How is decaffeinated coffee made? (And why ours doesn't taste like chemicals)

"Death before decaf." Or: "Decaf coffee is like non-alcoholic beer – it makes no sense."

We've been hearing these sentences in the coffee world for years. And honestly? For a long time, we understood them. Decaf coffee had for decades the reputation of a drink you only drink out of necessity. It tasted flat, papery, sometimes even chemical, and it had nothing in common with the joy of drinking specialty coffee.

But the world of specialty coffee has moved forward, and technology with it. Today, I dare say that if we gave you a blind test, you probably wouldn't even realize you're drinking decaf coffee.

How is that possible? It all depends on how gently (or roughly) the caffeine is extracted from the bean.

Chemistry vs. Nature: Why decaf had a bad reputation

Most cheap commodity coffees get rid of caffeine in the cheapest way possible – using aggressive chemical solvents (for example, methylene chloride was often used).

The process is simple: the bean is soaked, the chemicals bind the caffeine, and then the bean is washed. The problem is that these solvents are aggressive. Along with the caffeine, they "eat away" the oils, sugars, and aromatic compounds from the bean that make up its character. The result is an empty bean, which is then roasted to a crisp just to have some kind of flavor.

For us at Goriffee, this was not the way. If we are going to sell decaf under our brand, it must first and foremost be great specialty coffee.

The power of sugarcane

The coffee you will find with us has gone through a process called Sugarcane process (or E.A. decaffeination). It is a method that uses what nature offers directly in the coffee's country of origin – in our case, often in Colombia.

Instead of synthetic chemistry, ethyl acetate is used. It sounds scary, but in reality, it is a natural substance created by the fermentation of sugarcane molasses. This process is brilliant because it is selective. Ethyl acetate has a natural property of binding to caffeine molecules, but it leaves the other important components of the bean almost untouched.

Simply put, the whole process looks like this:

1. Steaming: The green bean is gently steamed with water vapor to open its pores and increase its volume.
2. Bath: The bean is immersed in a solution of water and natural ethyl acetate from sugarcane.
3. Extraction: The solution flows through the beans and "extracts" the caffeine from them. This step is repeated until at least 97% of the caffeine is removed.
4. Cleaning: After the caffeine is removed, the beans are steamed again to remove any residues of ethyl acetate.
5. Drying: The coffee is dried to its original moisture level and a protective wax (such as beeswax or plant-based wax) is applied to keep it stable.

The result? A preserved flavor profile

Since we didn't "torture" the bean with aggressive chemicals and high temperatures, the essentials remained in it. The cellular structure of the bean is a bit more fragile (which is why decaf is roasted a little more sensitively), but the flavors are there.

When you taste our decaf, you won't taste paper. You will taste sweetness, gentle acidity, and a full body. Whether it's a note of milk chocolate, nuts, or dried fruit, the flavor profile it stays true to the region the coffee comes from.

Who is this coffee for?

It's not just coffee for pregnant women or people with high blood pressure. It is a coffee for anyone who loves the taste of specialty coffee but wants to get a good night's sleep.

It is an ideal choice if:

• You crave an espresso at six in the evening.
• You want to treat yourself to a third or fourth cup of the day, but you don't want to be jittery.
• You are trying to limit your caffeine intake, but you don't want to give up your ritual.

If you've turned your nose up at decaf until now, I challenge you – give it a chance. You might find that what you loved most about coffee wasn't the caffeine, but its taste.