Decaf Specialty Coffee

Most people on earth are aware of the magical beverage known as coffee. The question is, is it possible to enjoy a hot cup of java without the side effects of the caffeine buzz? Decaf specialty coffee claims to be able to deliver the elusive flavor of full-bodied, full-caffeine coffee without the caffeine. Could this be possible?

First of all, if you have ever enjoyed a cup of decaf coffee, you probably noticed it was lighter on the flavor than your typical cup of joe’. The problem isn’t the fault of the coffee bean, rather it is the fault of the process utilized to remove the caffeine from the coffee bean itself. Coffee beans have a naturally large amount of caffeine, and there are a number of different methods that have been developed over the years to remove the caffeine. The problem arises from the fact that any method used to extract the caffeine from the coffee bean will also inadvertently extract some of the flavor along with the caffeine.

Specialty decaf coffee claims to have a flavor closer to the full caffeine coffee than is usually present in most decaf coffee. There could be truth in their claim depending on what method of extraction they use. There are a number of different extraction methods which utilize different solvents and processes. One of the methods known as the Swiss Water Process which utilizes "flavor charged" water which is concentrated with coffee solids without caffeine. When flavor charged water is used to dissolve the caffeine in a batch of beans, it draws out only caffeine because it is already super concentrated with all the other solids present in the coffee. Since it only draws out caffeine, the decaf beans that result from the Swiss Method retain most, if not all of their flavor.

Most other methods of caffeine removal rely on the Swiss Principal but with different solvents. Some methods use potentially harmful solvents, but most specialty decaf coffee companies rely on natural non-toxic methods utilizing pure water or liquid CO2. In any case, the need for decaffeinating coffee may be coming to an end since the development of a coffee bean that naturally has no caffeine. Until then, you may still enjoy a cup of decaf coffee that originated from a naturally caffeine rich, decaffeinated bean that wasn’t engineered genetically in any way.

Whether or not decaf specialty coffee can deliver the full body and bold flavor of unadulterated coffee is still up for debate. One thing is for certain though, only you can decide whether or not the decaffeinating process lives up to the hype. So get out their and enjoy a cup of decaf specialty coffee today and tell us what you think.

And no matter what type of coffee you drink, only great coffee makers can brew a great cup of coffee. Visit our home page to learn about the great machines now available, and also find out where you can get the best decaf coffees currently available.