Have you ever wondered how the Swiss Water Process – popular in the U.S. and parts of Europe – removes caffeine from coffee? It’s a decaffeination process that uses water to draw out the caffeine in coffee beans, without exposing them to harsh solvents or excessive heat. We all know that caffeine is a stimulant with various effects on our body and mind, so it’s no wonder why some consumers prefer a decaf version of their favorite drink, no matter which one it is.
The Swiss Water Process uses water to extract the caffeine from the beans, which ensures no harsh solvents touch the beans (like synthetic chemicals like dichloromethane). It starts by soaking the green coffee beans in hot water for several hours. This releases the caffeine from the beans, and the naturally occurring water-soluble compounds are then filtered out. What’s left is a coffee without flavor, sweetness, or caffeine.
The next step is where the fun starts – the coffee goes through an activated charcoal filter designed to just trap caffeine (which it does very well, we might add). This allows only the flavorful, caffeinated free-water to pass through – an invaluable part of the process. After this, the flavoring compounds that were previously removed from the beans is blended back in, allowing it to maintain all of its flavor and complexity, but without the caffeine.
The entire process typically takes about 10 hours, so you know the final product is worth the wait (not to mention the results are impressive!). On top of that, the Swiss Water Process has been certified organic, and the water used in the process is reused by the end of the process, so it is eco-friendly.
At the end of the day, thanks to all the hard work and careful attention to detail, the result is a cup of high-quality decaf coffee that tastes just like regular coffee. So even if you’re not a fan of the flavor, you can still get your daily caffeine dose with something a bit milder and less intense. Who knows, maybe you’ll be surprised by the flavor! Enjoy a great cup of coffee, Swiss Water Process style!
More info and products:
- None Found