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Chemical Decaffeination Processes

What chemicals do other decaffeination processes use?

The majority of decaf coffee, about 70%, is decaffeinated with a chemical decaffeination method using chemicals like methylene chloride or ethyl acetate.

How do the chemical decaffeination processes work?

  1. Beans are soaked in a caffeine absorbing solvent.
  2. The solvent, now containing the caffeine, is separated from the beans.
  3. The caffeine is removed from the solvent.
  4. Steps 1-3 are repeated until sufficient caffeine is removed from the beans.

How are chemicals used in these processes?

There are two types of chemical caffeine removal processes:  direct and indirect.

Direct process:   The chemicals are used in steps 1 and 2 as the caffeine absorbing solvent.  

Indirect process:   The chemicals are used in step 3 to remove the caffeine from the solvent (a liquid composed primarily of water).

 
The terms “water process”, “natural process”, and “European process” are sometimes used to describe decaffeination processes.  In fact, all three terms often refer to decaffeination processes that use chemicals.