This drink is very healthy without caffeine

Custom manufacturing

Decaffeinated coffee: beneficial or unhealthy?

Not everyone can tolerate caffeine. Decaf coffee seems to be a good alternative. But is decaffeinated coffee really that harmless or even unhealthy?

Decaf coffee is a good alternative for people who don’t want to live without the taste and aroma of coffee, but cannot tolerate the caffeine it contains. How healthy a hot drink is ultimately depends on the process used to prepare the coffee.

To be considered decaf in the EU, it must contain a maximum of 0.1 percent caffeine. For example, pregnant women should not go without the popular hot drink.

Coffee without an awakening effect may contain unhealthy ingredients. In most cases, decaf coffee from supermarkets is treated with benzene or dichloromethane solvents – and these are at least suspected of being carcinogenic.

The packaging rarely mentions how the caffeine is removed from the beans. There are various more or less healthy options:

In the general process, coffee beans are first steamed and then soaked in dichloromethane or ethyl acetate solvent. The caffeine is rinsed off and the beans are then dried and roasted like regular coffee beans. However, the dichloromethane method is not without danger. This substance is suspected to be carcinogenic. The version with ethyl acetate is better. This substance is natural and is also found in fruits and vegetables.

A better, solvent-free way to remove caffeine from coffee beans is the carbon dioxide process. In this method, the coffee beans are subjected to high pressure and are rinsed with carbon dioxide liquid. In this way, caffeine can be bound in carbon dioxide and removed from the coffee beans.

However, the health risks are still theoretical. Strict limit values ​​must be adhered to during the decaffeination process. One kilo of coffee can contain a maximum of two milligrams of the controversial dichloromethane. The limit according to experts is usually far below. However, certain health risks cannot be completely ruled out.

While it is not yet clear whether dichloromethane solvent is truly unhealthy or even carcinogenic, there are also decaffeination processes that are guaranteed to be harmless – and are therefore mainly used for organic coffee. Here, the coffee beans are not rinsed with a solvent, but with what is called supercritical CO2, which has both gas and liquid properties. However, the process is more complicated, which is reflected in the price. But it also contains more flavorings – great for the taste. Caffeine is sometimes removed from coffee beans using the natural solvent ethyl acetate.

This “healthier” coffee without caffeine is also available in capsule or pad form. However, not all manufacturers.