Do you use solvents in the process of decaffeinating your coffee beans?Updated 3 months ago

Our coffee decaffeination and manufacturing process aims to maintain the smoothness and integrity of the coffee flavor while removing the caffeine. There are many ways that others decaffeinate their coffee, such as:

• Water Process - this method uses heated water to extract the caffeine and a carbon bed to remove caffeine A concentrated coffee slurry, called "Green Coffee Extract" is used to maintain as much flavor during the extraction process. It can vary widely from manufacturer to manufacturer based on the process. Some believe this process to change the character and flavor of the coffee.
• SCF Extraction - this method uses supercritical fluid (compressed carbon dioxide, CO2) to remove caffeine, but since the flavor taste is fairly similar to the Water Process and the process is quite expensive, it is not often used in coffee decaffeination.
• "Direct Method" - Also called dichloromethane (or MC) decaffeination, this process has been said to be used by many of the large brands. It is often said to result in very full-flavored decaf that in many cases is indistinguishable from regular coffee. However, there are health concerns regarding chlorinated solvents and even though there are strict regulatory guidelines and limits, even at trace levels many companies opt not to use this method.
• "Natural Process" - Also called the "Sugarcane Process" or ethyl acetate decaffeination, this process uses ethyl acetate, a naturally occurring ester, to remove caffeine. While this process is not a natural process, the method has been widely believed to retain and impart the most flavor while safely and effectively decaffeinating the coffee. This is the method we use to decaffeinated our beans.