Specialty coffee is expensive and there is something that increases it even more: to remove caffeine

For many, drinking coffee is almost a daily ritual. There are those who take it for pleasure or by necessity, but there is also the case of Who wants all their benefitsexcept Caffeine. There are many ways to decaffeinate coffee, and not all are equally healthy. Among all methods, we know two that are employees for specialty coffee to remain specialty.

Now, they are tremendously technical and more expensive than the most general methods.

Market. The demand for decaffeinated coffee is experiencing sustained growth in recent years. In more commercial coffees Like capsules Or snapshots, we have decaffeinated varieties for a long time, but increasingly easy to find options among specialty coffees.

Depending on the indicator we take (total market or only grains), and depending on the analysis, it is esteem That the decaffeinated coffee bean market was $ 31,580 million in 2024, with a projection to 41,050 million dollars by 2032. Others analysis They estimate it at 6,740 million in 2023, with a growth up to 12,330 million by 2031. The way they are, in what they coincide is that it is a upward market.

Controversy without decaffeinar. Something that has also increased is awareness about what we eat. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle depends on a lot of factors, and that saying of “we are what we eat” points in an adequate direction. Why do I say this? Because there are several ways to eliminate coffee from coffee (although there is always a certain residual percentage), but not all are as natural as we would like.

The two most used methods are precisely the most controversial. One is the one who uses methylene chloride to dissolve caffeine. In the process, the solvent is eliminated by evaporation and grains, subsequently, it is washed and dry, passing controls so that the solvent residues are maintained below the legal limits.

The other uses ethyl acetate, which is a compound that is found naturally in some fruits and the process is the same as in methylene chloride. Although it is considered more natural, it is still a chemical solvent that can also leave an aroma impregnated in coffee.

More natural processes. These processes in which solvents are used have been at the point of view of organizations such as the United States Food and Medicines Administration, being the methylene chloride in the conversation. But there are other methods that are used to substantially reduce the coffee level of coffee.

One is the swiss water process. In it, the grains immerse themselves in hot water to dissolve caffeine. Then, the water goes through active carbon filters that retain only caffeine and this process is repeated until the grains contain a minimum percentage of caffeine.

Another is the one who uses Supercritical co₂. In it, the grains undergo high pressures and expose themselves to CO₂ in a supercritical state, acting as a selective solvent for caffeine.

Technology to coffee power. That they are more natural does not imply that there is no sophisticated technological network after the process. James Hoffman, one of the reference baristas for coffee world lovers, has visited facilities in which this decaffeination process is carried out through the Swiss Water technique and we can see that … it is a fairly boring environment:

There are simply drums, silos and warehouses in which that “soaking” of the grains, drying and storage is being carried out. But the key is in the control room. Hoffmann cannot show us the graphs that are used to control these processes, but comments that they have computers connected to probes that, in real time, send information of the caffeine present in the grains in several points of the process.

Thus, the technicians are adjusting the process until leaving the caffeine necessary to be considered decaffeinated without altering the properties of the grains themselves.

Specialty. These are two more natural methods because they do not use chemicals or solvents, and something for which they are appreciated is because they better retain both the aromas and the original aromas of the grains. And there is a segment that interests that this is: that of specialty coffee.

In the search for a coffee with a better flavor, but above all more sustainable for both farmers and the planet, the specialty coffee is earning a hole between palates both understood and profane. In regions such as Europe and North America, the global specialty coffee market is growing at a 10% annual rate.

Of $ specialty coffee. Now, decaffeinated specialty coffee is 1 + 1. The specialty coffee is expensive because there is a meticulous process behind. They are selected crops, the harvests are usually done by hand, they have strict control processes for washing and drying, implies fair trade, more sustainable practices and a lower volume. All that makes it a more expensive coffee both to produce and buy.

But, in addition, processes such as Swiss Water or the Supercritical Co₂, due to its complexity, the time that is required and, especially in the case of the supercritical co₂, due to the infrastructure to be mounted, make this type of coffee even more. They take away the caffeine, but add some cents to the price.

Tags. That is why the methods without solvents are more used in the decaffeination processes of instant coffee, capsule or the most common mixtures that we find in the bar and the supermarket, while the most natural and expensive methods are those associated with decaffeinated specialty coffee.

If you are a consumer worried about this, the way of knowing how your favorite coffee has been decaffiled is … Looking for information and look at the labels. When a coffee uses methods such as the supercritical CO2 or that of the Swiss Water Process, the easiest thing is that they indicate it somewhere in the wrapper or the label, also on the manufacturer or the toaster website. It is a way to justify the price and tell the consumer “h, you are drinking what has been spoiled even to remove caffeine.”

If there is no indication, it is most likely that the decaffeination method has been through solvents.

Images | James HoffmanSwiss water process, San Jorge, Adrián Cerón

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