beans using a chemical solvent called benzene, an ingredient that is a major component of gasoline and also found in volcanoes. It’s believed that decaf coffee was discovered in the 1900s when a shipment of coffee beans was soaked in seawater during transit, which naturally extracted some of the caffeine. What we do know is that the decaffeination process typically removes around 97 percent of the caffeine and that, on average, decaf coffee has 3 milligrams of caffeine per cup compared to the 85 milligrams in a regular cup of coffee - which is a considerable amount if you’re sensitive to caffeine. Not to mention, the quality of the bean and processing methods can affect caffeine levels, which is why one brand of coffee may leave you feeling even-keeled while another sends you soaring through the roof.
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