Coffee College

Coffee College
By: Michael Layne, PhD, ThD

Friday, January 1, 2010

The Decaffeination process

Coffee College.

Our decaffeination process:
Decaffeination is done with green unroasted coffee beans. The most commonly used methods immerse the beans in warm to hot water wich raises their moisture content and causes the caffeine to bond with a solvent, after which the beans are rinsed and dried. To be considered decaf 97% of the caffeine has to be removed. Unfortunately both processes rob the coffee of some of its original flavors.

The two methods used for the decaffeination process are:
1. DIRECT METHYLENE CHLORIDE METHOD. In this direct method the beans are first steamed for 30 minutes and then repeatedly rinsed with Methylene Chloride for 10 hours. This solvent removes the caffeine. The beans are exposed to steam again for another 8-10 hours to allow any remaining solvent to evaporate.
2. 2. SWISS WATER PROCESS. This method is accepted as the most matural process. It is 100% chemical free. The only sovent in this process is a natural one—WATER. The solution runs through activated charcoal filters to remove the caffeine.

MDL Coffee & Tea Company offers the Swiss Water Processed decaf coffee whenever possible. It is slightly more expensive but we are sure you agree that it is well worth it.

Caffeine content. A 5 oz. cup of regular coffee equals 60-180 mg. of caffeine.
In a 5 oz cup of decaf coffee there is 2 to 5 mg of caffeine. In a 5 oz cup of tea there is 20-90 mg. of caffeine and in a 12 oz cola there is 38-46 mg of caffeine.

WELCOME

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Can you believe it? 2010 is here already!! We have started out the year with our new store in Greensburg, Indiana. We share the store with Love Your Heart Catering which offers a wonderful tasty menu of healthy foods available to eat in or take out.
Our goal here is to provide information about coffee, tea and cocoa. Explaining the difference in coffee beans and why specialty coffee is different from consumer brand coffee.
We will be exploring the wonderful world of Coffee, Tea and Cocoa on this blog site. We hope you will enjoy and participate in our blogs as we will discover how coffee is grown, harvested, roasted and made available to the consumer.

At The Coffee Stall "We know beans about coffee." Feel free to ask questions and we will gladly answer them. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit our on-line store at www.thecoffeestall.com
When in the area of Greensburg, Indiana be sure to stop by 211 N. Broadway Street for the best cup of coffee in town and you can even take some home with you to brew up later.