CoffeeSwitch to Decaf Coffee!
Coffee is well known as a popular beverage that contains high level of caffeine and stimulants. Caffeine is the where the bitter taste of coffee comes from and it is also used as drugs in the medical field. There are people who are addicted to coffee and they consume more than 2 cups of coffee per day. The over dosage of caffeine might lead to insomnia, heart palpitations, caffeine intoxication and sleep disorders. That is why they came up with decaf coffee, or also known as decaffeinated coffee.
Decaf coffee is produced when more than 95% of the caffeine content is removed from the coffee beans. This alternative is made especially for those who cannot resist taking coffee.̉ Years ago, coffee is decaffeinated by steaming the coffee beans for 30 minutes and then followed by treating them with methylene chloride solvents to leach out caffeine. The beans are washed repeatedly with methylene chloride and steamed for another 10 hours to remove the residue of chemicals. But due to the fear of chemical residues in the coffee beans, people started to oppose usage of the processing method. The chemicals used to flush out caffeine might cause cancer and risk consumeṛ€™s health.
A safer way of decaffeinating the coffee beans is by using the Swiss Water process. Unroasted beans are soaked in hot water to get rid of the caffeine. The beans will be drained after releasing caffeine into the hot water. Throughout this repeated process, coffee beans are soaked and filtered until they are 99.9% caffeine free. Next, the beans are dried and roasted, but they lack in flavor and aroma.
After decaffeinating, the coffee produced is devoid of the original taste and it is said to be less fragrant compared to normal coffee. It is the caffeine that gives coffee its unique taste and by decaffeinating the beans, decaf coffee naturally loses the penetrating original flavor. It is hard to switch from coffee to decaf coffee at once as it tastes milder. The alternative is to switch slowly by using 1:1 ratio for decaffeinated coffee and original coffee, then the ratio is slowly increased to replace original coffee.
There are a lot of benefits from drinking coffee at a moderate amount of 1 to 2 cups per day. Antioxidants in coffee help prevent aging and it is also present in decaf coffee. So why not enjoy a milder version of coffee with the natural benefits without having the need of experiencing the stimulation of caffeine? ̉