How Is Decaf Coffee Made?

How is decaf coffee made? The short answer is that green coffee beans are decaffeinated before they are roasted. The caffeine is removed through a controlled process, after which the beans are dried and roasted like other specialty coffees. The method matters, but so do the quality of the green coffee, the roast and the way you brew it at home.

How is decaffeinated coffee made?

Decaffeination starts with green coffee, not roasted beans. That is important because the bean is still able to absorb water and interact with the substances used in the process. Once the caffeine has been removed, the beans are dried again and prepared for roasting.

Decaf is therefore not a different type of coffee plant. It starts as coffee with caffeine, but the caffeine is reduced before roasting. The final cup still depends on origin, variety, processing, roast development and extraction.

Swiss Water Decaf: water, extract and carbon filters

The Swiss Water Process uses water, temperature and time. First, a green coffee extract is created by soaking green coffee in warm water. The water draws caffeine and other soluble coffee compounds from the beans. The extract is then passed through carbon filters designed to retain the caffeine.

The resulting Green Coffee Extract contains many coffee compounds but has had caffeine removed. A new batch of green coffee beans is then placed in this extract. Because the extract already contains many of the coffee compounds, the process is designed to draw out caffeine while keeping as much of the coffee’s character as possible. The extract is filtered and circulated again. This cycle continues until the desired level of decaffeination is reached.

Swiss Water is not a flavour guarantee by itself. The green coffee still has to be good, and the roaster still has to develop it carefully. When those parts are right, a Swiss Water decaf can be sweet, balanced and full rather than flat.

Read more about how Swiss Water Decaf works.

Sugar Cane Decaf: ethyl acetate from sugarcane

Sugar Cane Decaf uses ethyl acetate, commonly called EA. In the Sugar Cane process, the ethyl acetate is associated with sugarcane and is used to help remove caffeine from green coffee beans. The name does not mean that sugar is added to the finished coffee or that the coffee tastes like sugarcane.

The beans are first steamed so their pores open. They are then repeatedly treated with water and ethyl acetate. The EA binds with caffeine and helps draw it out of the bean. The beans are steamed and dried again before they are packed and roasted. Our Colombia Sugarcane Decaf is a good example of how a carefully processed decaf can still deliver chocolate, caramel and sweet fruit in the cup.

Natural does not mean that no substances are involved. Sugar Cane Decaf is a controlled decaffeination process using ethyl acetate. Read the detailed explanation in What Is Sugar Cane Decaf?.

What determines the flavour of decaf?

The method is only one part of the result. The quality and origin of the green coffee come first. A coffee with good sweetness, structure and clarity has more to offer after decaffeination than a low-quality coffee selected only because it is cheap.

Roasting matters just as much. Decaf beans can respond differently in the roaster, so the profile should be developed for the specific coffee rather than copied from a caffeinated roast. The aim is a coffee that extracts with sweetness and body, whether you use espresso, a bean-to-cup machine or a filter brewer.

At home, grind the beans immediately before brewing and adjust the recipe if the cup tastes thin or bitter. Espresso usually needs a finer grind than filter coffee. Freshness, water quality, dose and brew time all influence what you taste.

Which decaf method should you choose?

If you want to understand the difference before buying, start with the method and then look at the actual coffee. Compare Swiss Water and Sugar Cane Decaf, read about decaf methods compared and use the product’s flavour profile to choose.

There is no reason to treat decaf as a second-choice coffee. A well-selected, freshly roasted decaf can be a serious coffee for espresso, cappuccino and filter brewing. The best choice is the coffee whose method, flavour profile and brewing style fit your routine.

Explore the Guatemala Swiss Water Decaf if you want to taste a freshly roasted example of this water-based method.