The majority of coffee drinkers who want to cut down on caffeine think, “I’ll just drink some decaf instead”. They may have some qualms about the decaffeination process so they buy the healthier type of decaffeinated coffee made from water processed or CO2 extracted coffee beans. But let’s stop to think for a moment. Processed? Extracted? What does that do to the beneficial phytochemicals in coffee like antioxidants? What does it do to the flavor? Is decaffeinated coffee healthy to drink?
Decaffeinated Coffee Still Has Caffeine
Decaffeinated coffee by law has to have 97% of its caffeine removed. No decaffeination method is able to remove 100% of the caffeine.
A 12 oz cup of decaf contains anywhere from 10-17 milligrams of caffeine. A 16 oz Starbucks® Grande contains 12-23 milligrams and a 20 oz Venti contains upwards of 28 milligrams! If you order a cup of decaf coffee at a coffee bar or restaurant, independent studies have shown a great variance in the amount of caffeine in the cup even on the same day from the very same place. So there is no safety in knowing how much caffeine you may get from a cup of decaf coffee.
"The important point is that decaffeinated is not the same as caffeine-free," says Roland Griffiths, PhD, a professor of behavioral biology and neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, in a news release for a study conducted by the University of Florida on caffeine content in decaf coffee. "People who are trying to eliminate caffeine from their diet should be aware that popular decaffeinated espresso drinks such as lattes (which contain two shots of espresso) can deliver as much caffeine as a can of Coca-Cola -- about 31 milligrams."
Decaffeinated Coffee Loses Antioxidants During Extraction
All decaffeinated extraction methods either soak or steam the coffee beans with water in order to extract the caffeine. Soaking the beans is like brewing a very strong, concentrated cup of coffee. Steaming opens up the pores of the beans so whatever solvent is used can enter the beans and remove the caffeine.
Boiling or steaming water changes the coffee bean’s phytochemical structure during decaffeination. This is due to the exposure to extreme heat and the resulting hydrolysis of coffee’s chlorogenic acids that are water soluble antioxidants. Decaf coffee becomes chemically-altered and degraded compared to natural, non-decaffeinated coffee beans. Although both decaf and regular coffee lose antioxidant compounds during the roasting process, decaf coffee has a higher loss of chlorogenic acids after roasting that may be due to the chemical changes the coffee beans underwent during decaffeination.
Chemical Solvents Used In Decaffeinated Coffee May Be Harmful To Your Health
The most common method of decaffeinating coffee uses chemical solvents, which may leave residues on the beans. Some coffee brands claim to use a “100% natural water process”. In fact, this coffee may have been soaked in several chemical solvents such as methylene chloride, a base for paint strippers, and ethyl acetate, also known as dry cleaning fluid. First the beans are steamed for 30 minutes and then they are soaked for 10 hours in chemical solvents. Then, the beans are steamed again to remove most of the solvents and now these beans can be called “100% natural water process” decaffeinated coffee. The FDA permits residues of these solvents to remain on the decaf coffee beans after roasting.
Although it is claimed that only trace amounts of solvents remain in decaf coffee beans, studies show that decaf coffee drinkers have a higher incidence of rheumatoid arthritis. It is theorized that this could be due to residues of the chemicals used in decaffeination.
Decaffeinated Coffee Is Highly Acidic
People typically complain that decaffeinated coffee doesn’t taste anywhere near as good as regular coffee. Highly acidic coffee beans are used to make decaf in order to have some flavor remaining after the beans have been soaked, steamed, and exposed to solvents. Coffee has an acid flavor profile, and thus, decaf coffee needs to have some acid left after the decaffeination process. The type of coffee that has the highest acidity is robusta coffee beans. Robusta coffee is considered to be inferior in flavor characteristics to the higher valued Arabica beans, but its high acidity makes it better for decaffeinated coffee.
The acidity in decaf coffee is often a problem for coffee drinkers. Coffee drinkers may find that they can drink regular coffee but not decaf because of the higher acidity in decaf coffee. Too much acidity causes health problems that include heartburn, ulcers, inflammatory bowel conditions, osteoporosis, and urinary tract inflammations.
Negative Health Effects of Decaf Coffee
Scientific studies show that decaf coffee can have the following effects on your health:
Making Your Own Low Acid “Decaf” Coffee
If you want to drink coffee with lower amounts of both caffeine and acidity, you can make your own “decaf” by combining regular coffee with naturally caffeine-free herbal coffee. The herbs, grains, fruits and nuts used to make herbal coffee are completely caffeine free. They contain water-soluble antioxidants and phytonutrients that are natural and unadulterated because they haven't had to undergo processing like decaf coffee beans.
Teeccino Herbal Coffee, the #1 Coffee Alternative in the America, is both naturally caffeine-free and non-acidic. Teeccino has an alkalizing effect because it contains bioavailable potassium, the electrolyte mineral that the body uses to correct metabolic acidity. When Teeccino is combined with regular coffee, it reduces the amount of caffeine in a cup and also reduces the acidity.
Bu using a combination of Teeccino with regular coffee, you can create a brew with the amount of caffeine you want. Since Teeccino brews just like coffee, you can blend Teeccino's all-purpose filter grind with your favorite brand of coffee in your coffee maker or French press.
Here is the approximate amount of caffeine in combinations of coffee and Teeccino:
|Percentage of Teeccino||Percentage of Coffee||mg of Caffeine per 12 oz cup|
When brewing Teeccino in a coffee maker, you only need 1 rounded tablespoon of Teeccino for every 2 cups (10 fluid oz) of water. Coffee, however, is typically brewed with 1 tablespoon for each cup (5 fluid oz) of water. People who like lighter coffee will use less coffee. Use the following quantities to guide you in making your own decaf coffee:
In a 12-cup pot of coffee:
|Desired Caffeine Strength||Amount of Regular Coffee||Amount of Teeccino|
|50%||4-6 Tbsp||3 Tbsp|
|25%||3-4 Tbsp||4 Tbsp|
|12%||1-2 Tbsp||5 Tbsp|