Swiss Water Decaf Coffee: What It Is & Why It’s Important

People often ask what is Swiss Water Decaf Coffee and why is it important? As you probably know, caffeine is a natural substance found in all coffee beans. To remove the caffeine, the coffee beans need to go through a decaffeination process. There are two primary ways for removing caffeine from the beans. The most common method utilizes chemical solvents to flush away the caffeine. The alternative method is the patented Swiss Water Process. The Swiss Water Process not only ensures a safe, chemical free product, but it preserves the inherent characteristics of the coffee.

What is the Swiss Water Process?

The Swiss Water Process uses water as the solvent to gently remove the caffeine from the beans. They use water, temperature, and time to remove the caffeine instead of any dangerous chemicals that can hurt both you and the environment. The process starts when the beans are still green and unroasted. Small batches are soaked in Swiss Water’s proprietary Green Coffee Extract (GCE) which consists of high-quality green coffee beans and pure clean water. The green coffee is soaked at a consistent temperature for approximately 10 hours. During that process, the caffeine particles will migrate from the coffee beans into the liquid GCE while leaving all of the coffee’s natural flavor characteristics intact. Once the GCE is saturated with caffeine, it flows throw carbon filters that trap only the caffeine, so the GCE be reused. The beans are tested throughout the process to check for levels of caffeine and to ensure they maintain their flavor. At the end of the process, each bean will be 99.9% caffeine free.

Benefits of Swiss Water Decaf Coffee

There are numerous benefits to drinking Swiss Water Decaf Coffee. The process is 100% chemical free, so you know you are getting a cup of coffee that will keep you healthy all through your life. Swiss Water Decaf Coffee will taste almost exactly like a rich cup of caffeinated coffee. Pre- and post-process comparisons are sampled for every batch that is decaffeinated to ensure great flavor and a high level of consistency between regular and decaf. With no chemicals used in the process, it is also great for the world’s ecosystem. At Coast Roast Coffee, all our decaf coffee beans are decaffeinated using the Swiss Water Process. This is true for both our full decaf coffee and those in our half-caf varieties. This ensures you get a flavorful and healthy cup of coffee every time.

How Does It Differ from Other Decaf Processes?

All other decaf coffee goes through a process that uses chemicals to remove the caffeine. After the coffee is picked, it is sprayed with chemical solvents. Both methylene chloride and ethyl acetate are the two most common solvents used. In addition to being used to decaffeinate coffee, methylene chloride is also used in paint removers and as an agent to create the color in Christmas lights. It is also commonly used in aerosol sprays. This is just another reason why we refuse to use chemicals and only use the Swiss Water Process.

History of Swiss Water Decaf Coffee

The process to create Swiss Water Decaf Coffee was first introduced in Switzerland in the 1930s. However, it was not until the 1980s when companies around the world started to use it for their commercial decaf coffee. The Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company developed the patented Swiss Water Process in 1988. This is the only method Coast Roast Coffee uses for all our organic decaf coffee beans.

Coast Roast’s Swiss Water Decaf Coffees

Organic Decaf: Our Swiss Water Decaf Coffee starts with fresh, organic coffee beans from Peru in South America. 100% of our beans then go through the Swiss Water Process to remove the caffeine. We then use a dark roast to create a full flavor coffee with low acidity. It’s the perfect option for those needing to cut caffeine out of their diet or those that want a great cup of coffee without caffeine in the afternoon or evenings.

Organic Decaf Mexico: Our Swiss Water Decaf Mexico utilizes fresh greens from the famous Chiapas region of Mexico. We roast our Decaf Mexico to a medium-light level to highlight the natural flavors of this delicious coffee. A low acid, smooth bodied cup, mildly nutty, providing hints of sweet floral, cocoa and walnut with a clean finish. One can easily enjoy this cup of coffee any time of day.

Half-Caf Single Origin: Our Half-Caf is another top seller. It starts with half of our Peruvian Swiss Water Decaf Beans. The other half is made from the same Peruvian beans that are fully caffeinated. It’s dark roasted for a rich full flavor with low acidity.

Half-Caf Blend: Our Half-Caf blend mixes both our Peruvian Swiss Water Decaf beans with some of our other medium roast beans from places such as Guatemala and Sumatra. It’s another great option for those looking for a kick, but with less caffeine than some of our other coffees.

Half-Caf Mocha Java: Our Half-Caf Mocha Java combines our Peruvian Swiss Water Decaf beans with our incredibly popular fully caffeinated Mocha Java blend. The dark roasted decaf beans complement our medium roast Mocha Java blend for a great cup of coffee with only half the caffeine.

Check out our Decaf and Half-Caf offerings in the Coast Roast Store by clicking here.