It’s 3 p.m., and you’re sitting there, daydreaming about your morning coffee, replaying the glory in your head. You’ve got a serious hankering for another one, but you’re not sure if you want to sacrifice your sleep. And decaf just isn’t your thing. But what if we told you that our sugarcane decaf coffee was just as flavourful as your regular cup of coffee?
Our sugarcane decaf is a delicious flavour experience, if we may say so ourselves. The sugarcane imparts a mildly sweet profile and complex flavours that you won’t necessarily get from Swiss Water decaf. This is the decaf coffee that even hardcore coffee lovers will enjoy!
Decaf coffee is a great thing to have on hand when you want that coffee flavour, but it’s too late in the day to drink a coffee. With the rise of superfood lattes and non-caffeinated drinks coffee-mimicking latte powders, not everyone wants caffeine all the time. In fact, more and more millennials are opting for decaf.
The best part about the sugarcane decaf process is that it’s all natural! In this article, we’re going to explore the sugarcane decaf process and compare it to other decaf processes. First, let’s look at the history of decaf.
When was decaf invented?
The invention of decaf was a happy accident. The first person to attempt decaffeinating coffee was Ludwig Roselius, a German merchant, in the early 1900s. He discovered that the shipment of coffee he received was soaked in briny sea water. He decided to give it a try, anyways. The coffee was flavorless (not to mention salty), and most of its caffeine content was gone. Roselius had a light bulb that day, realizing that he could deliberately extract caffeine from coffee.
Roselius’ innovation has led to widespread commercialization of decaf coffee, and today, there are multiple methods.
Decaf methods
There are 3 main decaf methods: chemical decaffeination, Swiss Water process, and the sugarcane decaf process. Let’s break them all down.
Chemical
Chemical decaffeination is the original method of decaffeinating coffee beans. This original method involved steaming green beans in a salty brine, and dissolving the caffeine with benzene. It was later discovered that benzene is carcinogenic, creating a market for natural decaf processes.
Other chemicals like methyl chloride can be used to dissolve caffeine in coffee beans.
Swiss Water Process
The Swiss Water process is one of the most common natural decaf processes that exists. It doesn’t use any chemicals, making it a popular decaf coffee option.
It was first developed in Switzerland in 1933, but wasn’t commercialized until the 1980s.
The Swiss Water process uses water to extract the caffeine, and no chemicals. The result is 99.99% decaf coffee beans.
It’s made by soaking green beans in water containing green coffee extract (GCE). The caffeine from the beans transfers into the GCE, leaving behind a 0.01% caffeine content. Then, more GCE is added back to the decaffeinated beans to give it back its coffee flavour.
Sugarcane Decaf
The sugarcane decaf method is a less common, all-natural decaf method. It uses a sugar alcohol to remove caffeine from coffee, called ethyl acetate, or “E.A.” While E.A. might sound scary and chemical-y, it’s simply an alcohol of fermented sugar and fruit.
First, the beans are steamed so that they get puffy and swollen, which aids caffeine extraction. Then, the coffee is soaked in E.A. The beans are washed and steamed again. Finally, the beans are dried to a low moisture content, similar to the original moisture content.
Sugarcane Decaf vs Swiss Water: which is better?
Sugarcane decaf and Swiss Water decaf are two great natural decaf processes, but they each have their pros and cons.
Sugarcane decaf is delicious and sweet, thanks to the E.A. wash, but it’s not as decaffeinated as Swiss Water decaf. Sugarcane decaf is about 96-97% decaf. For people with extreme sensitivities to caffeine, you might want to avoid sugarcane decaf.
Swiss Water decaf, on the other hand, is 99.9% decaf. The caffeine content is so minimal that it’s not likely to bother someone with an extreme sensitivity. However, the flavour isn’t as complex as sugarcane decaf coffee. Some coffee drinkers complain that Swiss Water decaf can taste a little flat.
What we do differently with our decaf
At Firebat coffee, our sugarcane decaf challenges the idea that decaf coffee can’t be flavourful and delicious. Because guess what? It CAN be delicious! Let’s break down what makes it so flavourful.
- Pleasant sweetness
The sugarcane decaf process lends a mildly sweet flavour that’s mellow and pleasant. While the sugar alcohol gets washed off, small amounts remain in the coffee for a unique flavour profile.
- Medium roast
Our sugarcane decaf is roasted medium to maintain brightness and sweetness. We take care to preserve flavour in our decaf beans by roasting in small batches.
- Single origin
Our single origin decaf comes from producer Gilberto Rojas’ farm in Huila, Colombia. It comes with exciting flavour notes, like sugarcane, black tea, and roasted nuts with a juicy acidity. For the most part, single origin coffees are easier to trace than blends.
Why do people drink decaf coffee?
Apart from personal preference, there are 3 main reasons coffee lovers turn to decaf: heartburn, pregnancy, and jitters.
Heartburn
Decaf can be a great alternative to coffee for a lot of reasons. If you have heartburn but love coffee, drinking decaf can satisfy your coffee craving without the reflux. Caffeine is one of the main heartburn triggers, so reducing your intake can reduce your symptoms. If you simply want less caffeine in your morning cup, you can even mix your regular caffeinated beans with decaf for a “half-caf” brew.
Pregnancy
Pregnant women are advised to reduce their consumption of caffeinated beverages, and limit their consumption to one cup a day. If you love the taste of coffee, decaf can be a godsend.
Jitters
If coffee gives you jitters, sugarcane decaf might be for you. You’ll get more flavour complexity from sugarcane decaf than from Swiss Water decaf coffee.
Have your coffee, and drink it, too
Whether you’re trying to get better sleep, alleviate your reflux issues, or simply want to try something new, sugarcane decaf could be for you. Though not demonstrably unhealthy, caffeine can be hard on the system, depending on how you use it. Even hardcore coffee lovers need to take a break from caffeine from time-to-time.
You don’t have to sacrifice flavour when you drink our sugarcane decaf–you can have your coffee and drink it, too!
Try our delicious Sugarcane Decaf Colombia with no acidity and notes of sugarcane, black tea, roasted nuts, and fruit.