It’s a ritual that almost 8 out of 10 French people don’t get distracted by coffee. According to a recent Ifop study for Cafelista, we consume more than 5.4 kg per person. Addicted to their espresso (or espresso if we say it in French) with creamy crema (a phrase to give the impression that we know everything about coffee). Purists who swear by ristretto, this strong coffee you can drink in one sip. Practical, sleeping fans that let them rise in the morning. And the decaf team, which takes some interest at the end of the day.
Decaf, for decaf, promises taste without the fear of caffeine-induced insomnia. But how do you get decaffeinated coffee? How to make it lose its caffeine, but not its taste? Is it really good for your health? And how can you ensure the lowest amount of caffeine in your cup? 20 minutes Study the question.
Chemical decaffeination methods
When you want, or need to reduce your caffeine intake, decaf is popular. But since there are no naturally decaffeinated varieties of coffee, the beans first go through a decaffeination stage. “There are mainly several methods of decaffeination, which use chemical solvents, ethyl acetate or methylene chloride (or dichloromethane), which are not in our favor”, explains Thomas Duchossoy, roaster at House Verlet, the Parisian roastery that roasts its beans. site
With these processes, coffee beans, previously steamed. Water-saturated, the grains are immersed in a mixture of water and ethyl acetate or methylene chloride. The solvent binds to the caffeine, thus being extracted from the beans. These processed grains are then steamed, with the distillation solvent removing the residue. But is this solvent really safe for health? According to the National Institute for Research and Safety (INRS), dichloromethane is a substance that “may cause cancer”. But the European regulations in force are cautious, the maximum authorized residual quantities are small, so as not to pose any threat to human health. Thus, a 2009 European directive sets a maximum limit of 2 parts per million or PPM (mg/kg) in decaffeinated roast coffee.
Taste-wise, however, is another story. “These caffeine extraction methods give the coffee a burnt rubber taste, which is really not good,” stresses Thomas Duchosoy. However, many decaffeinated grinds sold commercially come from decaffeination processes, as this is the cheapest method of extraction.
Decaffeination with water, the more virtuous
Fortunately, there are more virtuous decaffeination techniques. Another possible method, “decaffeination with supercritical CO2, that is to say in a state between the gas and liquid phases,” explains Thomas Duchosoy. The beans are first steamed and then exposed to supercritical CO2 at high pressure, which will then dissolve the caffeine. This method is risk-free, but its disadvantage is that the aromatic loss is very significant.
So, at Verlet, “we chose to offer decaffeinated coffee with water,” the roaster continues. This is the most natural process: we soak the green coffee beans in water for a very long time, and the activated carbon placed in this bath will absorb the caffeine. This method, while healthy, will best preserve the aroma of the coffee. That is why it is our choice.” After decaffeination, the beans are dried and roasted.
So you can be a very good coffee lover and enjoy a cup of decaf full of aroma. For this, “the origin and quality of the coffee will obviously be important: if you decaffeinate a bad coffee, you will have a bad decaffeinated! But if we take a good vintage, for example a good Colombian coffee that gives a very good decaffeinated, our Has a nice aromatic strength,” assures the roaster.
Ristrato like Papa
Regardless of the decaffeination method chosen, “the process can be repeated several times to extract as much caffeine as possible, and thus fall below the threshold of 0.1% caffeine, according to French law” on decaffeinated, explains Thomas Duchosoy. This means that zero-caffeine coffee does not exist: even decaffeinated coffee will contain caffeine residues. But to drink good coffee with as little caffeine as possible, you don’t have to go the decaf route. “Caffeine content depends on the variety of coffee plant,” the roaster continues. The lowest caffeinated variety is “Bourbon Pointe”, grown mainly in Reunion and New Caledonia, with which we reach a caffeine level of 0.5%, where Arabica sees its caffeine content oscillate between 1 and 1.5%. Robusta coffee has a caffeine level of 2 to 3% in its beans.
The caffeine content of a cup also depends on how it’s prepared, and my dad wouldn’t say otherwise. Papa Boumedienne is not a fan of decaf. He is also not a fan of insomnia. So, always, when he orders his coffee at the counter, his request is always the same: “A very tight Italian!” ”, or ristretto. for what “Because it’s richer in flavor, and because the coffee only brews for a few seconds, it’s not full of caffeine,” he replies.
Really? “Absolutely,” confirmed Thomas, the roster. The more water the coffee is in contact with, the more caffeine it will absorb. And obviously, the less it will interact with the water, the less caffeine there will be in the cup. In taste, the coffee will be stronger because it will be more concentrated, with a more syrupy texture, especially with a ristretto, but also an espresso. Thus, the caffeine level will be much lower compared to long coffee or filter coffee which has been brewed for a long time and which we will drink in large quantities. So you can treat yourself to Ristrato in the afternoon and sleep easily in the evening.
