Better Choices / Coffee Culture / Education |

5 Myths About Decaf: Busted

Do you live, breathe, and love great coffee—but don’t always want the effects of caffeine?

There's no need to give up the delicious coffee experience you crave when you choose the Swiss Water® Process for decaf. Our process takes out caffeine and only caffeine, leaving the unique terroir and qualities of the origin coffee intact—and without imparting any added "decaf" flavor. Whether you're a decaf drinker already, or haven’t given it a chance in awhile, there's always more to know about how your decaf is made. Empowered with this knowledge, you can make better choices and enjoy more coffee—including without caffeine—at any time of the day.

There are many common myths surrounding decaffeinated coffee which we're here to help debunk. Let’s take a look at the top 5 myths we have found:

Myth 1 - I don't have choices when it comes to decaf.

Actually, not all decaf is the same. There are several different processes used to remove caffeine. There also are vast differences in the quality and type of beans used, depending on where you buy your coffee, and which company was behind the caffeine removal process. It pays to do your homework, and to understand the differences, because these can have remarkable effects on the taste and quality of your coffee. If you start with a great coffee from a trusted roaster that uses a gentle, chemical-free decaffeination process like Swiss Water®, you'll be starting with the highest quality experience possible.

Myth 2 – Decaf has to contain harsh or harmful chemicals

False. The Swiss Water® Process is 100% chemical-solvent free. The only things we use to decaffeinate coffee are fresh water (from the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, Canada), coffee, time, and temperature. When you buy coffee, ask your barista or grocer whether their coffee is decaffeinated using the Swiss Water® Process.

Myth 3 – Decaf tastes funny.

A chemical-free process allows Swiss Water® Decaf to preserve coffee beans’ subtle and distinct origin and flavor characteristics, leaving you with great tasting coffee with no added aftertaste. Our roasters regularly slip a decaf version of their coffees onto their tasting tables—without people noticing!

Myth 4 – Coffee’s health benefits come from caffeine.

Most health benefits derived from coffee come from the antioxidant effect of the polyphenols contained within coffee, regardless of whether there is caffeine in it or not. In fact, some of the health benefits are even stronger when the caffeine has been removed.

Myth 5 – Even decaf contains a significant amount of caffeine.

While it's true that no decaffeination process can remove all caffeine from a coffee bean, coffee decaffeinated with the Swiss Water® Process leaves our facility 99.9 percent caffeine free—which is certainly not enough residual caffeine to keep you up at night.

Convinced about the Swiss Water® difference yet? Find a café or store on our map that offers Swiss Water® decaf, and get a delicious coffee—that happens to be caffeine free. You can choose better decaf. We're here to help.

Swiss Water® Decaf

Swiss Water is an innovative, 100% chemical free decaffeination process removing caffeine for coffee roasters around the world.

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