What Is Water Processed Decaf Coffee?

For many of our coffees we use a decaffeination method, called “Water Processed”. What does it mean and why do we feel it produces a better-tasting cup of joe!

While there are many ways to part a bean from its caffeine, water-processed decaffeination is the only one that can manage this trick without the use of solvents traditionally used in decaffeinated coffees.

Water processing results in a cup 99% free of caffeine which is a bit better than the traditional alternatives (by a percent or two) and usually tastes way better too! It can also be certified organic.

So, how does it work and why does it taste better?

First, the how part. Some of the coffee is steamed to remove all soluble parts of the bean. During this steaming, the great-tasting parts are removed too, along with the caffeine part. This solution is then passed through a filter which leaves us with a coffee flavor concentrated, but a caffeine-free solution. The beans from this step are then discarded. During the next step is when the beans that will actually be roasted are decaffeinated. This coffee is placed in the concentrated coffee solution (from the first step), and under highly controlled conditions of flow, temperature, pressure, and vacuum, the caffeine is removed while leaving the wonderful and flavorful parts intact, inside the bean.

Why does it taste better? Well first off, the beans that are destined to be roasted have not been subjected to the destructive process of steaming to remove the caffeine. That’s a big part of it. Also, the fact that some of the coffee will be discarded makes the water process a more expensive choice. Due to these costs, not any coffee bean will do! Generally, it would not be cost-effective to subject a cheap, low-grade coffee to the water process. The saying “garbage in, garbage” out applies here too. Therefore, only the higher quality best tasting green coffees are used in the water process. When we begin with a great coffee, we end up with a great decaffeinated coffee.

When searching for your next decaffeinated coffee for your customers, our coffee team suggested you try Organic Honduras. Read more about Organic Honduras coffee and the cause behind it by clicking here.